The Diplomat

The Diplomat is a dilettantish, disparate restaurant in Hamilton, inspired by the street scenes and food markets from around the globe.

The Hamilton Food Scene

Hamilton is a sui generis city, called the Hammer by locals and Steel Town by outsiders. Hamilton is the waterfall capital of the world with more than 100 waterfalls. Hamilton has a rich past, vibrant culture, and nature surrounding it. The urban feel is unique, the arts scene is pulsating and authentic with a vibrant downtown.

The City that gave us Tim Horton’s has a bustling food scene with incredible restaurants. I am heading downtown to have dinner with a local artist Olwyn at The Diplomat and then to check out the St. James North Art Crawl in Hamilton.

After having lived in Toronto for three decades, the first thing I like about Hamilton is that there is no traffic. The parking downtown is $2.75 after 6 pm. Yes, $2.75 until 6 am.

The Diplomat

The Diplomat is located at 43 King William Street in Hamilton. The road is closed during the summer. There are a whole bunch of restaurants on the street with patios that give it a European vibe.

I am greeted with a huge hug by Aaron who is the manager and shows me the restaurant. The Diplomat is beautiful inside. It is sleek and modern.

We decide to sit inside the restaurant, facing the street.

The tables are set properly and they have cloth napkins.

Our server is Kiri who from the first go is outstanding. Olwyn and Debbie order the Current Crush cocktail and I stick to sparkling water.

Kiri recommends we try the Summer Eats menu. I tell Debbie and Olwyn lets order a dish each and we will share the dishes. This way we can taste all the dishes. I like the fact that Kiri understands we want to share the food and she brings us side plates and extra cutlery. As an ex-hotelier and a hotel school graduate, this attention to detail blows me away.

Appetizers

The first course consists of Strawberry and Watermelon Salad, Beef Croquettes, and Fried Green Tomatoes. I am hungry and cannot wait for this sit-down square meal bonanza to start. I notice four dishes coming to our table. Aaron brings us the Smoked Salmon Rillettes and it is on the house.

Strawberry & Watermelon Salad

The Strawberry and Watermelon Salad is so beautiful, that I am scared to even touch it. The lime ponzu (Tamari, lime juice, mirin, katsuobushi, kombu, and rice vinegar) takes the watermelon to a different level and is the perfect salad for a hot blistering day. The rice chips with the strawberry have this prodigious flavor and I am in heaven. The colors, the contrasts, and the texture are all there. This dish is exceptional.

Fried Green Tomatoes

The Fried Green Tomatoes is set to tell you what are you waiting for? Go ahead. The tomatoes are crisp. There are no after flavors, it is not soggy and the chef has mastered the tempura. The fennel herb salad brings the licorice gusto to the tomatoes. The goat cheese remoulade (a traditional French sauce made from mayonnaise, herbs, capers, and horseradish) is a classic accompaniment to fried tomatoes. An exquisite dish, cooked perfectly with all the classic complements. This dish is phenomenal.

Beef Croquettes

The Beef Croquettes (a small often rounded mass consisting usually of minced meat, fish, or vegetable coated with egg and bread crumbs and deep-fried) are crisp on the outside and moist and delicious inside. The coriander chutney is the perfect marriage for the croquette. I can taste the Dukkah spice (Dukkah is made with basic ingredients, including nuts, sesame seeds, coriander, and cumin) and it adds a nice toasty and citrus add to the chutney. Bravo, bravo, encore, encore. Wowza. I am gobsmacked by the flavors.

Salmon Rillettes

We leave the Salmon Rillettes (Rillettes is a preservation method similar to confit where meat is seasoned then slow-cooked submerged in fat and cooked at an extremely slow rate for several hours. The meat is shredded and packed into sterile containers covered in fat) to the last. We did not order it as any of us wanted a fish-flavored dish on a summer day. I take one bite of it and the complexity of the flavors hits my tongue. Olwyn and I agree that this is our favorite dish. The Green Goddess dressing (A salad dressing, typically containing mayonnaise, sour cream, chervil, chives, anchovy, tarragon, lemon juice, and pepper) makes this dish the Goddess.

Mains

The second course consists of Thai Grilled Chicken, Shrimp & Grits, and Grilled Pork Chops. Aaron also brings Vegetable Mango Curry.

Thai Grilled Chicken

Gai Yang is traditional street food in Thailand. The glaze is the most important part of this dish. The lemon grass-soy glaze is perfect. Coconut rice and peanuts are classic accompaniments. The shishito peppers give the perfect heat to the sweetness of the grilled chicken. I feel like I am sitting on Pattaya Beach and someone has brought me takeout from the local restaurant. All the complex nuances are delivered.

Shrimp & Grits

A classic brunch dish from Charleston, SC, and Low Country. I have had this with bacon and mushroom before. This dish surprised me. I was skeptical about the confit tomatoes and garlic scapes. Also, would the chorizo be too salty? The grits are amazing. The shrimps are juicy and cooked perfectly. The combo does come through and you do need to take the morsels together.

Grilled Pork Chop

The is juicy and moist. The succotash (A Southern favorite named after the word “msickquatash” of the Narragansett in New England is a vegetable dish consisting primarily of sweet corn with lima beans or other shell beans) is delicious. The cashew gremolata is what chimichurri does for a steak the gremolata does for the chop.

Mango Curry

A curry consisting of yam and chickpeas and garnished with Brussel sprouts makes for a perfect vegan dish.

Dessert

The desserts were Coconut Fritters, Vegan Basque Cheesecake, and Vanilla Millefeuille.

Coconut Fritters

The sauce and the colors all come together. I loved the caramel and the play on the purple yam. Outstanding dessert.

Vegan Basque Cheesecake

A perfect vegan dessert. The pineapple compote brings the right amount of sweetness and texture to the dessert. Remember this is not your classic New York cheesecake. The Basque cheesecake isn’t smooth or dense; instead, the dessert—baked at a high temperature—is light and scorched and caramelized on the top with a rich, gooey interior

Vanilla Millefeuille

All the trappings of a classic French dessert are here. A perfect dessert after a great meal.

The Diplomat offered me flair, great hospitality, great food, and great drinks at a great price with no snobbery. The Summer Eats Menu takes me on a tour around the world.

Before you head to The Diplomat read my strategies on how to have a good time at a restaurant. Say Hi to Aaron and Kiri for me and have a great time at this amazing restaurant.