In a former hardware store in Parkdale, Parts & Labour is a new multilevel venue that includes a 140-seat restaurant on the main floor, a lower-level space for live music and events called the Shop, and a rooftop garden where ingredients are grown for the restaurant's signature dishes. The venue, open since June 10, is a collaboration between Jesse Girard and Richard Lambert, owners of the Social, and Brian Richer and Kei Ng—the pair behind OddFellows and design studio Castor.
"It's really meant to be industrial-minimalist," Girard said of the design, which includes a 30-foot bar constructed of c-channel steel beams. The bar is illuminated by 85 lamps made from recycled fire extinguishers that have been chopped in half, stripped, and powder-coated.
Bar stools are made of industrial truck spring, and the dining area features eight oak veneer-topped communal tables, lit by Castor’s recycled tube lights—a fixture at sister restaurant OddFellows. Additional design highlights include an industrial chandelier made from loading-dock lights, plastered black foyer walls, a windshield installation in the entrance, iconic 40/4 chairs, and a Morso fireplace from Denmark.
Chef Matty Matheson, who also helms the kitchen at OddFellows, offers a menu with dishes like short rib Bolognese, steak frites, warm potato salad served with deviled eggs and bacon, and peppercorn-crusted horse tenderloin. Ingredients like lettuce and heirloom carrots are grown in the 2,000-square-foot rooftop garden, designed by Matheson in conjunction with landscape designer Victoria Taylor and Katie Mathieu, a chef, gardener, and permaculture designer.
Parts & Labour is available for buyout and can hold as many as 420. The main level holds 250 and the Shop can accommodate as many as 170.
