Restaurant Pearl Morissette

So when I was originally planning out which restaurants to visit while in Toronto, it was stressing me out a bit that I was going to miss out on this year's #1 restaurant in the country according to Canada's 100 Best List.  Moreover, they have been awarded one star by the Michelin Guide. Restaurant Pearl Morisette is located in Niagara region situated on a farm that is also a winery, orchard and bakery.  So I made the decision to rent a car and do the 1+ hour drive and back (each way) so I could see for myself if they were worthy of the accolades.  Let's just say right off the bat, the place is gorgeous with an old barn converted to a restaurant.  It overlooks the farm and has a setting that is both unique and vital to the whole experience.  Many of their dishes consists of components grown on the farm.

We started off delicately with the Poached Nova Scotia Lobster.  It was a beautifully plated dish with an array of colours.  The lobster was prepared properly where it had a nice rebound but was still light in texture.  It was sweet being harmonious with the lobster & scallop consommé.  It was spiked with rhubarb juice, which gave it a nice tanginess.  Textural crunch was provided by the daikon and radish.  Floral notes were not only provided by the flowers, but also the black current wood.

Coming from a strategically gentle start to the meal, we moved onto the Carrot Crisp with scallop roe pâté and dried chili.  I found these to be spicy and earthy with a balancing amount of sweetness.  There wasn't as much brininess as I was expecting, but the harmony of flavours and textures was definitely there.  These were definitely crispy and a nice progression from the previous dish.

Now looking at the picture above, you might not be very excited about a few pieces of bread.  However, the Sourdough was made with einkorn and iron fife flour.  Hence, the bread inherently had some real sweetness and nuttiness in addition to the usual tang.  It was firm around the edges, but totally fluffy with a nice chew everywhere else..  However, the star of the show was the St. Brigid's butter which was silky and very smooth.  It had a slightly higher milk fat content and hence was more pronounced in flavour with just a subtle background tang.

Stunningly plated, the West Coast Dungeness Crab was fluffy and had all of the goodness of crab brininess.  There was some textural contrast from the crunchy fried cranberry bean crumble while the pickled garlic emulsion offered up some tangy sharpness.  The most impactful component was the hay and alder custard as it had an earthy nuttiness to it.  What was moist important is that none of the components overwhelmed the delicate and delicious crab.

Staying with seafood, we were served the Lake Erie Pickerel fried Matsukasa-yaki style.  By pouring hot oil over the fish scales, it completely crisped them up.  Unlike the one we had at Alo, the scales here were light and easy to eat.  The fish itself was super moist and buttery, cooked to perfection.  Although it was properly seasoned, the emulsion underneath was earthy and bright with the combination of asparagus, coriander, chervil and false cardamom oil.

Apparently we weren't done with the fish courses yet as the next dish to arrive was the Slow-Grilled West Coast Halibut.  It was expertly prepared where the texture was delicate and flaky.  With the honey glaze, we did get some subtle sweetness, but the buerre monté was the dominant flavour with a butteriness that was also tangy and aromatic.  We found some peach leaves on top as well as some poached hakurei turnip and green mizuna.  This greenery did give some bitterness.

Onto a vegetable course, we were presented with the Pot Roasted White Asparagus topped with Acadian Emerald caviar.  Just looking at them, they seemed to be caramelized and indeed they were.  There was a deep amount of sweetness that was quite delicious.  In addition to that, the asparagus still had a snap texture.  In addition to the caramelization, there was balancing saltiness, tanginess and brininess.  Some of it was thanks to the tender razor clams (and the caviar) which had a pleasant chew to them.

Moving back to the meat courses, we had the Back to Nature Organics Roasted Duck.  As you can clearly see, the duck was cooked perfectly and was super tender.  Fat was rendered and the skin was not flabby.  The haskap glaze was a bit salty, but still delicious.  Next to the duck, we found cucumber, green strawberries and bambi gem lettuce.  Nice crunch and brightness to lighten up the dish and toning down the saltiness.

Our last savoury course was the Roasted Pork from Linton Pastures.  If you look at the picture, you can clearly see that the pork was just barely cooked with a bit of pink on it.  Hence, it was super juicy and succulent.  Once again, the demi was on the saltier side, but had plenty of meatiness.  Morels were crispy and earthy while filled with pork and lobster mousse, which had some mustardy notes.  The horseradish leaf oil and mitsuba herb brought things down a bit with some bitterness.

Just before we hit the sweets, we were presented with a Beef Consommé with a wealth of edible flowers on top.  The broth itself was full of umami and natural beef flavour.   This was seasoned well and there was some earthy root veggies underneath.  They were still a bit crunchy, which was a nice texture.  Normally, I would expect a sorbet of some type as a palate cleanser, but this acted as one in a savoury manner. 

So onto dessert, we had the Fraser Valley Rice Tartlet with marinated strawberries and black currant leaf rice pudding.  Being made of rice, the tart shell was lightly crispy and had some toasty notes.  The herbs on top were noticeable and the with the flowers, we got some floral aromatics.  The rice pudding was sweet and creamy while the strawberries offered up some tanginess.

Our second dessert was the Salsify Mille Feuille with a salsify tuile, marinated apple, black koji pureé and toasted oat chantilly.  I found the whole thing super light with crispy tuile.  The apples offered up some extra crunch albeit a wet and sweet crunch.  I found the sweetness to be on point.  The chantilly was airy and really, eating this dessert was very easy.  The creaminess was also equally aromatic from the toasted oats.

Our third dessert was a Toasted Sourdough Ice Cream Sandwich.  This was a nice little bite with creamy and smooth ice cream accented by the rich and nutty brown butter caramel.  Extra crunch and sweetness was provided by the candied sourdough bread.  We really got Danish cookie vibes from this!  Finally, we were presented with some Madeleines with whiskey and miso while dusted in allspice sugar.  These were so fluffy and light while the fermented flavour of the miso really came through whereas the whiskey was beautifully subtle.  When it was all said and done, we agreed that the meal at Pearl Morissette was special.  From the converted barn to the lovely farm setting, things were already unique before we even got to the food.  The whole experience, including the personable service, reflects its one-star Michelin rating as well as top spot in Canada's 100 Best Restaurants.

The Good:

- It is about the whole experience

- Excellent food

- Superb service

The Bad:

- A bit out-of-the-way for most people, but worth the drive

Fat Rabbit

Seeing how Pearl Morissette has captured the #1 ranking in Canada's 100 Best Restaurants for 2025, we knew a car rental was in our future.  So we made our way out of Downtown Toronto to the wine country for our tasting menu out on the farm.  However, we weren't going to do the 1.5 hour drive just to do one restaurant right?  For lunch, we headed into St. Catharines to try another restaurant on that list at #97.  Fat Rabbit is its name and a butcher shop is its game.  However, they also house a restaurant in the same space that allows you to pick your custom steak (among other things).

Even though we were only there for lunch and looking forward to a tasting menu for dinner, we went all out and started with the Crispy Humbolt Squid.  This was an excellent dish where the squid was super tender while having a slight chew.  The thin batter was definitely crispy and seemed to be almost not there.  That made each bite an airy experience which made things not as heavy as it appeared.  The batter was also beautifully seasoned where it didn't need anything else but a slight squeeze from the slice of lemon.  However, the side of scallion mayo was the cherry on top as it provided a bright, yet richly-flavoured hit.

Looking at the menu, we knew we had to get The Cheeseburger.  Freshly-ground meat prepared to medium, this thick patty was juicy, meaty and well-seasoned.  It was topped with a thick slice of gruyere as well as caramelized onions, pickles and dijonnaise.  The soft bun held everything together where the dijonnaise had a nice tanginess that helped offset the richness of the beef.  The pickles took that one step further while adding crunch.  We couldn't forget about the caramelized onions as it provided a rich sweetness.

We got a side of Crispy Potatoes to compliment and oh boy, was that a great decision.  These slices of what I believe were Yukon Gold potatoes were lightly crispy, but ever-so-creamy and moist on the inside.  This textural contrast provided a great mouth feel and kept coming back for more.  These were properly salted where they enhanced the natural potato flavour.  On the side, we found garlic mayo which was creamy and aromatic.  There was also some bomba to add a bit of spice to the dish.

For our choice of steak, we went big with the 29oz Aged Ribeye from the display case.  This was thick cut and took 30 minutes to prepare.  When it did arrive, it was a sight to behold.  Charred on the outside and perfectly medium-rare (closer to rare, just how I like it) on the inside, it was what we were looking for in a premium steak.  This was $68.00 per pound which would be around $122.00 for the steak.  Not bad for so much meat that was cooked properly.  It was also well-seasoned with kosher salt allowing us to eat this without any need for any condiments.  It was juicy and tender with a slight bite.

To compliment our steak and also get some veggies, we opted for the Turnips with picobello, bottarga and beurre blanc.  These turnips were cooked-through while still being firm with a crunch.  Natural sweetness was the initial hit of flavour, but then we got some bitterness and slight sharpness at the end.  The creamy beurre blanc helped add some luxuriousness while the bottarga afforded saltiness.  Overall, we quite enjoyed the Fat Rabbit and were glad we stopped by for lunch.  Interestingly, another couple was there, also taking pictures, and then we saw them again at Pearl Morisette!  I guess we weren't the only ones with this idea of hitting both restaurants!

 

The Good:

- Just well-prepared food

- Love that you can pick your steak

- Great service

 

The Bad:

- We enjoyed our meal but unless you are on your way to Niagara or another spot, I wouldn't necessarily drive out 

 

Edulis

Sitting at #2 on Canada's Best 100 restaurants for 2024, Edulis is also the recipient of a Michelin Star.  It is truly a destination restaurant tucked within a cozy bistro on Niagara in Toronto.  The Manager, Philip Shaw, welcomes and warmly guides you throughout the tasting menu that takes a journey though in-season seafood, vegetables and mushrooms.  Viv and I were fortunate enough to snag a reservation for this exquisite experience.

You must be quick when the resos are available and also need to prepay.  We had a 7:00pm reservation and began with the Snacks consisting of Edulis "Gilda Matrimonio" with Cantabrian anchovy, Valentine Radish with Liptauer cheese, Profiterole of Winter Parsnip & Black Truffle and Coppa di Testa of Mangalista Pork with Eggplant Sott'Olio.  A very nice introduction to the menu where we literally whet our appetites on the tangy and briny skewers with stuffed olives and anchovy.  Our favourite of the bunch was the profiteroles as the choux pastry was perfectly crispy with an airy centre.  The sweet parsnips were creamy and gave off foie mousse vibes.

 

As a supplement added at the table and not part of the original tasting menu, we had the Jamón Joselito for an extra $50.00.  This was well worth it though as each slice of ham was super buttery and richly salty, yet still a bit sweet as well.  On top, we found some Picos (Spanish bread sticks) that were a bit dense. This is the best ham in the world coming from a small company founded in 1868 and based in Guijuelo.  I would agree that this is one of the best I've had and would gladly have more!

Seemingly simple but complex in flavour, the Roscoff Onion Pannacotta was delightful with a rich creamy texture.   Mildly milky, the pannacotta served as a canvas for the sweet & earthy onions.   Although there was no curry to be found in this dish, there was a faint curry finish.   I loved the addition of crunch to the mix that added textural contrast.  Of course we couldn't forget about the generous dollop of Oscietra "Prestige" caviar.  That provides pops of salty brininess.

 

In between courses, we were served the Red Fife Bread with 84% fat cultured butter.  We went for the black truffle supplement and they went nuts with it on top of the butter.  The bread itself had a nice crunch with the crust while the inside had a heavy fermented flavour.  It was densely fluffy (if that makes sense).  We didn't go easy with the butter and that made all the difference in the world.  It was creamy and a bit gamy with lots of truffle woodsiness.    

One of our favourite courses was the Wild Red Sea Bream that was lightly cured and sandwiched in between sheets of kombu.   The slices of fish were supremely bright and naturally sweet with a kiss from the sea.  With Buddha hand citrus, we had all the acidity and fragrance the fish needed.  We had a bit of licorice finish from the fennel seed but also some slight brightness and bitterness from the cardoon.

Keeping the hits going, the Dungeness Crab was a beautiful dish where the main ingredient was allowed to shine.   Fluffy, briny and sweet, the crab sat in a sweet macadamia cream that featured crab butter.  It was full of umami and of course, crab flavour.  This made the flavour profile extremely crab-forward (which would've been the point).  We found some wild bears garlic finishing off the dish with delicate aromatics.

If crab and sea Bream wasn't a seafood treat already, we had the Just Shucked Mahone Bay Scallops next.  These were lightly poached in dashi that firmed them up but left the scallop raw.   They were buttery and naturally sweet.  This sat atop fermented aji verde which was bright, herbaceous and slightly spicy.  We had some Ontario ginger and pickled ramps which added bite and tang.

Moving onto something a bit different and more robust, we had the Smoked Eel "Schnitzel".  We found a piece of eel that was coated in breading and fried until golden brown.  It was crispy and aromatic while the short-finned eel itself was firm (like it should be) and lightly sweet.  Underneath, we found some white asparagus sitting in a stinging nettle vichyssoise with mustard seed mignonette and red wine reduction.  This was a fairly mild dish overall.

The next course featured diced BC Spot Prawn Crudo in saucy bomba rice with Mangalista sobrassada spread.  I thought the saucy rice was the best part of this dish as it sported concentrated flavours of prawn shells.  It was super briny, aromatic and pleasingly salty.   There was some meaty spiciness from the sobrasada that provided depth.   However, the delicate spot prawn was lost in all of this.  The good news was that the texture was as still there.

Our last course was the Dry-Aged Mangalista Pork with hedgehog mushrooms, cabbage sausage, roasted apple, celeriac & mushroom puree and cider sauce.  The pork was absolutely delicious where it was barely cooked through.  Each piece was juicy and succulent with natural sweetness.   The mushrooms help add some woodiness and the apple and cider sauce provided sweetness and slight tang.  really enjoyed the roasted pork rib on the side.  Such succulent and well-seasoned meat!  

Onto dessert, we ordered 2 of them including Niagara Baby Gold Peaches sitting in vanilla crème Anglais and raspberry sauce.  This was a simple dish, but was truly a refreshing way to cleanse the palate after all those fabulous courses.  But the real dessert was the Dark Chocolate Layer Cake with Soma kokoa kamili chocolate, Niagara apricot preserves and hazelnut praline. Oh this cake was so rich and chocolatey while being only purposefully sweet.  This was lighter than it appeared and was super fluffy.  Loved the crunch from the pralines on top.  As you can see, this tasting menu was a lot of thoughtful and well-prepared dishes.  Really great experience, especially with the personable service we received from Philip.  We can see why it is ranked so high on Canada's Top 100 Restaurants.

 

The Good:

- Outstanding service

- Good use of fresh Canadian ingredients

- Delicious

 

The Bad:

- Super hard to get a reservation

- With all the supplements and wine, it can get pretty expensive 

Tuc Craft Kitchen (Summer Menu Tasting 2017)

For all of the many great restaurants in Vancouver, there are only a few that I would use my valuable time for a return visit (or visits).  One of which is Tuc Craft Kitchen on the edge of Gastown.  This little spot gets pretty favourable reviews and has many loyal customers.  The reason why?  It's actually really simple - they produce delicious food.  Yes, it is true.  There are plenty of restaurants in town that focus far too much on style and social media hype and do not put enough effort into their menu.  At Tuc, their ever-changing offerings speak for themselves without the need of stupid gimmicks.  I was recently invited to their Summer menu launch and there was no need to ask twice!

To start things off, I tried their Turmeric Margherita with Hornitos reprosada tequila, Pierre Ferrand dry curacao, orange juice, turmeric and lime.  Loved the colour and bright flavours which was perfect for a warm day.  It was refreshing with just a hint of bitterness from the turmeric and plenty of zing from the citrus.  This was a dangerous beverage as I could've downed many of these easily. Our first small bite was the Vegan Rarebit based on the traditional Welsh dish.  This one sported rye bread topped with roasted veggies, caramelized onions and smoked onion sauce on top.  Despite the amount of wet ingredients, the bread was crunchy and stayed firm.  I found the roasted veggies fully cooked, but still retained a bite.  The sauce on top was slightly sweet with a touch of acidity. 

The best starter by far was their popular Crispy Bacon & Egg which is an interpretation of a Scotch egg (being relatively lighter without the use of sausage).  As evidenced in the picture, the egg was as perfect as one would hope for being a beautiful free-range orange and runny.  Of course some preparations would have it fully cooked, but c'mon, this was sexier and not rubbery.  On the outside, the bacon was meaty and lightly crispy as with the thin layer of tempura batter.  Another English-inspired little bite was the Boudin Noir featuring blood sausage wrapped in crispy pastry.   I found the flaky pastry to be very buttery while the boudin was soft and not especially heavy.  I found it rather airy with some richness and aromaticness.

Moving onto the tasting, we began with the Steelhead Ceviche & Chicharron with citrus cured Lois Lake steelhead atop puffed pork rinds and carrot ginger puree.  Exhibiting a balanced acidity and hits of lemon lime, the buttery steelhead's sweetness was able to come through.  The smooth puree added more sweetness as well as a sharp spiciness.  Aromatic and crispy, the chicharron exhibited an almost egg-like essence and aroma.  From light over to meaty, we were presented with the Lamb Dukkah on top of white bean hummus and Moroccan relish finished off with sesame & chickpea dust.  I found the lamb patty to be juicy and tender with an appealing bounce texture where the spices were apparent, in particular the cumin.  The spicy and tart relish featuring jalapeno and mint was a nice compliment to the lamb while the firm spicy carrots were tasty on their own.

Next up was the Seafood Tamarind Bisque featuring Salt Spring mussels, white prawn and snapper in a chili tamarind broth with Thai basil and local veggies.  The bisque was rather brothy and tart with the aromatics from shrimp paste and brininess from the seafood.  There was a background spiciness that didn't overwhelm the delicate seafood including the meaty shrimp, flaky fish and briny buttery mussels.  Although wilted, the veggies retained their texture and crunch which was a nice textural contrast.  Alternating between light and heavy, we went back to the decadent with the Crispy Pork Curado sporting a Gelderman Farms braised pork shank, roasted corn, charred tomatillo verde, celeriac slaw and local greens.  This was a site to behold with a beautifully crispy pork shank where the fat underneath was buttery and gelatinous.  Beyond that, the meat was tender, moist and also gelatinous.  The sweetness of caramelized roasted corn broke up the heaviness while the slightly tart and mildly spicy tomatillo added brightness as well as the crunchy slaw.

Since we were alternating back and forth between seafood and meat, it was fitting that our final dish featured both in the Surf & Turf.  This was an interesting interpretation with miso-cured tri-tip steak, tempura soft shell crab, confit sweet potato and miso foam.  Ever-so-lightly battered, the soft shell crab was crispy on the outside while still moist and soft on the inside.  It was sweet and of course exhibited the classic crab essence.  I thought the steak itself was tender bordering on chewy.  With that being said, it was cooked nicely medium-rare and wasn't hard to eat.  It was lightly salty from the miso, but not overly so.  For dessert, we were served the Chilled Chocolate Fondue with fernet-infused chocolate Anglaise, marshmallow and honeycomb toffee.  This was pretty sweet due to the combination of ingredients.  So if you have a sweet-tooth, this would definitely be up your alley.  The whole thing was smooth and chocolatey while the honeycomb added a sweet caramelized smoky crunch.  Like clockwork, the dishes from the Summer menu at Tuc were solid and executed properly.  I've never had a bad meal here and this was no exception.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Proteins cooked properly
- Seasoning on point
- Unpretentious

The Bad:
- Not much to complain about.  Only thing was the slightly chewy steak.

Au Pied de Cochon

Long before we even booked our hotel and transportation for our stay in Montreal, Costanza only had one thing on his mind (no, it wasn't that!).  He zeroed in on a bucket list item which was dinner at Au Pied de Cochon.  He's always been impressed with the no-holds-barred decadence offered up by Chef Martin Picard.  Featuring heavy Quecbecois cuisine focused on foie gras and pork, we were in for some serious eating as well as serious spending.  Whatever, we were on vacation - calories and money spent do not count right?  

We started strong with the Charcuterie Board for 4 (and reasonably-priced at $36.00).  It consisted of Lardons, Spicy Pork Pate, 2 types of Pork Sausage, Prosciutto, Cornichons and grilled bread.  This was a lot of food for an "appetizer" as the amount of meat was heavy.  I particularly liked the spicy pate as it was meaty with a hot sauce  taste being vinegary and peppery.  The pork sausages were also on point with a natural meatiness complimented by mild seasoning.  This was followed up by something a lot smaller in the Fried Squash Blossoms.  They were crunchy and light while accompanied by an aromatic tarragon mayo.

We also ended off strong with our last appie being the Foie Gras Poutine.  Wow, this was super rich and decadent.  The duck fat fries were full-flavoured (being nutty) and lightly crisp.  On top, there was a rich and silky sauce that was appealingly gamy with a finish of brandy.  The liberal chunks of foie were seared nicely which provided a textural contrast to the inherent butteriness.  I couldn't imagine eating this all-by-myself as we probably needed a defibrillator nearby.

Moving onto the mains, I went with the Hot Chicken since the Pied de Cochon was not available.  It sported 2 pieces of aggressively battered deboned thighs sandwiched in between fried bread.  The whole thing was drenched in a creamy and spicy gravy with a good amount of peas.  I found the chicken to be nicely brined where it was succulent and flavourful.  The batter was crunchy and peppery, yet some of the chicken skin wasn't rendered.  Viv ended up with the Tuna Burger that really didn't looked like one at all.  Rather than featuring a tuna steak, the patty was processed tuna that was breaded and fried.  Hence, it was super crunchy while the meat resembled beef in some ways.  It was sauced with a peanut satay and topped with avocado.  The bun was fried polenta cakes and to finish the whole thing off, we had 2 onion rings.  Again, this was heavy and she only ended up finishing half.

Elaine chose the Fig & Foie Gras Pizza with prosciutto as her main (which ended up to be the "lightest").  This was excellent featuring a firmly crunchy and thin crust.  We found that the flavours really worked here with the sweetness of the fig contrasting the saltiness of the cured meat in addition to the fatty foie.  Sure, the amount of foie was excessive (yes it was), but it was sure enjoyable.  Costanza had the most interestingly served item in the Duck in a Can.  Prepared in a tin can and opened table side, it consisted of a duck breast and a huge hunk of foie with roast garlic, buttered cabbage and thyme in a balsamic demi.  This was super rich and difficult to finish as the whole dish was oily and of course decadent.  The duck was beautifully medium-rare while the foie was fatty.  There was a nice depth which made things even more heavy.

For the kiddies, they got a couple orders of the Gnocchi & Bacon finished table side in a hollowed out wheel of Parmesan (along with flakes of Manchego).  Hence, the dish was cheesy and gamy, but the significant amount of basil (including the fresh basil in the dollop of ricotta), brightened things up.  The gnocchi itself were little ovals of tender pasta that still had an elasticity.  The final dish we had was the Sheppard's Pie and yes, your guessed it, it was super-heavy.  It featured tender chunks of beef that was meaty and nicely seasoned by the thick gravy that bordered on salty.  The whipped potato topping was thick, yet creamy and cheesy-like. At this point, we couldn't even think about dessert.  Personally, I couldn't get over the heaviness of the meal.  In many ways, it decreased my eating enjoyment.  I do realize that is the point of the restaurant, but it just isn't my cup of tea.

The Good:
- If you like foie...  they don't hold back
- Attentive service
- Creative dishes

The Bad:
- Too heavy for me, as it made things inedible after a few bites
- Creative yes, but didn't always work