Elem

Saying that restaurants are facing an uphill battle these days is a huge understatement.  With the state of the economy and rampant inflation, it is tough go for most businesses.  So when I heard that there was a break-in at Elem, I just had to go back and support them.  I went twice within a month and this particular post is a combination of both dinners.  On a happier note, Elem has recently won Vanmag's "Best New Restaurant".  Truly deserving and congrats to Chef Vish and the Elem team!

For the longest time, the featured bread on the menu was the rye parker rolls.  Well, they now have Milk Brioche Buns now and for this dinner, it was served with whipped butter topped by serrano & lime butter and lime salt.  Loved the fluffiness and butteriness of the buns.  The butter was super light and airy while having a brightness from the serrano.  It really wasn't spicy either.

If you don't already know, Elem is also known for their cocktail program and we went for the Anar and Mango Rasmalai.  For the anar, it was a light mix of gin, pomegranate and cardamomo.  Definitely floral and mildly sweet.  Along the same lines, the mango rasmalai was also comprised of gin mixed with mango and cardamomo.  With the addition of clarified saffron milk and saffron white chocolate paint, we had even more floral notes.

Believe it or not, this is only the 2nd time I've had the Yellowfin Tuna Bhel!  It wasn't because I didn't like it, but rather, no one I ate with ever wanted to order it.  Well, this time I did and yep, I know now what I was missing.  Beyond the buttery pieces of tuna, we found the classic flavours of a Bhel being herbaceous, tangy and bright.  Love the added crunch as it needed it.

One of their newer dishes was the Elk Tartare.  Not gamy (to me at least), the lean elk was surprisingly buttery and tender.  It was well-seasoned and beautifully topped with edible flowers.  What put this dish over the top was it rested on bone marrow.  The generous amount of buttery and sinful bone marrow only added to the luxuriousness of the dish.  Completing things was the crunchy housemade chips.

Normally, I'm not one to order a salad for any meal, but since I've had the Glorious Organics Salad before, we got it.  Despite its basic plating, you wouldn't have guessed that it consisted of a bevy of greens, 

elderflower-tahini dressing, walnuts and ricotta salata.  Just something refreshing and light as an interlude between heavier dishes.  The mix of greens afforded bitterness, pepperiness and sweetness to go with the floral and nutty dressing.

Hitting some featured cocktails, we had the Milo/Corn and the Elderflower Highball.  With a small piece of fresh corn on the cob, there was no mistaking what the milo/corn was about.  This was a combination of cognac, Nestle Milo and milk-washed corn.  Slightly strong due to the cognac, but also malty due to the milo and sweet from the corn.  I though this was a creative drink for sure.  As for the elderflower, it was floral as expected, but also not weak due to the fermented rice vodka.  With some peppercorn, there was a slight bite at the end.

For my past 2 visits, I was able to enjoy one of their classic dishes in the Dungeness Crab Toast.  Loved that they brought this back on to the menu with a slight twist.  For the aerated sauce underneath, it was Tom Yum and that added classic lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf aromatics to already briny and "crabby" flavours.  The generous amount of fluffy crab sat atop a soft slice of milk bread.  Best to order more of the brioche to soak up all that delicious sauce!

Another dish I do not get to order often at Elem is the Grilled Lamb Skewers.  Yes, once again, nobody that eats with me loves lamb.  Well, I decided to order it anyways and eat them by myself!  These pieces of lamb were super fatty, which in turn, made the meat buttery and soft.  However, due to the charring, there were some crispy and smoky bits on the outside.  Due to the fat, there was no mistaking it was lamb as it was gamy (which I love).  Providing a carmelized sweetness, the medjool date glaze was also syrupy and thick.  This all sat on ginger labneh which was creamy, tangy and bright.

Of course a salad wasn't enough in terms of veggies, so we had the Purple Broccolini.  The next time we were here (just 2 weeks later), they had replaced the broccolini with the New Potatoes.  Although simple in its preparation, the broccolini had a punch of brininess from the bagna cauda and white anchovy.  Some pecorino provided more saltiness and nuttiness.  As for the potatoes, they were still a bit firm yet still tender.  At the centre, there was a toma cheese fonduta that was creamy with just a bit of tang.

With a cute crab cracker on top, the Mezcal Sour was the best cocktail of the bunch.  It was smoky from the crab shell mezcal and also slightly tangy from the strawberry vinegar.  Add in the chili oil and there was a kick.  Definitely riding the line between savoury and sweet.  Topped with a spoon of sweet and nutty taro sorbet, the aptly named Taro also consisted of rum and coconut.  By itself, the cocktail was a bit aromatic with definite hits of rum.  I decided to mix the taro sorbet in and that balanced things off with some sweetness and the aforementioned taro notes.

 

Another variation of an OG dish we had was the Duck Fried Rice.  Featuring tender and flavourful pieces of confit duck, the rice ate quite meaty and rich.  Each grain of rice was discernible and nutty.  Adding in the side of chili crunch was imperative to add texture, aromatics and even more nuttiness.  It wasn't spicy per se, but added a background smokiness instead.  Herbs on top were more than garnish as it provided brightness and relief from the heaviness.

 

Gloriously green, the Spring Risotto was beautifully executed.  Spreading nicely on the plate while being creamy and rich, the rice was still chewy with a bite.  Yes, the whole thing did taste green with the brightness and sweetness of the peas as well as the earthiness of the nettles.  A soft poached egg on top added some silkiness from the yolk.

 

For both meals, I ended up ordering the BC Halibut.  Good call as each time, it was prepared well.  The fish featured a crispy hard sear which was seasoned properly.  The fish itself was flaky and moist.  It sat on top of a coconut curry that was creamy, earthy and of course aromatic.  There was also some crunchy bak choy and soft chunks of potato.

 

Prepared medium-rare, we had a beautiful Wagyu Bavette steak.  This was rather meaty, yet still wasn't difficult to chew.  The fat content ensured that the meat was flavourful on its own.  However, the smokiness from the salsa borracha was definitely evident and helped add depth-of-flavour and umami.  Some crunchy and vibrant gai lan was served on the side.

The last 2 cocktails I'll talk about are the Mai Tai and the Lemongrass Gimlet.  Topped with a spoon of passionfruit ice, the mai tai consisted of 3 types of rum and pistachio orgeat.  Hence, we had some floral sweetness as well as hits of rum.  The passionfuit helped make this fruity and light.  That lemongrass gimlet was so refreshing and dangerous.  The combination of Lebanese gin, pandan and yuzu was pretty sweet and fruity.  I could easily down 10 of these, no joke!  But then I would be out like a light too...

 

The first of these two recent visits, we had the Chocolate Tart to end our meal.  This was a substantial slice of rich chocolate cremeux that was only semi-sweet with an appealing bitter finish.  Texturally, this was smooth and silky where it melted on contact when put into our mouths.  Nice contrasting texture from the butter hazelnut crunch on the top.  we found a scoop of salted milk ice cream on the side.

One of their newest desserts is the PB & J with a disk of evaporated and condensed milk atop banana coffee.  We found crunchy peanuts and mixed berry jelly on the side.  This tasted like we thought it would and that in itself was a success.  That disk was so creamy and despite having condensed milk, it was purposefully sweet.  Definitely lots of peanut aroma and texture while the jelly was sweet with a slight tang.

 

Beautifully plated, the Lemon and Rhubarb consisted of house-made lemon ice cream with elderflower, poached rhubarb, bee pollen, butterscotch, hazelnut crumble and a ginger almond disk with shiso glaze.   I would say this would be one of the best composed desserts I've had at Elem.  A good combination of floral, tangy, sweetness and slight herbaceousness to go with the contrast in textures.  So there you have it, 2 of my recent visits to Elem.  I think by revisiting some of their greatest hits, with a twist, is a good move for the menu.  Also, they seemed to have leveled up with their desserts.  They are more composed and dare I say, more "normal".  I'm happy for them winning best new restaurant by Vancouver Magazine.  I'm looking forward to what is coming next!

The Good:

- They brought back some classics (but with a twist)

- More composed desserts

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Maybe due to the limitations from the break-in, they didn't have any daily features

Toque!

Always chasing after new restaurants is what many people do to keep on top of the restaurant scene.  However, we must not forget about the ol' standbys too.  They were, at one point, the new kid on the block.  One of the long standing restaurants in Montreal that still receives accolades is Toque! on the outskirts of Old Montreal.  It has been around for 30 years and has morphed from a small restaurant on St Denis to the larger elegant space in 2004.  We were able to squeeze in a lunch here on our eating adventures for this trip.

Their lunch menu is strictly table d’hôte featuring one appetizer and one main course.  For our appetizers, we had the classic Pâté en Croute.  This was beautifully plated with squash mostarda, apricot purée, somerset grape and pumpkin seeds.  Crispy and firm, the hot water crust pastry was excellent and did not separate from the pâté.  About that pâté, it consisted of duck liver, tongue and pork.  It was rather meaty, especially from the tongue.  Just enough fat to keep things silky and bonded.  The accompaniments helped lighten things up with tang and sweetness.  Loved the sprinkle of pistachios on top adding nuttiness without being wet.

Our other appetizer was the Laquered Miso and Maple Trout with cauliflower purée, nasturtium, apple & maple mignonette and trout roe.  This was a well-composed plate with super crispy fish skin that was properly seasoned.  The trout itself as lightly cooked where the centre was still rare.  It was buttery and sweet with the natural flavours coming through while the miso added fermented saltiness.  To balance, the maple did its job with aromatic sweetness.

For our mains, we had the Lamb with romesco, cauliflower, confit leek, matsutake mushroom, thyme and lemon sauce.  Served in 3 pieces, we found the lamb saddle, rib and leg meat.  Prepared medium-rare, the leg meat was tender and juicy with a nice char on the outside.  The thyme and lemon sauce was tangy, earthy and sweet.  Lamb saddle had crispy fat giving way to tender and fatty meat.  Nice saltiness with this.  Braised rib meat was more lean, but the romesco helped in that regard.  Confit leek were charred, so there was smokiness to go with the brightness.

The other main was the Beef Strip Loin with bak choy, shiitake mushroom, beet, zucchini, red bell pepper chutney, black sesame purée and foie gras sauce.  Prepared medium as requested (not for me, I like medium-rare!), the steak was tender with a meaty texture.  It was properly seasoned, but the foie gras sauce was silky and savoury with plenty of umami.  The black sesame purée was quite potent with plenty of nuttiness.  

Dessert was not included with the table d’hôte but we ordered 2 of them anyways.  The Corn Crémeaux consisted of basil dehydrated sponge cake, nectarine, caramelized corn, olive oil ice cream.  Really sweet and rich, the corn crémeaux was the beneficiary of actual sweet niblets.  Loved the crispy sponge cake, which was the perfect compliment to the creamy and mildly sweet ice cream.

Lastly, we had the Strawberry salad with jasmine syrup, gin, strawberry sorbet and lime gel.  Such a simple dessert, but truly refreshing and satisfying after some heavier dishes.  Since the strawberries were sweet already, the light kiss of the syrup was enough.  Could definitely get the brightness of the gin coming through.  Finished off with some Dark & Milk Chocolate with dried raspberry and ginger gel.  Nice little bites to end a very solid meal.   

The Good:

- Solid execution

- High level of service

- Classy and spacious dining room

The Bad:

- Maybe less sexy than the new places?

Kavita

You know I really enjoy a delicious Indian meal every now and then.  Well, it isn't hard to find good Indian food in the GVRD, especially Punjabi cuisine.  There is a smattering of South Indian and some Goan spots as well.  One of the newest Indian restaurants in town is rather unique as the Head Chef and Owner, Tushar Tondvalkar meshes his experience at Michelin-star restaurants abroad to local high-end dining with classic Indian techniques from different regions.  Something definitely different and completely elevated.  Viv and I decided to give his Ammakase a go which is a chef's curated menu that is highly-seasonal and thoughtfully-designed.

To get things started, we were presented with 3 different small bites and a steaming hot broth.  The first (right to left) was a Achappam, Beef Tartare with Himalayan mustard, Sunchoke Croquette and Shorba.  The crunchy Achappam was floral and sweet while the beef tartare was tender and buttery with a crispy papadum shell.  Croquette was crispy and creamy with some spice.  That broth at the end was a flavour bomb with tang and depth.  There was some balancing sweetness at the end with a gingery finish.

Next, we had the Morel Chick Pea with yogurt kadhi and mustard.  Unlike most curries, the one here was light and tangy with an appealing butteriness.  We found an earthy finish while witnessing much restraint and balance.  Texturally, we had some softness complimented by crispiness as well. This was a preview of what was to come as we usually associate heaviness with Indian food.

One of our favourite dishes was the vegetarian Momo sitting in a lemongrass tomato jhol with Swiss chard.  Oh wow, for such a humble and simple dish, this was my favourite of the tasting menu.  Fragrant with lemongrass and spiciness that became more pronounced at the end, the broth was impactful.  The dumpling skin was thin and full of elasticity.  Hiding within, we found vibrant and crunchy veggies.  There was a bit of bitterness from the chard.

Then we moved onto the Halibut Cheek in fisherman's green sauce and kolarabi.  Although the cheek itself was a bit more cooked than I wanted it to be, it was still classic cheek texture.  It was a bit bouncy and had a bit of a chew.  Nice crispiness on the exterior and caramelization.  Sauce was super herbaceous and silky, yet still subtle.  Kohlrabi on the side was crunchy with acidity and topped with briny ikura.

The most filling course was the Wild Boar encased in black garlic fried rice and then wrapped in a banana leaf.  Although the boar was lean (as it tends to be), it was still moist and tender.  It was also naturally flavourful.  Although encased, the rice was not mushy.  It absorbed the flavours from the leaves.  The fermented umaminess from the black garlic was quite evident.  Lastly, the black sesame came through with a rich nuttiness.

Composed and carefully-prepared, the Aged Duck came with a vindaloo sauce, fried cassava and potato.  Perfectly medium-rare, the duck featured crispy skin that was mostly rendered.  It sat in a tangy vindaloo sauce which had the perfect viscosity.  Once again, there was restraint as the sauce complimented the duck beautifully, yet did not dominate the dish.  We found a pleasantly crispy cassava on the side as well as charred broccolini.

As a pre-dessert, we were served a Kokum Sorbet that was tangy and only lightly sweetened.  There was definite tamarind vibes to this, but kokum belongs to the mangosteen family. Texturally, it was smooth as if there was cream, but in fact, there was none. There was an earthy finish at the end.  This helped us wash away the previous flavours and to get us ready for our dessert.

Our actual dessert consisted of a Christmas Cake that was effectively a festive rum cake with plump raisins, orange and ginger.  Somewhat like a Christmas fruit cake, but actually tasty, this had hits of cardamom and cloves.  It was not dense like a fruit cake, so it was fluffier.  I found the pops of sweetness from the raisins to be the surprise in each bite.  I would've liked more of the gel to go with the crispy parts of the dessert.

Lastly, we had some small bites to end the meal in some Whey Peda with pine.  This chewy and thick bite was a bit creamy and mildly sweet.  Definitely some grassy notes too.  Overall, we were really impressed with the creations that Chef Tushar Tondvalkar presented to us for the tasting menu.  Flavours were familiar but presented in a different manner which had incredible balance and we didn't feel heavy eating it.  We would be more than glad to have this again, as well as his regular menu.

The Good:

- Familiar things but reimagined 

- Not heavy and well-balanced

- Thoughtfully created dishes

The Bad:

- Halibut cheek could've been less cooked

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