Some Singular Dishes From Different Restaurants, Toronto: Pangaea; Buca

I consider these "must have" dishes, worth trying.

Spot prawns, scallop and spinach risotto, flavoured with preserved lemon, mint, soy oil and topped with creme fraiche and crispy torn bread. Loved this dish of perfectly cooked shellfish and risotto, from Pangaea.

Carbonara di mare, bronze die-cut mezze maniche from Abruzzo with parmigiano reggiano cheese, fresh Italian chili, caviar and sea urchin bottarga. The key to the flavour explosion with the perfectly cooked pasta are the briny sea flavours of the sea urchin. An amazing rustic dish enjoyed at Buca.

A Wine Dinner at Pangaea Restaurant, Toronto

Pangaea is one of my go to restaurants for special wine dinners. The chef, Martin Koupre and his chef de cuisine, Derek Bendig are easy to work with and very creative. This meal revolved around  rare American chardonnays and cab or merlot blends.

A light beginning of thinly sliced scallop ceviche with layers of compressed cucumber.

House made linguini with barely cooked (sous vide) lobster in a fennel veloute, with sea urchin butter. The linguini was perfect in flavour and texture. The sauce and perfectly underdone lobster were addictive. I could have made a meal of a large portion of this superb dish.

Saffron risotto with spring vegetables and bone marrow sauce. Pangaea is noted for the perfection of it's risottos, in any version, and this one was a perfect red wine complement.

Poached lamb's tongue on garlic and sauteed fingerling potatoes with anchovy salsa verde. Another wonderful hit! The green sauce was the perfect complement for the rich flavours of the lamb's tongue.

Veal rib-eye, cooked sous vide, with smoked veal deckle (the deckle portion of any kind of rib steak is my very favourite cut for taste, texture and juiciness), roasted carrot, marrow stuffed with sweet garlic puree and white bean sauce. A wonderful hearty dish of complementary flavours.

The fabulous, warm apple tarte tatin, one of the best versions I have enjoyed in Toronto, accompanied by salted caramel ice cream and vanilla whipped cream. The caramelized apple flavours were perfect and pastry crisp and light. 

Toronto Resto Revisits: Pangaea; Malena; Torito.

Pangaea

Pangaea has a very pleasing new menu so we were excited to try some of the new additions.

Chicken and mushroom sausage with white wine braised cabbage, chicken skin "crackling" and Pommery mustard jus. What a lovely range of complementary flavours, particularly the cabbage and sausage complements. The texture of the sausage was perfect, slightly coarse. I also loved the crispy crackling which was placed over top of this presentation.

Tortiere, small chunks of lamb and beef, carrot, parsnip, sweet potato, thyme rosemary and veal reduction, with a classic lard pastry. The texture of the "chunk" experience was an upscale version of the typical ground tortiere filling, this time employing better cuts of the meats. The flavour of the filling was pleasantly earthy and very satisfying. the texture of the pastry was very good, but i would personally have preferred a slightly crispier and flakey crust.

Pumpkin spice layer cake, brown butter cream cheese frosting, candied maple pecans, salted caramel ice cream. A very satisfying dessert with a wonderful range of Fall flavours.

 Malena

We began with a mix of warm olives with herbs and citrus.

Sea bass perfectly seared, presented with a leek ash sauce, a dash of olive oil, caramelized celery, mini fingerlings, dill and a dab of yogurt.

Fritto misto of the day, squid, shrimp, potato and mini halloumi cheese squares served with salsa verde. The inclusion of the potato croquettes was not pleasing in this dish. The shrimp and squid coating was a touch oily and not crispy enough but the shrimp and squid themselves were perfectly cooked. The addition of the salsa verde was a perfect complement.

Roasted cauliflower, ndjuja sausage and chickpeas. The sausage provided a mild bight. A good dish with complementary flavours.

Chestnut agnolotti, wild sauteed mushroom slices topped with bits of sauteed celery, brown butter and parmigiano. A terrific dish with pleasing sweet and earthy flavours.

"Brick chicken" was presented with house made mostarda, potato puree and one piece of the breast was topped with a cooked, soft but intact farm fresh egg yolk, a rich complement for this very good dish. The chicken was perfectly moist and juicy.

Warm sweet potato and walnut cake with spiced preserved cherries and vanilla cream fraiche made with yogurt. A very pleasing dessert.

Crispy, "apple pie" canoli accompanied by compressed apple made with honey and lemon, cinnamon mascarpone and apple caramel. This was an extremely successful dish. It could not have been made better and really pleased everyone at the table, who despite being "too full", ate the whole thing!

 Torito

Torito has been a lovely place for me to visit from time to time, to experience Spanish/ Mexican influenced comfort food. It has a very informal room that also lends itself to a tapas like atmosphere.....which is what one gets, a lot of wonderful small dishes. I neglected to bring my cell or camera, so no photos.

We began with mild, house smoked, wild salmon in a sliced terrine format. Salmon is wrapped around mascarpone cheese with chunks of gerkin pickle and apple served with thin slices of toasted baguette. A perfect beginning.

Mildly smoked in house, warm pheasant was sliced and perfectly juicy (a remarkable outcome as often it is presented on the dry side) was presented topped with pomegranate seeds and a cranberry veal glacee reduction. A delightful dish and the wonderful sauce was mopped up completely. 

A petit, juicy rack of rabbit was presented on a plum compote.


Sardine escabeche was presented in a tin with a top resembling an actual sardine tin....what fun. The sardines were covered in a tomato sauce. The dish was accompanied by crisps.


Lamb and ricotta filled ravioli came with a brown butter sage sauce. This dish had wonderful flavours but the pasta, which this chef is typically very good at preparing and cooking, could have been a touch more delicate.


Pequillo peppers were stuffed with pulled oxtail, pine nuts and raisins, then roasted and presented with a brilliantly conceived sauce of sweet corn puree flavoured with orange and vanilla. This dish was a big WOW for all.


Classic Spanish tortilla (egg omelet with potato and onion) was the only miss. It was a bit too dense and the flavours rather muddled.


We enjoyed "grilled cheese sandwiches" filled with Halloumi cheese and Spanish Serrano ham.


One of the great dishes of the night was thinly sliced, rare, very tender beef heart that was dressed with a mild chimichurri sauce and presented with pearl onions.

A Late Dinner at Pangaea Restaurant, Toronto

Pangaea is conveniently located at Bay and Bloor and I was able to dash in and be served a terrific late (for me) meal and then I was quickly on my way home. I regret that my battery was too low to allow a flash so the photos are not up to their usual quality and I do not have photos for 2 of the dishes.

Cookstown Greens heirloom tomatoes, and fresh basil, accompanied by manzanilla and black olives, mixed micro greens and dressed with balsamic vinegar and Mandranova olive oil.

Fried breaded oysters with a grainy mustard sauce. Very lightly cornmeal/tarragon dusted, crispy skinned, perfectly cooked oysters….. "a point"...a rarity!

Pan seared morcilla with mashed potatoes (I would have preferred the dish as featured on the menu with apple/celeriac puree but they ran out of celeriac), very nicely flavoured, mildly spicy, with a bit of bight and a pleasing coarse texture.

Ivory, BC salmon with steamed beluga lentils, chanterelles, shallots, spinach and smoked salmon caviar. A terrific dish, the slightly salty, gently smoked, rich tasting caviar was a pleasing match for the salmon and the flavour of the chanterelles and lentils. The spinach brought out the subtle fish flavours of the perfectly cooked, medium rare salmon. These accompaniments are all flavours and textures that work so well with salmon.   

    

Miscellaneous Toronto Resto Experiences: Splendido, Pangaea, Didier, Addis Ababa.

I just had to share this incredible Splendido experience. This restaurant has so many delights, but the highlight at this meal for me, was the "salad": black perigourd truffles, hedgehog mushrooms, jerusalem artichoke chips, sweet nasturtiam leaves, shaved raw oyster mushrooms, baby arugula leaves, jerusalem artichoke emulsion, truffle dust, truffle vinaigrette, all presented on a lovely wooden platter. A delight to both the eyes and the palate. One must experience this culinary wonder.

The other night I enjoyed a lovely dinner at Pangaea restaurant. The highlight was the seafood paella, normally only present on the lunch menu, I requested this for my main and the chef obliged. A wonderful cornucopia of flavours of the sea: fresh mussels, clams, bay scallops and shrimp with rice perfectly prepared with a complex, well flavoured stock. The rice also incorporated chopped smoked chorizo, the smokiness a highly complementary flavour, along with chopped tomato, chopped scallions and garlic. In all, a mouth watering dish that on reflection, makes me want to return.

I was at Restaurant Didier for lunch and enjoyed the city's best beef tartar. But, I wanted to share my tart tatin experience. Didier does it a bit differently, incorporating a kind of cake rather than a typical tart crust, a more refined experience with the addictive familiarity of the caramelized apples. 

Addis Ababa has been around for a very long time. I love the Somalian flavours of the slightly sour but highly complementary injera, used as a "bread" to complement and hold the various prepared foods. I need this flavour experience about once every 1 to 2 months. This platter has most of my faves: beets, collard greens, salad with their own tart dressing, lamb tibs, carrots and cabbage and kitfo (the Somalian version of beef tartar, served barely warm, that combines berbere spice and butter) that comes with their own version of crumbly fresh cheese. 

Lunch At Pangaea

I love the rare roast beef, sliced tomato and mayo sandwich, at Pangaea, served on a crunchy baguette and accompanied by lovely herb dusted frites. So, my lunch partner had that, and loved it!

I used to be addicted to it for lunch. But, I have been on the Josephson diet ever since I returned from my Spanish food fantasy tour. So now, that means no alcohol 3 to 4 days a week and nothing but Greek salads for dinner twice a week. And then, when I go for lunch, I will typically eat very moderately, like the dish you see below: steamed cipollini onions, beluga lentils, steamed spinach, peas and asparagus, to which I add a touch of olive oil and some lemon juice. Very tasty....but moderate.....for me, and perfect for my diet.

A Late Dinner at Pangaea Restaurant

Arriving just after 9pm after attending the packed book launch of "Poser", accomplished photographer Caitlin Cronenberg's remarkable observations documenting posed nude images of friends, relatives and acquaintances, we settled in for a light dinner.


Wanting something light, I began with a visually appetizing organic beet and warm goat cheese salad, topped with a mix of baby greens and bits of fried ginger, a flavour that brings out the taste of the beets and adds a spicy counterpoint. The intense beet flavour worked well with the warm goat cheese.

My next course was very tender, medium rare, seared Qualicum Beach scallops on a bed of "paella" saffron risotto with baby shrimp, briny mussels, baby clams, mildly spicy chorizo sausage, scallions and slightly tart cherry tomatoes, sided with a rich intense veal jus. Saffron and scallops are a match made in heaven and the flavour of the veal jus was a strong contrast for the creamy risotto and a perfect juxtaposition for the flavour of the chorizo. As always, risotto at Pangaea is perfectly cooked. My hunger was well satisfied.

Finally, a light and refreshing late night dessert, roasted pineapple semi-freddo with a very moist fresh ginger and molasses cake, topped with a crunchy cashew brittle, all surrounded by small dollops of caramel sauce and creme anglaise. This is a sweet tooth appeasing dessert!

Haggis tasting in honour of Robert Burns Monday January 25th

posted by Alison

Haggis, seven of them running around the restaurant, having been freshly caught that morning, okay so I slightly exaggerated...................


Martin Kouprie, chef & co-owner of Pangaea extended an invitation I couldn't refuse - taste seven different haggis (haggi?)made by his kitchen staff, including one waiter.
Now I grew up in Scotland and do enjoy haggis so I was all set to do them justice, with my fellow tasters, Lucy Waverman, a fellow Scot, Corey(Toronto Star) and Cheryl(taste.to) I had fully intended just to have a wee bit of each but that didn't last long and clean plates went back to the kitchen each time.

All were creatively presented, one was even deep fried! Which if I saw on a menu I would probably order out of curiosity, but alas the batter was too doughy.

There were two haggis which stood out, although it was hard to choose the winning one, we bravely managed. Winner Chris Waye had the right balance of spicing, offal and was spot on with the amount of oatmeal and stock to make it not too dry, not too soggy.

His accompaniments were caramelized brussel sprouts, (b. sprouts are trendy these days if you haven't already noticed) a wonderful sweet flavour, but the really interesting addition was a poached egg! The egg when broken managed to create a tasty sauce for the haggis.

Christopher Waye's winning haggis will be on Pangaea's lunch menu on Monday (January 25th) celebrating Robert Burns Day.

Pangaea
1221 Bay St (at Bloor)
Toronto
416-920-2323

WCN & The Cookbook Store Honour Jennifer McLagan, Naomi Duguid & Jeffrey Alford

Posted by Alison

Foodies, media and friends gathered at Pangaea on Monday June 22nd for a party thrown by the Women's Culinary Network and The Cookbook Store to honour authors Jennifer McLagan, Naomi Duguid & Jeffrey Alford(who alas could not attend), for their books, Fat and Beyond the Great Wall.

This Spring these local Toronto authors took top prizes in their respective categories from the prestigious International Assoc. of Culinary Professionals and the James Beard Foundation Book Awards. The Beards are The Oscars of the food community, I kid you not, right down to the black tie and a who's who of chefs, tv personalities, writers and probably the best stand up food afterwards!

Naomi & Jeff's latest book Beyond the Great Wall swept both awards from each organization as did Jennifer's book Fat. Not only is this a great accomplishment in one year to have two Toronto authors so decorated, but Jennifer's book also won Cookbook of the Year from the Beard Foundation.

On hand to speak were Bonnie Stern on behalf of Beard Foundation, Dana McCauley (IACP), Anne Collins (publisher - Random House Canada), and Doug Pepper (President of McClelland and Stewart), as well as Chef Martin Kouprie of Pangaea. Needless to say Alison had a few words as did Nettie Cronish of WCN before raising a glass to toast the honorees. A great time was had by all and hopefully there will be lots of opportunity to honour Canadian food writing in the future.

L-R: Jennifer McLagan, Naomi Duguid, Alison Fryer, Nettie Cronish, Doug Pepper, Anne Collins

L-R: Bonnie Stern, Nettie Cronish, Jennifer McLagan, Naomi Duguid

L-R: Jennifer McLagan, Naomi Duguid, Alison Fryer

L-R: Anne Collins, Nettie Cronish, Jennifer McLagan, Naomi Duguid, Doug Pepper, Alison Fryer