Borealia, Toronto

The menu is inspired from the historic foods of the natives, early settlers, and subsequent immigrants to Canada. The only other restaurant that I have visited with this theme, was Heston Blumenthal’s London restaurant, Dinner.

Chop suey croquettes, circa 1855, consisting of glutinous rice, shallots, celery, shiitake mushrooms, duck gizzard, beef, Chinese sausage, Chinese wine, soy sauce and sweet soy. This dish tasted as delicious as it sounds and was one of my 2 favourites.

Deviled Chinese tea eggs circa 1855, topped with Chinese sausage, chives and sweet soy.

Stuffed onions with vadouvan-spiced carrots, rye berries and onion soubise, circa 1899. 

Braised whelk with kombu beurre blanc and burdock. The shell rested on julienned carrots and burdock with a bit of seaweed, sautéed and deglazed with soy sauce.

Spiced scallop crudo with fermented chili, and late harvest apple cider. The mild heat of the chili and tart cider flavors were harmonious contrasting flavors for the very fresh sweet taste of the scallops.

The presentation of l'eclade, mussels smoked in pine needles with pine ash butter,  circa 1605.

The mussels revealed.

The perfectly cooked mussels were uniquely flavoured with the pine needle smoke, an interesting and beguiling flavour counterpoint. 

Caramelized onion and potato pirogies with crispy onions, red cabbage and horseradish cream, circa 1800's.

Salt cod quenelles with a perfectly rendered lobster veloute, circa 1766. For me, this was the only failure of the evening as the quenelles were too dense and heavy.

Pigeon pie with rare roast squab breast and parsnip, circa 1611, my favourite dish of the evening.