We tried Azura with friends. Although they do have a back patio, it was a sweltering and humid 30 degrees, so we opted for the air-conditioned comfort of their peaceful dining room (previously housing Judaline by the same owner). There is a choice of two tasting menus and we went with the longer 10-course version. We also ordered both a wine and a non-alcoholic pairing.
The food is largely Mediterranean-influenced, with Spain and North Africa prominent in addition to French and Italian. Dishes are varied, eye-catching, with some interesting ingredients. While a few dishes had some palate-exciting elements, there weren’t overall “wow” courses. The wine pairings were interesting and less well-known, although not all were remarkable. The non-alcoholic pairings were actually the most intriguing and satisfying. Service was warm and informative.
With the pairings still to come, we started with a glass of Lambrusco V.GNA Rosa - dry and pleasantly fruity.
The food started with four canapés (maybe serving as two of the courses?):
- Cherry with edible flowers and herbs spritz of rosewater, drops of whisky bitters - essentially just fresh sweet cherries as the other ingredients didn’t make an impact.
- Brik pastry, arctic char, English peas, ginger mascarpone, golden plum slivers, horseradish and flower petals - the plum provided good counterpoint to the richness of the fish.
- Black Magic oysters from PEI with lime, bell pepper, tomato marinated sea buckthorn berries - the tartness of the sea buckthorn served the role of a mignonette.
- Profiterole stuffed with a creamy shrimp and preserved lemon mousse, with apricot jam, and pickled rhubarb.
First pairing (for two courses):
- Fermented capsicum, apricot, and rosemary - a combo that worked surprisingly well.
- Familia Pacheco Blanco (Airen, Macabeo and Malvasia), Jumilla, Spain - mostly mineral, a bit of banana, very smooth.
Courses 1 and 2:
Diver scallops from Maine with nduja oil and pomegranate and rhubarb broth, with salted cucumber and sea asparagus, flowering dill, and red currants - fresh and light.
Summer sunflower gazpacho and Anaheim chilies with zucchini roulades around cured tuna heart and garum condiment, olive brine foam - good, but not quite as intriguing to the palate as the ingredients might suggest.
Second pairing:
- Emulsion of Turkish olive oil, fresh Ontario basil, dehydrated olive powder, olive brine, and fresh lemon - went great with the food.
- Italian rose Segno Librandi 2023 CIro DOC - pleasant, but didn’t strike us as that remarkable.
Course 3:
Sicilian pork sausage (a bit salty) in treviso, with a blackcurrant demi glaze, chive oil, scapes, zatar, baby kale (fried and fresh), burnt onion almond crumble (a flavour bomb).
Third pairing:
- Fermented blend of mushrooms with dash of beet and burdock root and fresh fig and tonic - earthy and complex.
- Kechris Roza retsina xinomavro NV - very pine-y and some bitter notes.
Course 4:
Sautéed wild leeks over almond hollandaise, cauliflower mushrooms, red currants, watercress, onion almond crumble, patty pan squash - an enjoyable veggie mix.
Fourth pairing:
- Raspberry and dill soda with dill fronds and shark gummies in an orca mug - a bit silly and not particularly complementary to the dish.
- Croatian Chardonnay, barrel aged, didn’t get the details - OK, but some harsh edges.
Course 5:
Halibut cheek in herb cornmeal crust with fennel and thyme, corn ginger purée and broccolini, dill and apricot pressed cucumber - quite good flavours and moist just-done fish.
Fifth pairing:
- Smoked strawberry and yuzu soda - lovely.
- Syrocco, Moroccanp, Syrah - not too tanniny despite smelling of leather, quite smooth and richly flavoured.
Course 6:
Tagine of kohlrabi, lentils, and tomatoes, with sides of heirloom tomato and fried capers, eggplant harissa, pickled and smoked fiddleheads, iberico pork secreto, potato water pita, preserved citrus relish (bitter) - the tagine was fine, but unremarkable. The pork was luscious.
Sixth pairing:
- Sparkling apple and fig with
cheese foam - the cheese foam was a good complement to the sweetness of the juice. - Nova 7 2023 sparkling by Benjamin Bridge, Muscat blend, with light skin contact - strong apple blossom scent, really liked it.
Two dessert courses:
Baked Alaska with chocolate cake, raspberry sorbet, peach curd, rose marshmallow, blackberry-raspberry coulis - good, but marshmallow instead of meringue was odd and the sorbet was barely present.
Mortadella pain perdu, French marquisse ruby chocolate, pistachios, and white chocolate, 25 year balsamic and dehydrated Serrano ham fat - creative and fun, but very sweet.
Dukka spiced truffles as a final treat.
