Tonight’s memorable meal at Frilu marks a major milestone in my global culinary journey. This 10th visit to my favorite ‘ neighborhood gastro-canteen ‘ makes Frilu my most frequented Michelin star establishment in the Western hemisphere. ( Eastern hemisphere ones are another story for another day! ). Furthermore, for me, dining at John-Vincent Troiano’s newly crowned 1* also shares a few unique and interesting common threads with two other Michelin star establishments……Patrick Kriss’s Alo and Alain Passard’s L’Arpege, Paris.
To begin with, whilst reminiscing over some of my past culinary adventures, I happened to stumble upon some pretty intriguing facts. Apparently, quite a few of the iconic 3* Gastronomic temples which I frequented during that bygone period happened to be incubators to the above budding stars. The stalwarts’ professional kitchens, reputational battleground for these astute students to apprentice and hone their skill sets ( Benu, Noma, Daniel Boulud, Troigros, Boyer, Senderen….).
Providing the storyline to this tale of destiny began with my position as a management team member of a multinational oil & gas company. Participation in a unique mega-project provided me with a rare opportunity to work and live in Paris for an extended period of time. This scenario which landed me into one of the world’s most exotic gastronomic cities fortified my unremitting pursuit for delectable foods. During this time, I have also developed a fond curiosity to find out how certain culinary prodigies would perform and expand on their artistry upon leaving their mentor’s sanctuary. This, together with my passion, had motivated me to pay a special visit to the start-up L’Arpege, shortly after its inaugural opening. My action and desire, further enforced after learning that this Passard’s new venture had been blessed by noted local food-critics ( Le Monde & Le Figaro ) with their imprimatur after eating there!
Upon returning to Canada and settling in Toronto a decade or two ago. When opportunity arises, I continue to apply this dining mindset in my exploration of aspiring rookie chefs and restaurateurs. This resulted in my visits to the then, newly launched Alo followed by another new up-start, Frilu, shortly later……which, coincidentally, as with L’Arpege, were all carried out within a few short weeks of their inaugural opening dates!
Finally, to cap-off this yarn with a happy and triumphant ending. Thanks to my career path, I was fortunate enough to be able to continuously follow the blossoming of these three culinary scions in real life. Savoring progressively and in perpetuity, their non-star debut cuisine, all the way to their ‘stardom’ creations…and in Passard’s case, his ultimate 3* masterpieces! Hopefully more ‘macaroons‘ will be bestowed to chefs Kriss and Troiano in the coming years?!
For Frilu to persevere, survive the pandemic threat and finally becoming a Michelin star recipient was a miraculous achievement. In response to these events plus the addition of an ongoing inflation menace. As with some of its peers, Frilu has decided to adjust their modus operandi by implementing a much needed pricing increase, elimination of a costly wine program whilst incorporating a mandatory alcoholic or non-alcoholic pairing option with this metamorphosis. Pre-payment by credit card, inclusive of gratuities and tax, is required at time of reservation.
Tonight, our ever changing, ‘ingredient and market driven‘ Nordic/Nippon Omakase multi-course tasting menu featured the following delectable offerings:
Seaside Snacks: Lobster, tarragon salad, salted egg yolk dust, butter tartlets
‘French Kiss’ oyster, fennel lemon foam
Landside Snacks: Black Quinoa, cocoa and duck liver ‘Oreo’ cookie
Beef tartare, blueberry-boshi
Sweetbread Teriyaki
Warm Bread: House baked K2 Milling Sourdough, Sesame butter
Ground with Sea: Celery root mousse, soy-marinated Ikura, roasted Kombu
Hay Smoke: Hay smoked Hokkaido Scallops, Caviar, Lovage, Pear
Earth Apple: Sunchoke, Walnut Chicken Fat
BBQ Root: Bincho charcoal grilled Parsley root, jus, BBQ sauce
Winter Fish: Crispy skin Striped Bass, sauteed Spinach, Plum Miso
Aged Fowl: Roasted Pheasant, Wild Rice, Truffle jus, Egg Yolk
Red Lamb: Day long, slow roasted Ontario lamb, charred Brussel sprout, Scallion &
Watercress sauce
Refreshing Break: Salted Ricotta, Cardamom, Aged plum syrup
Tuber and Cream: Olive oil Chiffon cake, sweet potato ice cream, Houjicha
The End: Small dessert bites of Choux a la Creme, Marshmallow and Chocolate
Canneles
Roasted rice Japanese green tea
OMG! If there is ever a near faultless meal with near faultless service to be had in Toronto, tonight’s breathtaking and awe-inspiring Frilu tasting menu offering must be it!! Dish after dish after impressive dish, brought forth to our table, all exuded culinary creativity and mastery. After so many repeated visits, I am still at a loss as to how the kitchen team can conceive such brilliant culinary work-of-art in such a small cubicle kitchen space?!
Greeted first by simple yet elegant and eye-pleasing plate presentation. Subsequent bites of the well-thought-of food, released amazing layers of flavor and sensation that reverberated in the palate. Yes! Fine dining, with reverential treatment of quality ingredients and prepared simply and lovingly could be a thing of rare beauty. BTW, the difference between the ‘then’ ( pre-Michelin ) and the ‘now’ ( post-Michelin ) was a notable and inspiring ‘star-quality‘ touch and sophistication, added to the menu and all areas of the food composition.
With a constant parade of 16 courses, from bitesize amuse-bouche to generous portion entrees. For me to provide a detailed description of each dish will most likely end up in the scope of a full-blown magazine article rather than a regular abbreviated food blogging post! As such, I hope the inclusion of a fairly concise menu, as per captioned above, augmented by my photo array, should provide enough information for your imagination to run wild and make your own interpretation?!
That said, I would like to offer a special mention to some of my evening’s favorite dishes….truly outstanding and alluringly tasty chef-d’oeuvre. These included:
- The lobster tartlet ( A one bite umami bomb with superb textural contrast )
- The Teriyaki Sweetbread ( who doesn’t like char-grilled Teriyaki? The sweet and
savory Frilu Sweetbread version packed full of charcoal smokey aroma, crispy and
Chewy. Wow!! ) - Celery root cream with Ikura ( definitely star worthy! Sooooo good! My top 3 favorites! )
- Scallop ( Layer upon layer of bewildering flavor and textural profile. For a barely
cooked scallop, cannot get tastier than this! ) - Sunchoke ( this extravaganza was speechlessly tasty. The infusion of hot chicken fat,
a master touch! Bravo! ) - Pheasant ( Crispy skin, moist and juicy, perfectly cooked meat, rich and dense truffle
Sauce. Another ‘wow’ dish! ) - Ontario Lamb ( No description needed! The photo showing the piece of evenly
Cooked, perfectly pink meat says it all! ).
The rest of the delectable dishes including the refreshing and well composed desserts all deserve honorable mention!
Toronto finally has a well deserved Michelin star recipient! Bravo Frilu
