Quinta Restaurant, soon to be the latest player in the Dundas West scene, is the vision and brainchild of chef Leor Zimerman, who made a name for himself at such as hotspots as Opus Restaurant, Brassaii and Czehoski. His first solo venture, opening next month, will pay homage to and expand upon previous endeavors, showcasing a rich multicultural mélange of gastronomic traditions.
Zimerman says his culinary ideology is particularly indebted to his time at Opus — where he worked under chef Jason Cox — and also to the traditional French techniques that serve as the basis for much of his repertoire.
Yet along with the classical French influence, Quinta will also take its inspiration from the rolling hills and farmland of the Iberian Peninsula. The restaurant inherited its name from a boutique hotel in the south Portugal, named Quinta do Barranco da Estrada, where Zimerman and his wife worked during the first leg of an eye-opening, year-long round-the-world trip.
“It was a really beautiful, beautiful place,” Zimerman recalls. “I take a lot of my inspiration from that part of the world and that part of my life.”
After his time in Portugal, Zimerman traveled the world, expanding his culinary horizons. This globe-trotting sensibility has certainly shaped his vision for Quinta.
“The menu will include ingredients and flavours from not just France, but also Portugal, Italy and other places in the Mediterranean, as well as Canadiana,” he says.
His idea is to create a restaurant that features traditional, home-style country cooking, complete with fresh ingredients and an emphasis on seasonal and locally sourced produce. Zimerman hopes his classical French fine-dining background will enable him to go above and beyond conventional country fare.
Some dishes we are particularly excited about are Zimerman’s take on traditional pork and clams, a dish he adopted from the Alentejo region of Portugal where the original Quinta hotel was located. This dish will feature pork belly combined with clams in a beer broth, and will be retailing for a very manageable $15.
We’re also looking forward to Zimerman’s unique take on piri-piri chicken, which will instead feature cornish hen, also priced at around $15. While seafood and fresh fish dishes may cost slightly more, expect to see this modest pricing throughout most of the menu.
Along with manager Nik Halkias, Zimerman is also responsible for the restaurant’s design, which will possess a farm-style, old-country feel, filled with reclaimed wood and used barn-board, along with an immense custom-made harvest table (seating 12). Some unexpected industrial flourishes include galvanized steel chairs and black metal piping.
With Quinta, this prolific chef is fulfilling his desire for “bigger and better things,” and we can't wait to try them.
Quinta Restaurant, 1282 Dundas W., 416-534-0407
