After two years in the making, J.P. Challet and Jennifer Decorte’s Ici Bistro has finally opened its doors. The owners of the cozy, colourful space are aiming to dish up a French dining experience that is tailor-made to the customer.
It was a relief for Challet to finally make it to this point.
Ici Bistro might have opened sooner if he and Decourte hadn’t run up against a series of roadblocks, which began with their public fight to get a liquor license. But with this and other obstacles cleared, the restaurant is now booked up with reservations nearly two weeks in advance.
"It’s been outstanding," says Challet.
For now, Ici Bistro is only taking reservations to fill its 25 seats once every night, but seats at the window, bar and chef’s rail are available without a reservation.
Challet says he’s focusing on getting things right before he introduces more sittings.
"We don’t push ourselves," he says. "We just do what we can do right now and I think we do it well."
Challet describes the French menu as cuisine nouveau classique. The roughly 18 items will change every 45 days, according to what’s in season.
"Many people think that French cuisine is heavy and I just want to prove that it’s not heavy when it’s properly done," he says.
Not only does Challet focus on creating lighter versions of "good food," but the menu gives customers a choice of portion size – two-thirds of a plate or a full plate.
To date, the beef bourguignon and the lobster thermidor have been two of the hottest menu items. As chef and sommelier, Challet has placed an emphasis on food and wine pairings. Current selections include French old world wines and Canadian new world wines. Wine servings are flexible as well, with three and six ounce glasses on offer.
"People seem to be happy to be in control of what they want to eat, what they want to drink, what they want to spend," says Challet.
Ici Bistro is open evenings from Wednesday to Saturday, 538 Manning Ave., 416-536-0079.
