It’s fair to say there’s been some major buzz in the Toronto blogosphere about Ursa, the new restaurant on Queen West that’s opened in the old Bar One space. Much of the ado surrounds the fact that the super-healthy menu, which includes probiotic delights such as homemade kefir, Kombucha fermented tea and house-cultured walnut yogurt, also happens to be super-tasty.
Ursa is run by Lucas and Jacob Sharkey-Pearce, brothers and first-time restaurateurs who, along with some other gigs (Lucas used to pull long days as an arborist’s assistant, while chef Jacob worked at restaurants such as Thuet Bistro and Centro), operated Two Brothers Inc., a catering and diet consulting business, since 2006. Their mostly silent partner is Terroni’s Cosimo Mammoliti, who has been friends with the brothers since they worked for him as teenagers.
We met with the Ursa brothers to get the lowdown about the Queen West newcomer.
1. At Ursa, local is great. But so is exotic. Ursa prioritizes local food, but Lucas doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it. “That’s just natural, how chefs have always been,” he says. Still, Ursa has sought out other ingredients from just about every corner of the earth, such as kumquat, pomegranate, Sichuan peppercorn leaf, yuzu, leatherwood and hibiscus syrup, to name a few.
2. People are seriously digging the root salad. Ursa’s root salad (pictured above, $13) is so far everyone’s favourite, Jacob says. It comes with the house-cultured walnut probiotic yogurt combined with raw, dehydrated and pickled vegetables. “Most people are floored that you can take carrots and radishes and make beautiful lines,” Jacob says.
3. The fish is fresh off the boat. The Ursa team keeps fairly mum about where it gets its food. Having said that, they told us that their fish comes from one of two Native fishers in Ontario who have year-round licenses. “One of our chefs drives four hours to pick up the fish direct,” Jacob tells us. “We’ve known the man since we were kids, and take the fish right off the boat.” Despite a changing menu, Jacob says Ursa will always have some kind of fresh-water fish on the menu.
4. Come for the food, stay for the booze. Just because Ursa serves root vegetables and yuzu doesn’t mean you can’t get the hard stuff. While it’s definitely a restaurant first and foremost, Ursa is open until 2 a.m., well after the kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Bar manager Clayton Cooper has created some impressive cocktails, such as the Triple E (named after his girlfriend), which is mint green tea with citrus Tanqueray gin and fresh lime ($12). Meanwhile, Jacob says they’re looking into serving some bar food Ursa-style until closing. You can bet it’ll be healthy.
5. The restaurant has a mascot. The name Ursa is partly inspired by Jacob’s childhood nickname, “Bear Cub” (which rhymes with Jacob). But the guys also say they want their restaurant to be connected with the femininity and strength associated with bears. “Mother bears are providers, but they’re also dangerous,” Lucas says. “Not that we want to hurt anyone.” Watch out for the Ursa mascot, a wooden toy bear that tends to get passed from table to table. Folks have fun twisting her around in different poses, and sometimes Lucas will put her on display in the front window, just for fun.
Ursa, 924 Queen St. W., 416-536-8963
