Toronto’s hotel restaurant scene is on the upswing these days with the likes of Scarpetta and TOCA, and Hotel Le Germain is hoping its restaurant, Victor, can keep up. The restaurant recently underwent a major redesign, and a new tasting menu features a rotating selection of seven dishes ($14 each) that each represent a different part of Toronto. Executive Chef David Chystian picked out four items and broke them down for us.
Spadina and Dundas
Two dry scallops from Maine are pan-seared with butter until a golden crust forms. They’re then set atop blanched Chinese broccoli, or gai lan, that have been coated in a house-made black bean sauce made with ginger, garlic, honey, soy sauce and a little sherry vinegar. Scallions act as a garnish, along with pieces of deep fried shallot or ginger.
Dundas West
This roast chicken dish is inspired by the Portuguese churrasqueira. Heritage chicken from a Mennonite farm in Elora, Ontario, is marinated for 12-24 hours in a house-made piri-piri mixture (paprika, smoked paprika, lemon juice, onions and lots of garlic). It’s then slow-roasted for a few hours and comes served by the quarter, part white and part dark, with olives and roast potatoes.
Kensington Market
Slices of bison or beef – also known as carne asada – are seared in a hot pan and then oven-cooked in a Peruvian sauce consisting of heavily reduced chicken stock, allspice, cumin, vinegar and lime juice. They’re then set atop simple, deep fried masa cornmeal biscuits and drizzled with more sauce. House-made guacamole and toasted pumpkin seeds round out the dish, with cilantro and shaved onion as garnishes.
Richmond Hill
This sushi pizza is a nod to Richmond Hill’s assortment of Japanese restaurants. The base is a deep fried rice cake spread with an avocado, cucumber and soy-sauce paste (kind of like guacamole, but more Asian). Layered on top are pieces of seared Albacore tuna sashimi and poached lobster drizzled with wasabi mayo and trout roe. Pea sprouts and shaved daikon radish top it all off, and a dusting of pulverized seaweed adds a salty hint of the ocean.
Victor Restaurant and Bar, Hotel Le Germain, 30 Mercer St., 416-883-3431