Chefs who are taking the risk of leaving Toronto to open
restaurants that are not on the subway line should be commended. Indeed,
weeknights can be quiet, but people living in the suburbs also need a selection
of fancy restaurants, especially ones serving tasting menus. I love the suburbs
during the winter - who wants to struggle with paid parking and brown slush
when you can drive somewhere with complimentary parking on site?
Frilu is located amongst a quieter drag of Yonge Street, but
blink and you may still miss the small single lane pathway to the parking lot (located
at the back of the restaurant). At least in Thornhill making a detour is a
relatively easy affair.
Their seasonally changing tasting menu aims to showcase
local fresh Canadian ingredients. While the restaurant’s name is derived from
the Norwegian concept friluftsliv,
surprisingly their dishes are less Nordic and more Asian, possibly influenced
from Chef and owner John-Vincent Troiano’s time working with Chef Hashimoto serving
kaiseki cuisine. Followed by stints
at Michelin darlings Noma and Benu, you can see how these experiences built
Frilu’s menu.
The 2018 fall rendition of the menu is dubbed “harvest moon,
changing leaves” ($95) and consisted of ten dishes. After speaking to the
couple beside us, they insisted the wine pairing is a must ($60). Indeed, they
were right. The pairings were spot on going perfectly with each dish. Given my
friend and I were driving, they even let us split a pairing, or the equivalent
of about two glasses per person.
Frilu aims to “excite and surprise” guests, so one dish that
will span across all seasons in the Lar-Eo. Inspired by an Oreo, Frilu’s
biscuit drops the chocolate and uses black quinoa and blueberry instead, which sandwich
a creamy centre made with lardo
(whipped pork fat) spiced with star anise.
We’ve advised to eat the savoury cookie like an Oreo - twist
it open and lick the centre – the creamy white filling silkier and lighter than
the original offering. While the quinoa cookie is an interesting idea, it’s
also a bit mealy and dry. If Frilu really wants to start with something
whimsical, they should take the dish one step further and serve it with a warm
cup of cream consommé. It would help balance out the dry cookie and give the
diner the whole experience of dunking an Oreo in a cup of “milk”.
Maybe they thought the cava paired with the Lar-Eo would be
sufficient. It did help cut through the fat and added a refreshing contrast
against the earthy spices, but didn’t revive a dry biscuit.
Make sure to spoon some of the sake and sherry broth that
comes with the Great Lake trout dish onto the fish. The rainbow trout is cured
with Prosciutto giving the fish a salty cured flavour with a smoother texture.
However, by itself, the trout is rather plain and really benefits from the sake
broth, which although is hard to gather in a spoon, does give the dish that
extra punch of flavour.
Once again, the drink pairing was perfect. The sakura sake helped mellow the cured
taste and also went surprisingly well with the thickened chicken jus in the next
dish, one of my favourite of the evening.
Frilu’s take on agedashi
swaps the fried tofu with one made with glutinous burdock root flour. The
smooth chewy base was topped with generous amounts of uni and sat in a pool of thick roasted chicken jus. The combination
of the three ingredients was heavenly. The only mediocre element being the
radish slices, which while adds a contrast against the dish’s softer elements
was overpoweringly strong. Perhaps if they were cut thinner or lightly blanched,
the pungent raw bitter flavours wouldn’t be as pronounced.
Another rich dish
followed, a cube of venison tongue sous vide in coffee and basil for 45
minutes, rendering it tender while still having a bit of chewiness common with
the cut of meat. A strongly flavoured dish with a hint of smokiness and an
umami saltiness from anchovy, it’s balanced by a bold red wine that could stand
up against the flavours. Seeing the shavings on top, thoughts of frozen foie
gras danced in my head, but it was actually hazelnuts that were surprisingly
soft and added a light nuttiness.
Frilu’s blog points to the pumpkin patch as being most
symbolic of the fall season, sort of like the star dish on the menu. A small
squash is roasted than some of the innards is combined with bone marrow to
create a piping hot spread on warm toasted pumpkin seed bread. It’s definitely
something you can smell before you even see.
The centre of the squash, containing the bone marrow spiced
with nutmeg and cinnamon, was absolutely delicious on the crusty bread. However,
once that meagre portion was gone and you’re left with plain roasted squash … it
just tastes so … plain.
Other portions of the “patch” need more seasoning - whether
it be adding salt to the squash-only portion or the bread itself. The easiest
fix would be to give the diners a side of salted butter, so once you get to the
non-marrow portion, there’s something else to add to the bread that’s still
flavourful.
The hen of the woods really featured the ingredient in its
fullest form: a thick wedge of mushroom that’s simply prepared with fermented
mushroom paste and mushroom vinegar. In the end, it’s a dish for those who
really like mushrooms, whether it’s the meaty middle or slightly crunchy ends.
Sadly, the dish that sounded the tastiest was the worst of
the evening. It started off well with lightly poached lobster in brown butter,
warmed through but still tasting raw. But, then it was covered with beef floss
(similar to the pork version that’s widely used in Chinese cuisine paired with
congee or wrapped in sticky rice), which added a lumpy gritty texture to the
lobster. Maybe I could have looked past the floss it there wasn’t so much horseradish
added to the puree that it completely covered everything. The flavours only
improved with a swig of Riesling, which did help temper the harsh horseradish.
By this point of the meal, we were two hours in and still
feeling hungry. Thoughts of whether adding a katsu sandwich ($9) to the menu certainly crossed our minds. If
this happens to you, just be patient.
The last savoury dish, roasted duck with rice, is probably
the heartiest. An aromatic burnt onion jus is poured over sticky rice and duck
at the table. The amount of jus poured was just a little uneven - mine was
light (I would have loved more), while my friend’s was drowning and salty.
Small slip aside, it was tasty: the duck tender, well-seasoned, and the skin
lightly crisped; while the burnt onion jus going great with the sticky rice. A
well selected dish to end the meal!
“Earth apple” was the
first dessert and while there were apple flavours, there’s also strong coffee
elements, which worked remarkably well with the fruit. Dried sun choke slices
adds a crispiness against the silky ice cream. Overall, the dessert went nicely
with the madeira wine (port was also available for those who like something
sweeter).
To end, a Dora cake that kind of brings the meal full circle
– another sandwich product that brings out the kid in us (although this dessert
would be more widely known in Asian cultures). The buttery Castella pancakes
were so good and Frilu swaps the traditional red bean paste for a creamy mascarpone.
If only they left out the cubes of pear; they were too hard and really threw
off the entire pastry.
In the age of seeking peace and happiness, friluftsliv is the concept of immersing
ourselves with nature. For example just going out to a park for a long walk,
while focusing on nature and not taking selfies along the hike. It’s supposed
to provide a sense of spiritual and physical wellbeing.
It’s a great concept, but after sitting in a restaurant for
almost three and a half hours, I can’t say that Frilu preaches the concept
well. In speaking to the front-of-the-house manager, she explains they want to
recreate an experience of connecting with people over food. While I appreciate
having this time with my friends, we all agreed, the meal was much too long and
needs to be trimmed by at least an hour.
Who knows, perhaps it’s just another symptom of living in
the digital era where our patience decreases and we constantly want to be
entertained. Sure, it’s a great experience to dive into the dishes and expertly
matched alcohol pairings, but the long lags in between are hard to sit through,
maybe it’d be bearable if I was dining in a forest.
How To Find Them
Location: Thornhill, Canada
Address: 7713 Yonge Street
Address: 7713 Yonge Street
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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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