TORONTO — Culturally diverse Canadian gastronomic history is the theme behind the Borealia restaurant, which recently opened on Ossington Avenue in Toronto.
“There is such a thing as Canadian cuisine,” said chef Wayne Morris. “It is the amalgamation of many cultural backgrounds and a wealth of recipes and traditions, dating as far back as the 1600s. Early immigrants had to adapt their heritage recipes to incorporate the indigenous ingredients of this new land.” Morris, former chef de cuisine at Waterfront Wines in Kelowna, B.C., operates the restaurant with partner, Evelyn Wu, who has worked at Michelin-starred restaurants, Coi in San Francisco and The Fat Duck in London, England.
Specialties include mussels steamed in a rich savoury broth of pine needle-infused butter ($15) as well as braised whelk and tender slices of shellfish lightly grilled and bathed in a kombu seaweed beurre blanc, served on the shell atop a seaweed and burdock salad ($14). Borealia offers a selection of Old World and New World wines as well as Ontario craft beer and a cocktail list that puts a modern spin on vintage classics, such as The Old Pal, made with Dark Horse rye, Aperol and Dolin Vermouth Blanc ($14).
