The restaurant at Pearl-Morissette offers French cuisine inspired by regional ingredients, in Southern Ontario's wine country.
The 34-seat restaurant is located on the upper floor of a sleek barn, overlooking the bucolic fields surrounding the winery, with views of cows grazing and geese frolicking in a small pond. The decor is modern, airy and spacious.
The tasting menu started with Bay Scallops, with quince and juniper. The dish presentation was very delicate, evoking images of a delicate flower blossoming. The dish offered an interesting flavor combination with the different sauce(s) and oil(s) involved in its preparation; not sure it was the best way to showcase the scallops.
Warm corn sourdough bread, was served with butter. Alongside the bread, the second course was served, a Potato Tartlet, with chicken liver and wild mushrooms. The entire meal was very light; the sourdough bread, in contrast, was quite dense; I personally would have preferred a lighter bread, in keeping with the rest of the meal. The butter surprisingly did not add much richness to the taste when spread on the bread. After finishing the bread, I had the tarlet, which was lovely and very yummy.
The third course was Longhorn Beef, served with whelks and habanadas. I've had steak tartare in the past where the beef was very flavorful; this one had interesting texture provided by the whelks and habanadas, but the beef flavor seemed to be missing.
The fourth course was Cusk, served with celeriac, elderflower and whey. The cusk was nicely grilled; the celeriac, elderflower and whey was very interesting and provided most of the flavor to this dish, as the cusk was extremely mild in terms of flavor.
The fifth course was Salsify, with roasted koji and brown butter. Nice dish with crunchy texture; the brown butter sauce reminded me of roasted chicken (in a good way).
The sixth course was Guinea Hen, served with cauliflower and caviar. A lovely dish, where the guinea fowl was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy, served on top of tiny pieces of (deep fried?) skin, which released a burst of flavor when eaten. The cauliflower puree was rich and complimented the guinea fowl well.
The seventh course was Apple, served with parsnip and woodruff. A lovely dessert, served in a beautiful (agate?) bowl, consisting of a gelato served over (some sort of) cream, topped with apple pieces and sauce. I loved how original the dessert was, and how great the final result was.
The eighth course was Plum Cake, served with rosethyme and chamomile. Rosethyme ice-cream was served over a spelt cake topped with plum prepared multiple ways. The plum over the cake was really nice, adding complexity to the dish.
The ninth course, served alongside the eighth one, was a tiny little Ginger Cookie, made with sorghum and buckwheat honey.
I loved that the kitchen staff at times brought the dishes to the table, allowing us to interact with the staff that was involved in the food preparation and experience their passion first hand.
My perception is that the chef and the staff are aiming to provide a unique high end dining experience that you cannot get anywhere else. On the particular day of my visit, some dishes were more successful than others providing a delectable experience.
Service is friendly, gracious and impeccable. Linen napkins are of good quality. Bathroom was well maintained. Printed menus at the end of the meal to take away are a nice touch. Parking is available on the side of the restaurant; no parking allowed by the restaurant front door, as that area is a fire route. read more