Story & Photography | Renée S. Suen
Toronto’s downtown financial district is lined with restaurants, where you can spend an entire day eating without repeating flavours. Among these establishments, the French restaurant Lucie and the Chinese restaurant Mott 32 left a deep impression on me.
Restaurant Lucie
100 Yonge Street
416-788-9054
restaurantlucie.com
Named in memory of owner Yannick Bigourdan’s grandmother, this Michelin Recommended fine-dining restaurant serves contemporary French fare. Lucie, which debuted at Yonge and Adelaide in mid-2023, is helmed by award-winning
executive chef Arnaud Bloquel.
Born in France but raised in the Caribbean, Bloquel honed his skills at Paris’ Violon d’lngres, Cocottes and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, before opening his own restaurant, L’Orchidea in Guadeloupe, where he scored three louques from
the Gault et Millau. Bloquel also competed and reaching the semifinals of the incredibly prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France competition.
Begin a meal with some bubbly at Lucie. The Champagne cart service offers a choice of three rotating options.
At Lucie, the accomplished chef offers guests several menu experiences to cater to their tastes. Choose from an á la carte or three-course menu at lunch that might feature charred leeks dressed in hazelnut vinaigrette, or Atlantic salmon with a Beurre Blanc sauce. The pre-theatre, three-course menu offers guests a selection of crowd favourites, such as white asparagus blanketed with an oyster mushroom velouté and mains such as scallops served on braised endives or Provencal roasted Ontario lamb saddle.
Les Saint Jacques features the meat, seared golden, bathing in a granny smith apple cider emulsion with chanterelle mushrooms and delightful nuggets of roasted almonds.
Le Calamar course at Lucie features smoked paprika-dusted thin ribbons of Atlantic squid accompanied by a green pepper pesto and squid ink-balsamic reduction.
The evening’s Menu Émotion, a luxe tasting experience that may start with mahi-mahi carpaccio before volleying to Oscietre caviar cream-kissed roasted Agatha potatoes with smoked eel, then to gamberoni, aged bison, palate cleanser and Ossetra caviar christened caramelized bananas.
The beautifully composed La Fraise at Lucie features alternating layers of strawberry gelée with crème mousseline that’s sandwiched between layers of strawberry sponge and strawberry chocolate shard.
Served tableside, La Pigeon showcases Ontario squab that’s been cooked in beetroot, finished with port reduction and sided with mushrooms and beetroot confit.
There’s the daily changing Le Comptoir de Lucie, a playful four-course tasting experience that opens with canapés and an amuse-bouche, then closes with mignardises. Lucie’s elevated three-course Table d’Hôte is peppered with must-try courses, such as La Pigeon (Ontario squab cooked in beetroot), or the Pitivier for Two (a foie gras and chanterelle mushroom filled Beef Wellington for a supplemental charge).
Mott 32 Toronto
190 University Avenue
mott32.com/toronto
Redefining refined Chinese cuisine in oronto, the city now has one of the most celebrated Chinese restaurant brands in the world to call its own. Renowned for its contemporary approach to traditional Chinese cuisine, dishes follow traditional Chinese recipes, which are prepared through contemporary techniques using premium organic-sourced ingredients whenever possible. he result is modern dishes and crafted cocktails that capture the evolving flavours of modern
Hong Kong.
The restaurant is a fusion of contemporary elegance with traditional Chinese aesthetics. he ground-floor lobby lounge is outfitted with an opulent black marble-topped bar and a pair of chandeliers dripping from its vaulted ceiling. here are four private dining rooms on the second floor, with rich palettes from deep marble slabs, tinted jade green glass, plush velvets and leathers, to glossy ceramic tiles and hand-polished copper finishes.
Perched on the third floor, the main dining room seats 90. You can enjoy traditional delicacies, such as Japanese abalone, bird’s nest and sea cucumber that might be showcased with matsutake, Buddah Jumps Over the Wall, Alaskan king crab or Japanese wagyu 5+ in the central gazebo-like Octagon, or the semi-private Boom Boom Room.
Crowd favourite Hong Kong-style barbecue Iberico pluma, a highly marbled cut that’s lightly lacquered with Yellow Mountain honey, should be pre-reserved given its limited availability.
The signature 42-day applewood roasted Peking duck is carved table-side with the roasted bird’s skin served on its own to be enjoyed with raw cane sugar.
The Alaskan king crab meat vermicelli is delightful dusted in flying fish roe.
Must orders include lberico pork, which is prepared as black truffle-studded siu mai with a soft-boiled quail core, soupy hot-and-sour Shanghainese soup dumplings and crowd-favourite Hong Kong-style barbecue lberico pluma. Kissed by wok hei, the Alaskan king crab meat vermicelli is delightfully dusted in flying fish roe.
There’s the shiso and chrysanthemum garnished Hanami, a twist on the Moscow mule, that’s composed of rye, gin, umeshi and ginger beer which is made bright by yuzu. There’s also a refreshing tequila and jasmine tea-based Hong Kong Iced Tea that’s kissed by cassis and studded with basil seeds. Lychee and lemon are the dominant notes for the Forbidden Rose that’s made with vanillainfused pisco, chili tincture, lemon and egg white.
The 42-day applewood-roasted Peking duck, which requires pre-ordering, is a signature dish for a reason. Carved tableside, the roasted bird’s crisp skin can be paired with raw cane sugar, while the juicy breast meat is sliced and paired with freshly steamed pancakes, thinly sliced cucumber and scallions and a homemade hoisin-sesame sauce.
Finish with classic dessert soups like the refreshing and fruity mango-pomelo or the chilled fresh mango glutinous rice roll with a shredded coconut coating which pairs well with the library of premium Chinese teas available.
