Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chef's Tables
147
Colborne Lane
The Cosmopolitan Touch
Toronto, Canada
Colborne Lane has had Toronto diners
buzzing ever since it opened in February
2007, in an historic part of downtown just
a stone's throw from the St. Lawrence
Market (see ). Chef-owner Claudio
Aprile—formerly the award-winning head
chef at Senses—did a stint at El Bulli while
Colborne Lane was under construction,
and upon his return he shot out of the gate
with wildly inventive cooking that took
Toronto by storm. You can see his creativ-
ity unleashed in dishes like lemon custard
pearls; a beef tartare kicked up with cor-
nichon, roasted tomato, air-dried onion,
and truffled soy; or a crispy wok-fried
squid accented with caramelized peanut,
green peppercorn, juicy Chinese sausage,
and a trio of tropical fruits—Asian pear,
pink grapefruit, and mango. At the same
time, Aprile tempers his postmodern
impulses with heartier dishes like the miso-
glazed black cod with a sesame panna
cotta and bok choy, or the tea-smoked
squab breast with a croquette of squab
confit and foie gras croquette, dribbled
with date and chocolate sauces, or the
braised beef rib with sunchoke risotto and
glazed shallots. He
has
all the machines in
his kitchen, he just doesn't feel he has to
use them in every dish. The creativity,
though, never stops flowing.
Born in Uruguay, Aprile also trained in
Southeast Asia, and the Asian influence on
his cooking is profound; more than that,
however, it's cosmopolitan cooking, and it
goes down well in this cosmopolitan city.
The restaurant itself has a chic downtown
vibe, with a soundtrack of mellow rock
music instead of hushed Serious Dining
silence. Shabby-chic architectural ele-
ments are set off by sleekly minimalist fur-
niture, dramatic lighting, and stunningly
simple table settings that let the artfully
arranged food presentation take center
stage.
From the very beginning, Aprile—who
also apprenticed in Chicago at Charlie
Trotter's and Alinea—knew he wanted to
offer a chef's table, special front-row seat-
ing where the most curious gourmets
could gather to focus on his food. Its six-
person kitchen table is set in a private
nook that offers an unobstructed view of
the goings-on at the stove, and various
members of the kitchen brigade stop by
from time to time to chat with the guests.
Kitchen table dining comes with its own
special 15-course tasting menu showcas-
ing the most daring items in his reper-
toire—when you're pushing the envelope,
why not make the chef's table crowd your
panel of taste testers?
45 Colborne St. (
&
416/368-9009;
http://colbornelane.com).
(
Toronto International (19km/12 miles).
L
$$$
Le Royal Meridien King
Edward,
37 King St. E (
&
800/543-4300
or 416/863-9700; www.starwoodhotels.
com). $$
The Drake Hotel,
1150 Queen
St. W (
&
416/531-5042;
www.thedrake
hotel.ca).
