Four restaurants in Toronto and the surrounding region have been awarded a star by The Michelin Guide this year.
On Wednesday evening, the Michelin Guide unveiled its newest additions at a ceremony at concert venue HISTORY. This year, Michelin expanded beyond the Greater Toronto Area to find new discoveries. Michelin recognizes restaurants worldwide for their food and hospitality experience.
As a result, new restaurants DaNico, Hexagon, Restaurant Pearl Morissette and The Pine were each awarded one Michelin Star, with Restaurant Pearl Morissette also being the newest Green Star restaurant in the selection.
“As we toast to year three of the Michelin Guide in Toronto, we are excited to see the selection expand beyond the city center, with new and emerging talent being spotlighted,” Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec said in a press release on Wednesday.
“We are very pleased to welcome four new eateries into the family of Michelin-starred restaurants and hope this serves as encouragement for the restaurant community to continue raising the bar. The chef and culinary teams’ passion is evident with a strong focus on Indigenous ingredients and sustainable gastronomy,” he continued.
In addition to four new starred restaurants, the guide also added four new Bib Gourmands, an accolade that recognizes neighbourhood friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices. These include Berkeley North in Hamilton, Guru Lakshmi in Mississauga and Conejo Negro and Rasa in downtown Toronto.
Toronto and its surroounding region now has 15 one Michelin star restaurants, two green star restaurants and a two Michelin star restaurant which remains to be Sushi Masaki Saito.
Here are the newly starred restaurants in the GTA:
Italian restaurant DaNico marries modern Italian culinary dishes with exceptional service. The sophisticated restaurant is located inside a historic bank building of Palmerston, Little Italy. Michelin star Chef Daniele Corona is known for using worldly influences to create a vibrant menu such as combining Asian ingredients and other local and sustainable ingredients. Some of its signature items include the Pacific crab served over vegetables, a house-made basil bottini and a Sicilian green olive coulis.
This contemporary French restaurant located in downtown Oakville is elegant inside and out. The menu includes classic French dishes, such as beef tartare, oysters, and fish but made in an exquisite and original way. In addition to these, Michelin inspectors recommend the Hokkaido scallop, corn agnolotti with Manchego, the short rib and for dessert, its cheesecake with strawberries and a nutty almond cookie.
Restaurant Pearl Morissette (Niagara region)
Restaurant Pearl Morissette is worth the trip to the Niagara region, as it is not only a restaurant, but also a winery, orchard, farm and bakery. The contemporary restaurant is an hour drive southwest of Toronto and is highly regarded for its fresh, Canadian ingredients which its ever-changing menu reflects. Its ambitious fine dining experience is inspired by seasonal French cooking. Inspectors say Chefs Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson went above and beyond in its free-range pork specifically. This restaurant was also awarded the Michelin Green Star for having outstanding sustainable and eco-friendly culinary practices.
For Chinese and contemporary cuisine, The Pine in Creemore is the place to be. Nestled north of Toronto in Simcoe County, The Pine is operated by Chef Jeremy Austin and his wife, Cassie, who provide an immersive tasting menu experience influenced by Austin’s time working in China. Inspectors note its Sichuan-favourite dried fried string beans and the carrot jiaozi as some of its worthy items to try, however each meal is packed with flavour and delightful creativity.
When it comes to the Bib Gourmand restaurants, here are the four new restaurants added to this year’s list:
Berkeley North is a popular contemporary restaurant in downtown Hamilton. The menu is eccentric and fuses different flavours from around the world. For instance, tuna crudo with citrus ponzu or Chinese egg rolls with a chickpea potato curry and a ginger-herb dip. The Michelin guide suggests trying its perfectly roasted Cornish hen with potato salad or its comfort dishes, such as pasta or steak frites.
Located in Mississauga, Guru Lukshmi is an authentic South Indian restaurant that offers vegetarian food with exceptional seasoning, colours, nutrition, taste and aesthetic. Its aim is to make you feel like you’ve tried South Indian home cooked food from Idli, dosa and sambhar. Those who plan to visit must make a reservation beforehand as the space can get busy. First timers must try the Mysore Bhaji Dosa with aloo masala.
If you love Caribbean and Latin American food, you must try Conejo Negro in downtown Toronto. This cozy space is great for a date or for a night out with friends thanks to its backyard patio. Visitors always end up coming back time and time again for its fried and warmly spiced firecracker shrimp, fried chicken, jerk chicken and delicious desserts, all generously portioned and recommended for sharing.
Situated in the heart of Harbord Village, the relaxing restaurant Rasa has bold and saporous plates such as sea bream ceviche with chili oil and lamb vindaloo dumplings. The restaurant delivers hearty meals, such as truffle gnudi with pesto and tasty burger with beef cheek and house-made brioche. The restaurant invites large groups of friends and families to indulge in its big servings of global-inspired snacks and entrees.
