where jess ate

Owned by a husband and wife team, Edulis (@EdulisToronto) has earned high praises and many accolades since it opened last year including “#1 Best New Restaurant in Canada” by enRoute Magazine.

Michael Caballo is the man in this kitchen. His previous experience actually includes working as a chef at Niagara Street Café, which previously occupied Edulis’ space. Tobey Nemeth, who used to work as Chef de Cuisine at the Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar, manages the restaurant and front-of-house.

The restaurant has a very warm and cozy feel to it. It’s very low-key with candle-lit tables and the sound level in the space was perfect – you can actually hear your dining companions. It’s also a very small space which gives it a more intimate feel.

The menu at Edulis changes weekly and has a large focus on wild and local foods. We decided to go with the “Carte Blanche” ­. The menu cheekily says “Put your belly in our hands (we promise to be nice)…” It’s essentially a tasting menu (whole table only) with some dishes being served family style. Price-wise, it’s $50 per person for 5 courses or $70 per person for 7 courses. We opted for the 5 courses.

For something to drink I wanted something non-alcoholic since I had just spent the afternoon at Beer Fest. I decided on the Summer Fruit Soda – strawberry, plum, cherry & apricot ($3). After all the beer I had, this sweet drink hit the spot.

We started off with a delightful bite, a Stuffed Olive with anchovies and peppers.

Shortly after ordering, they brought us some Fresh Bread. There’s nothing quite like a warm, fresh bread. And with that butter… oh my! I had to hold myself back from eating too much of it.

Course #1:  White Asparagus – with smoked salmon, toasted sunflower puree and a radish vinaigrette. I was pleased that the asparagus still retained some of its crunch. With the perfectly cooked asparagus and the saltiness of the smoked salmon, this was one really, really delicious dish!

Course #2: Portuguese Sardines – with a coarse cucumber soup and fennel. To be honest, when it first arrived, I didn’t have high expectations. It didn’t smell or sound appealing and I think everyone at the table had the same initial thought. But after one bite, all our worries melted away.

The sardines were incredible and tasted nothing like the canned variety I’m used to. They paired so nicely with the light cucumber soup and made for an excellent summer dish. This is what I love about tasting menus – you get to try dishes you’d never typically order and more often than not, you’re pleasantly surprised.

Course #3: Green Beans – with chorizo and almonds. Like the asparagus, the green beans were cooked perfectly – with a bit of crunch still intact and the addition of the chorizo gave the dish a needed somethin’ somethin’. Another great dish!

Course #4: Beef Shoulder – with sweetbreads, potatoes, lobster mushrooms and an onion puree. I absolutely loved every component of this dish. The beef was tender and cooked to a nice rare, which is my preference. The sweetbreads were just as delicious and the lobster mushrooms were such a nice surprise with their meat-like texture. My favourite dish of the evening!

Course #5: Rum Cake. Let me preface this by saying I don’t like rum cake nor do I like my desserts too boozy. So, needless to say, this wasn’t my cup of tea.

The cake consisted of a moist white cake (which I would’ve been happy eating on its own) which they covered in a generous pool of Appleton rum syrup. It also came with a cute little serving of Chantilly cream to top your cake with. Mike actually really loved this dessert, so if you like boozy desserts, you’d probably enjoy it too.

We found that while the portions weren’t huge here, we all left the restaurant comfortable and satisfied after the 5 courses.

Overall, I had a phenomenal meal at Edulis. You can’t go wrong putting your belly in their hands and going with the “Carte Blanche”!

At a glance:
• Focus on local and wild ingredients
• Menu changes weekly
• Ordered the Carte Blanche ($50/person for 5 coures or $70/person for 7 courses); whole table only; some dishes served family style
• Fantastic dinner but didn’t love the rum cake for dessert (I don’t like my desserts too boozy)
• Open for dinner from Wednesday to Sunday; closed Mondays/Tuesdays
• Small restaurant with a warm and cozy atmosphere
• Reservations recommended
• Located on Niagara street, just south of King

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4.5 stars
• Service: 4 stars
• Atmosphere: 4 stars