Boralia

Dinner
Despite returning home from a late lunch given we were in the area so decided to give this homage to Canadiana our support ;)
What we had
Mussels
Pigeon Pie
Okanagan Pinot
Overall food, ambience, value, service: 3.5÷5
The dishes were nice but didn’t feel compelled to try anymore. As others have pointed out given it is Canadiana the paucity of options for Canadian wines by the glass is strange. But a cursory glance seemed to indicate the same trend for bottles as well. I believe the Hart House Gallery Grill in Toronto has at least an equally interesting selection of Cdn inspired deserts :)
Final word: Nice. But don’t get what all the buzz is about on the Star, The Globe and Joanne Kate’s List. Unlikely to repeat anytime soon.

Amazing restaurant serving elevated Canadian food. Tried many things I had never has before, such as elk and bison. Mussels with pine had to be my favourite. Excellent cocktails, service and atmosphere. Go with a group of friends and order everything on the menu. Highly recommend.

Phenomenal food, will be back to try the rest of the menu.

There’s so much good about this restaurant and in terms of quality of food you just can’t more refined, more creative, and have more of a story than the stuff you eat here. The whole ingredient list authenticity thing is cool. The pine needle mussels dish seriously smells like you’re in a forest (but then you’re eating mussels, and you’re like whoa, mussels in a forest whattt?, but then they taste so good and you squelch the geographic mysteries). The restaurant is beautiful, the servers are just so damn nice, and the whole place has this quaint, homey, warm little buzz going on. The food is also just so I exceptionally subtle. The dishes have parsley purees, peas, a mushroom salad that was just so tasty in its presentation of different subtleties of flavor between four or five different kinds of mushrooms in a pseudo salad. It’s all there. But, I think you have to have a palate that is appreciative of subtlety. If you want volume, if you want bold flavors that kick your ass and then you add some extra hot sauce to it, if you like big quantities that make your burps have flavor two hours later … This isn’t totally your place. I think if there were maybe a few filler items as sides, something starchy, a rice accompaniment, or a portion of vegetables that were simple but filling, that would be the kind of thing that may appease people like me. It’s so good though, and the chefs clearly have this culinary talent and vision they place in their dishes. Worth the reviews it gets but caters to a style of eaters that may not be me.

Great place! In order of most loved to least loved, we ordered the foie gras crisps, pine smoked mussels, pigeon pot pie, mushroom salad, perogies and baked hollandaise mussels. Everything was delicious and melt in your mouth. Would definitely visit again.

Delicious. Love the selection of meat from pigeon to elk to rabbit, etc. I tried 6 dishes and all were season and cooked well. I’m not much a sweet tooth but the cake was good as well.

Came here for dinner on a Friday night for a corporate event and wow! Once you walk in the smell of the kitchen is already tempting
For cocktails, I started with ginger pear spritz, it was sweet and refreshing with a sprig of rosemary. I also had the lemon sage iced tea, it was again refreshing and everyone raved about them for the night.
There were passed canapes, the uni panna cotta on brioche bread was amazing, the taste of uni was strong and fresh. the chedda beignets were warm and super cheesy and the rabbit dumplings wrapped in cabbage was moist and packed a big flavour for a small bite.
For appetizer I got the grilled quail bread and fried leg. The quail was perfectly done and had the smokey grill flavour, and the fried leg was salty and crispy. The fried corn grits on the side were also perfect, crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside.
The main I got the beef strip loin with beef cheek cottage pie. The loin was a medium rare and cooked perfectly, not chewy or dry. The beef cheek was so soft you didnt even need a knife with the creamy mashed potatoes on top. Everything was seasoned perfectly, nothing was too salty or under seasoned. For dessert I got the chocolate potato cake, it was a solid cake and no complaints. The blueberry clafoutis was warm and not that sweet but this was the least memorable dish.
The service was attentive and friendly. Would love to return one day to try the rest of their menu. This is definitely one of the best places in Toronto!

This is a long one…
There is a lot of hype about Boralia so I arrived with very high expectations, and while I did thoroughly enjoy my experience and what was done well was done VERY well, it fell a bit short of the crazy hype. I loved the atmosphere and the service was amazing, but there were some misses in the food and how the meal was structured. Here’s a breakdown of the food my friend and I tried:
Baked Oysters with a Shrimp Hollandaise: The highlight of the meal. We both agreed we should go back and order 50 of them and sit all night sipping wine and eating these heavenly little creatures. This was actually my first time eating cooked oysters as I was of the opinion that cooking oysters ruins them, but I stand happily corrected!
L’eclade (smoked mussels): The iconic dish pictured in most articles about the restaurant, which makes perfect sense due to the photogenic drama when the dish arrives covered in it’s smoke filled glass lid. If you go to Boralia this is for sure a must have. Hands down the best mussels I have ever eaten. They were just so plump and perfect! Oh and the sauce… oh the sauce… pine needle butter I believe it was, but who cares what it is when it tastes that damn good! It was like the essence of campfire and I could have drowned in it and died happy.
Grilled Whelk (sea snail): Possibly more iconic than the mussels when it comes to Boralia, so I had to give it a try. While the flavour of the whole dish was really outstanding, I must say I did not enjoy the whelk itself. I’ve never had it before so I’m not sure if it’s just usually rubbery and hard to chew or if it wasn’t cooked properly, but regardless I found the texture unpleasant and I am not picky about food texture– I’m that person that goes for the octopus tentacles with the most suction cups and gets excited when someone turns a vegetable into panna cotta. The weirder the texture-​the better. This whelk though– much to unpleasant to chew. Nowhere near as delicious as the other shelled creatures I have consumed.
Bison Tartare: I did not personally try this dish but my friends verdict was that it was a let down. She said the actual tartare was quite bland and while all the accompaniments were tasty they were so strongly flavoured it made it impossible to taste the already fairly tasteless tartare.
Pan-​Roasted Elk: Another dish I did not try, but I if I ever become a carnivore again (unlikely) it is top of my list! My friend could not have been more pleased with this dish. She said the elk was absolutely perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her eat it as it seemed to put her in an intense food induced fugue state.
Grilled Mushroom Salad: Lovely variety of textures and flavours with the different mushrooms that were well contrasted by the crunchy bits of hazelnut corn cake and the acidic watercress sauce.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Corn Ice cream: Not for me. Didn’t like the bread pudding (moist and compressed in a brick shape) and definitely did not like the ice cream (corn ice cream… about as appetizing as it sounds). My friend quite enjoyed it but I think she had one to many drinks at this point so I wouldn’t trust her judgement…(sorry Kayla)
Louisbourg Hot Chocolate Beignets (beer battered, chocolate filling): Taste wise– delicious! Texture wise-​a little bit too chewy but I’ve had the real deal in New Orleans so I can be a beignet snob.
So food was a mix of highs and lows, but I can say that were the highs ever high! The wine list left me with the same mixed feelings– while it was unusually affordable, I recognized a few bottles that go for significantly more at other Toronto restaurants, it really misses the mark on showcasing some of the great wine we are making here in Canada. For a restaurant that is so Canadian I expected that to cross over into the wine selection a bit more.
The big let down for me and why I can’t say I LOVED my experience was how much food they kept bringing out at a time. When three hot dishes are brought out at the same time theres no way to really get to enjoy all of them. If you eat them one by one by the time you get to the third it’s gone cold, and when you eat them all together (as we tried) you end up mixing together flavours that aren’t meant to be mixed, and being left not fully appreciating any of them. I was incredibly frustrated that I didn’t get the chance to really taste the mushroom salad as I was trying to get the whelk eaten while it was still hot. Please Boralia, space out the food more! I get that there are time restrictions on the tables and you need to flip them, but it’s not a pleasant way to eat.
Reading this review it sounds more like a 3 star, but the food that was done well was done SO well that is warrants 4, and the whole concept of the restaurant and the feel you get while eating the food was pretty unique. I also really do think the menu is great representation of Canada and our food history and native ingredients. So overall — thumbs up!

Awesome restaurant with unique Canadian dishes! I’ve read some reviews that said the portions are small for the price and some Unilocalers left hungry, but I found the prices reasonable for the quality and portions. Between 3 people we ordered the devilled eggs, chop suey croquettes, 2 orders of bread, smoked whitefish, mussels, liver and foie gras parfait, and mushroom salad — along with wine, cocktails and beignets for dessert. Plenty of food for 3 people! However we were all women so perhaps a man would want to eat more.
The mussels, parfait and mushroom salad were the standout dishes. The service was also amazing and the ambience warm and reflective of the Canadian theme. Would definitely come back.

American food– definitely not typically my thing (burgers, apple pie… fried chicken, though maybe that’s more Southern, which is American, but different… We are really not that complex in the states, believe me) and so I was wondering what Canadian specialties were like (beyond poutine, that is). When my local experts clued me in and suggested we hit up Boralia, I was skeptical only because I’m vegan and the menu seems to be extremely meat-​oriented. «They have vegan options,» I was assured. «The chef is legit.» Sold.
What a phenomenal little restaurant this is, friends. It’s super dark, with lovely atmosphere and divine food/​cocktails/​wine. I would think it would be the ultimate date spot, as you feel you’re dining in secret, holed up in a cozy, dimly lit booth.
My friends told me to get the mushroom dish. Zounds! This plate of mushrooms about made me weep! I tried to eat it delicately but ended up gorging the entire thing down. My god. Ruined for mushrooms forever! A texture party going on with this: crunchy, chewy, melt-​in-​your mouth. Well done, Boralia. I don’t normally get this excited about mushrooms. In fact, I avoid Portobello mushrooms at all costs (none in Boralia’s mushroom plate).
We were greeted and attended to at first by Evelyn, the fabulous owner of this establishment. When I informed her that I was vegan, she spoke with the chef and then told me he could make a dish of rye berries with a roasted beet. I realize this sounds a lot less exciting than the dish actually is. Although the mushroom plate stole my taste buds, heart and possibly even soul, the special vegan entrée that was made for me was flavorful and unique. Definitely not something I’d ever make at home. I’m not into beets, but this one was marinated and roasted well and it complimented the chewy rye berries quite well.
Also wanted to note that the service here is all-​around excellent! It’s so nice to be greeted and attended to by a really cool, passionate owner (you can tell how much love goes into the entire operation) and our server was also quite lovely as well, super knowledgable about everything and attentive to our needs (drinks… more drinks. heheheh)
Boralia tops my list for dinner experiences in Toronto so far. Strongly recommended!

Brilliant birthday dinner at Boralia. A lovely intimate/​trendy addition to the Ossington Avenue strip, Boralia focuses on «old Canadian» — i.e. comfort foods and game meats dating back to early settlement times in Canada’s trapper-​and-​hunter history. Besides the clever way the menu cites the inception of each dish in Canada’s history, the presentation and flavors were all just shockingly GOOD.
Started with a couple of cocktails that were reasonably priced and balanced in flavor. We started our food adventure with the chop suey croquettes, not exactly sure what to expect. Get these! They’re delicious! They’re like the wonderful taste of lo mein noodles and salty sweet umami in a light breaded arancini-​esque ball. Actually, that’s what I would call it. Asian arancini. It was such a tease!
The menu at Boralia is set up for sharing, so went with the sweetbreads & peas, hellfire salad, rabbit rubaboo and a special that night, pan-​roasted duck breast with apples. LOVED the sweetbreads preparation. Sweetbreads — nice word to describe thymus and/​or pancreas; acquired taste and absolutely delicious. The peas were actually sweet and complemented the salty sweatbreads, which were glazed with a wonderful garlic miso. Not overcooked. The hellfire salad was sheer bliss: ricotta and corn-​stuffed squash blossom. Crunch, light, salty, sweet. A stellar choice if you’re looking to cut the heavy meats. The rabbit rubaboo was a wonderful surprise: the «sausage» was more of a rabbit roll-​up (similar to rouladin) and seasoned with mushrooms; perfectly complemented with beets. Probably the best preparation of rabbit I’ve had to date. The duck breast was medium rare, tender, and a generous portion considering the price. We finished the dinner with the hot chocolate beignets. These were awesome (fried dough, chocolate, sugar… can you do wrong?!) but I wanted them to be crispier and lighter. They were on the heavy doughy side. Still, an excellent finisher.
Boralia provided all the things I’d want in a celebratory date night: inventive food, expert preparation, a variety of flavors, crafted cocktails, excellent wine selection, casual trendy atmosphere and attentive service. Score!

Though many of the dishes listed on the menu will cite the 1600’s and 1800’s as the date of origin for the recipe (like the Devilled Chinese Eggs, circa 1850), Boralia is definitely set for today. The presentation, the offals, the herbs and vegetables and the painted forest wall mural all that brings to mind romantic foraging imagery that is just so *now*.
With all dishes served tapas-​style, be prepared to order 3 – 4 dishes per person.
Though I think the tea eggs served on dainty porcelain dish made for most Instagram-​worthy photo, my pick goes to the whelk with beurre blanc. Not sure exactly how they made it, but the grill on the whelk made it already delicious on its own — added with that beurre blanc, well, that was just super-​delicious! My second pick would be the duck breast dish. I usually really dislike chestnuts, but the tiny crumbles of chestnut sprinkled on thickly cut parsnip coins made the parsnips somehow taste sweeter. What magic is this?
The prices, while definitely not low (those eggs? You’ll only receive 1.5 eggs for $ 6) is on par with other tapas places in the city. For an alcohol-​free dinner for two, we paid a total of $ 115 with tax and tips. Not bad for a taste of Canadiana.

Canada is somewhat lacking in it’s national food identity. But, after eating at Boralia in the Toronto community of Ossington, there are now a whole bunch of foods/​plates that I previously took for granted and now realize are Canadian… things that pulled out tastes and memories from my childhood: rabbit sausage, beets, elk, pine smoked mussels, devilled eggs, scallops in cucumber water… etc. The inspiration Boralia is hunter/​gatherer «Aboriginal and Historical Canadian Food» but many of the smells, ingredients, and seasonings are so engrained into daily Canadian cuisine that I had difficulty separating out the historical component.
Every bite at Boralia had incredible depth. This is especially true for the pine smoked mussels. For our visit, the mussels came from the St. Lawrence and the pine smoke brought back memories of camp fires, clam bakes, and summer camp. The experience created a pleasant «childhood memories» conversation that made it really easy to get to know the people at the table and their personal history.
The menu is served in a very unpretentious way and they were incredibly accommodating of my gluten allergy. With a day’s warning were able to produce alternatives to the set menu that didn’t leave me feeling left out.
I will say that the restaurant is pricey… but completely worth it. They periodically have pemmican on the menu… I will be back to try the pemmican.

Beautiful Boralia.*
They’re serving up Aboriginal and historical Canadian-​inspired dishes in a cozy atmosphere with a boss wine, beer and cocktail list. Believe the hype, this place is a lovely choice for a fancy meal. Yes, it is a tad pricy, but it’s definitely worth every penny.
My party thoroughly enjoyed the deviled eggs, pierogies, mushroom salad, mussels, sweetbreads and beignet dessert. I would go into detail about the flavours, the plating, the care, but I feel I can’t do it justice. So just trust. Trust that this is a haven on the ever-​bro-​ing Ossington strip.
*Said like Colin Firth saying «Beautiful Auralia» in Love Actually. Too deep of a cut?

Easily one of my top restaurant picks in Toronto. We have been here numerous times, mostly when we are looking to have a higher quality meal.
What I love about this place is that it is so experimental with their food (follow them on Instagram!), but they don’t go overboard with the snotty gastro cuisine. The food is all very approachable and enjoyable.
The physical space is lovely and although it is touted as one of the best restaurants in the city, the stand-​offish vibe is nowhere to be found. The owners and the staff are lovely, down-​to-​earth, and welcoming. It is perfectly casual.
The food is fantastic. Tonight we had the devilled eggs, chopsuey croquettes, mushroom salad, Indian Candy, and the pierogies. I don’t have a single negative thing to say about any of these dishes. The taste and texture experience is thoughtful and refined.
Tonight’s bill was roughly $ 90 with tax/​tip and included one alcoholic drink. Normally, I die paying more than $ 60 for dinner for 2 ppl… but oddly the price tag here feels very appropriate and we have always left feeling good.
I highly recommend. *Reservations are a must.*

Delicious! My boyfriend and I came here after a loooong walk at high park. We were pretty much famished by the time we got to Boralia.
I started off with their signature drinks — cocktails!
I ordered the Grapefruit Shrub Spritz — so sweet and delicious! It tasted like soda with a hint of alcohol taste.
My boyfriend ordered the Neustadt Springs 456 Marzen Lager.
SPICED SCALLOP CRUDO (3.5÷5)
(Wild Ginger, Pickled Ramps, Fermented Chili Cucumber Water)
The scallops were very fresh and yummy — a great start to our meal. I would’ve liked it a lot more if the chili taste was stronger.
VENISON LIVER & FOIE GRAS PARFAIT (⁵⁄₅)
(Blackcurrant Red Wine Gastrique, Bread Crisps)
Yes, I’m giving this dish ⁵⁄₅ stars! Maybe I’m biased because foie gras are my fave. but this was perfect. The foie gras parfaits were so addicting! Highly recommending this!
PIGEON PIE (⁴⁄₅)
(Roast Squab Breast, Asparagus)
The squab meat was SO good. They marinated it so there was so much flavour to it. The first couple of bites of the pigeon pie was the best comfort food of the meal — but then I got super full from the pie and my boyfriend had to finish the rest of it up (which I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.) haha!
PAN-​ROASTED ELK (⁴⁄₅)
(Wild Rice-​Crusted Egg, Cranberry Gastrique, Burnt Onion, Radish)
The elk meat: DD very very tender — I’d order this again and again. Even the radish was so delicious!

Had to try this new resto on Ossington just because. Usually Canadian fine dining doesn’t greatly interest me, but this one was quite enjoyable
Red Fife Levain Bread & Cultured Butter — An app to help fill you up since all dishes in this resto are fairly small for their portions
L’éclade — Mussels Smoked in Pine Needles, Pine Ash Butter; the broth was quite delicious and we should’ve dipped more of our bread in here before finishing it. Mussels were on point.
Kedgeree — Smoked Whitefish, Rice Crackers, Curry Mayo, Parsley Purée — I think we just wanted to try this because it sounded cool… didn’t taste like much and I did not like the rice crackers/​fish combo. This dish was bland.
Pan-​Roasted Elk — Wild Rice-​Crusted Egg, Cranberry Gastrique, Burnt Onion, Radish — I loved the elk, perfect medium rare. Flavours of all the ingredients came together deliciously.
Pigeon Pie — Roast Squab Breast, Asparagus — my favourite dish of the night, it’s a staple to order for any new visitors of the resto as attested by all the other reviews.
Décor is on par with all the other hipster restos of Ossington, hoping to see new items on the menu to try in the future

Wow! This is food as high art. Every dish is boldly unique, thoughtfully curated and masterfully presented. Collectively, the «artist’s voice» comes through clear as a bell. The flavours are astounding. We tried six different plates and everyone of them was deeply satisfying.
As the name suggests (maybe?) Boralia is an homage to Canada’s forests, lakes and rivers. The menu seems to have been inspired by recipes of old from native and euro traditions with a smattering of Chinese influences at times. But forget about the muses. It’s what they’ve inspired that matters.
Boralia is easily one of the best and most interesting restaurants that I’ve ever experienced. I will be back whenever I want to take overseas guests for something upscale that smacks of Canada. More so than Canoe or Bannock, this is uniquely canuck. But the limited menu and tightly-​focused palette means that I will need to make return visits sparingly. All good things in moderation.

It’s been so long since i’ve been to a restaurant in Toronto that i’ve been excited about.
Even as i write this, i think fondly back of the flavours at my meal last month — and about the simplicity of their smoky mushroom salad (the best i’ve ever eaten).
Earlier this year, i read an article in search for Toronto’s newest restaurants. I was intrigued by the culinary backgrounds of husband and wife duo chefs and owners (Wayne Morrison and Evelyn Wu). I was lucky enough to make a last minute reservation, and with the food Gods on my side, Evelyn made sure to come by my table, give us a little laugh and walk through the menu.
It left me with a taste for the entire menu. So we pretty much did, minus a couple of dishes. And what I can tell you is:
— The menu is unique — and truly Canadian. I’m sick of taking out of town guests to Bannock and saying this is the closest to Canadian food you’ll get in the city. I’m excited to be able to now take them here.
— The flavours are traditional — i’ve recently been inspired with the concept of foraging for your ingredients with native species and plants, and this is the first ‘restaurant’ in Toronto i’ve seen really do this — example — Pine needle butter and smoke mussels.
— The menu is creative and inspiring — as a home cook, i left feeling like i’d learnt something (i’m on a quest to have a Chinese mum teach me tea eggs) and i left with a greater understanding of native and historic style cooking.
It’s really is a great experience — while a small restaurant, it touches all the right notes to give you a historic sense of Toronto, with a modern flair. Everything is prepared with thought and intent. Even the red-​fife bread i had was such a welcome surprise. I can’t wait to come back.

Creative, thoughtful and delectable! There aren’t many restaurants in the city that focus on Canadian heritage, let alone are able to put a modern spin on the cuisine with an extremely fulfilling outcome! As a Canadian, it kind of warmed my heart! I had never even heard of most of the items on the menu so I knew I had to go.
We had two cocktails, four entrees and two desserts. The cocktails were balanced, refined and prepared meticulously. I’ve rarely seen entrees presented so beautifully. We all know you eat with your eyes first and Boralia hit a grand slam. Elk, ham, squab and bison. Cooked perfectly with a pink and tender middle, with a salty and crispy skin, I love squab. More squab please.
The desserts were yummy. Nice to finish with a sweet thing but the entrees were where this place surely did shine.