The 10 best pickled foods at Toronto restaurants
Pickled things—lovingly brined, jarred and served by the city’s star chefs—are the hottest grandmotherly food since cookies and milk. Here, the best of the puckery pack
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Wild leeks
Jamie Kennedy preserves these pungent alliums (which add a deep flavour to vinaigrette) with a slice of beet for colour. Gilead Bistro, 4 Gilead Pl., 647-288-0680
Quail eggs
Joan Olsen classes up the saloon staple by steeping them in white wine vinegar, bay leaves and allspice. Swirl, 946 ½ Queen St. E., 647-351-5453.
Cherry bomb peppers
Anthony Rose ferments bushels of these little Jewish deli–style fireballs and sends them out whenever he has a hole to fill on a plate. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042.
Honey mushrooms
Pickled with coriander seed and star anise, these are chewy yet slippery, a nice fit with Nick Liu’s rabbit rillettes. Niagara Street Café, 169 Niagara St., 416-703-4222.
English cucumbers
Victor Barry runs diced cukes in a Japanese-style brine through the Cryovac machine. Ten seconds later, they’re ready to add crunch to freshly shucked oysters. Splendido, 88 Harbord St., 416-929-7788.
Sausage
Inspired by the Irish chippy treat, Kyle Deming pickles kielbasa in a brown sugar brine with fennel seed. They’re smoky, sour and ideal with a pint. The Ceili Cottage, 1301 Queen St. E., 416-406-1301.
Yellow wax beans
Bar master Jen Agg slips these beans (zinged with dill and chilies) into her legendary caesar as sour swizzle sticks. The Hoof Café, 923 Dundas St. W., 416-792-7511.
Artichokes
Mark Cutrara steeps local ’choke hearts in vidal vinegar and tops with lemon olive oil. A nutty garnish for seared pickerel. Cowbell, 1564 Queen St. W., 416-849-1095.
Figs
Rob Gentile preserves golden figs in a sugary brine with mustard seeds to extend their fleeting season. Buca, 604 King St. W., 416-865-1600.
Blueberries
For the cherry to top off his roasted-elk entrée, Matty Matheson chose blueberries pickled with coriander seed, caraway and garlic. Parts and Labour, 1566 Queen St. W., 416-588-7750.
(Images: Christopher Stevenson)
 with a slice of beet for colour. Gilead Bistro, 4 Gilead Pl., 647-288-0680
Quail eggs
Joan Olsen classes up the saloon staple by steeping them in white wine vinegar, bay leaves and allspice. Swirl, 946 ½ Queen St. E., 647-351-5453.
Cherry bomb peppers
Anthony Rose ferments bushels of these little Jewish deli–style fireballs and sends them out whenever he has a hole to fill on a plate. The Drake, 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042.
Honey mushrooms
Pickled with coriander seed and star anise, these are chewy yet slippery, a nice fit with Nick Liu’s rabbit rillettes. Niagara Street Café, 169 Niagara St., 416-703-4222.
English cucumbers
Victor Barry runs diced cukes in a Japanese-style brine through the Cryovac machine. Ten seconds later, they’re ready to add crunch to freshly shucked oysters. Splendido, 88 Harbord St., 416-929-7788.
Sausage
Inspired by the Irish chippy treat, Kyle Deming pickles kielbasa in a brown sugar brine with fennel seed. They’re smoky, sour and ideal with a pint. The Ceili Cottage, 1301 Queen St. E., 416-406-1301.
Yellow wax beans
Bar master Jen Agg slips these beans (zinged with dill and chilies) into her legendary caesar as sour swizzle sticks. The Hoof Café, 923 Dundas St. W., 416-792-7511.
Artichokes
Mark Cutrara steeps local ’choke hearts in vidal vinegar and tops with lemon olive oil. A nutty garnish for seared pickerel. Cowbell, 1564 Queen St. W., 416-849-1095.
Figs
Rob Gentile preserves golden figs in a sugary brine with mustard seeds to extend their fleeting season. Buca, 604 King St. W., 416-865-1600.
Blueberries
For the cherry to top off his roasted-elk entrée, Matty Matheson chose blueberries pickled with coriander seed, caraway and garlic. Parts and Labour, 1566 Queen St. W., 416-588-7750.
(Images: Christopher Stevenson)){kind=link}
The preserved/pickled green tomatoes at Cowbell may rival their artichokes!
It’s good to see that we are doing some back to basics cooking again in Toronto. Too many people have been trying to do fancy cooking without understanding the basics. That has hurt the restaurant scene in Toronto a lot.
I find in Europe they have a stronger appreciation for mastering basic food preserving methods like pickling and curing. I am cooking in Denmark right now and they are doing some really interesting things there with preserving food.
If interested, you can see what restaurant life is like in Denmark on my blog haanpc.blogspot.com.
Pickled food is also done very well is many Asian countries.
I love pickled foods , these are all really good , i have tried a few of them , restaurants that make there own fresh items is really good to see, the FOXLEY ON OSSINGTON does a great job, and BLD RESTAURANT on adelaide street makes everything fresh , thats what dining out is supposed to be about a dining experience where we taste what ll the great chefs of toronto make for us.
during the holidays i enjoyed some exceptional pickled products from a new toronto-based company called bumpercrop. with cheese and charcuterie we tasted red wine pears, pickled celery, and the most fabulous beer onions and peppers. where can we buy bumpercrop products? these were not listed…but should have been!