Opening

November 2006

Quince

A culinary duo re-imagines brick-oven cooking By Jen Wareham

Being fruitful: Michael van den Winkel and Jennifer Gittins draw inspiration from the market Being fruitful: Michael van den Winkel and Jennifer Gittins draw inspiration from the market
Image credit: Regina Garcia

The wood-burning oven just got a whole lot more range, thanks to Jennifer Gittins and Michael van den Winkel and their new restaurant, Quince. The couple behind the much-missed Stork on the Roof (they closed in 2005 to travel) hopes to change the way we perceive brick-oven cuisine, with such decidedly un-pizza-like fare as van den Winkel’s herb-and-lemon-marinated Cornish hen, and baked sea bream with tomato, lime leaves, chili and fresh ginger. (Gittins handles the front of house and desserts.) Expect clean flavours and market-fresh ingredients. And no, Quince is not just a clever name: the fragrant fruit will appear in chutneys—from the oven, of course—and desserts.

Quince, 2110 Yonge St., 416-488-2110.


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