Chez Lionel launches new spring menu

A few weeks ago Chez Lionel introduced their new spring menu and while they made my list of the Best of 2024, I may have been even more impressed with their latest offerings.

I was not only enamoured with their takes on bistro classics, I was just as stunned by the level of cooking coming out of that kitchen.

They have changed things up recently with a three-course prix fixe replacing the two-course from last year.  While this increases the per-person spend, it also gives the diner a broader experience of the menu.

My lunch companion managed to overdo things a bit, ordering more à la carte than she could eat. I was there to the rescue her, of course, but with my three courses, I wasn’t as much help as she’d hoped.

She did muster some courage however, in requesting two items generally not to her liking: calamari and a beet dish. She happily devoured both, but not before I had my forkfuls.

We’ve all had beet salads involving goat cheese, but the kitchen here opted to dress this dish with goat cheese mousse and crumbled pistachios. For extra texture and colour they added brioche croutons, pea shoots and pickled red onion. While this was enough to share, it was so very nice it was easy enough for one person to plough through.

The calamari was a palette of colours involving pineapple chutney, red cabbage, jerk spiced mayo, curried cashews and cilantro. It was the most inventive fried calamari I’ve tried and it was a beautifully tender flavour bomb.

While you’re there, you will want to strongly consider the iceberg lettuce salad consisting of roasted garlic emulsion, fried prosciutto, croutons, parmesan and green apple. Again the whole just made sense and made for one exciting mouthful after another.

Then there’s the seafood risotto. Risotto always seems like a simple enough dish: rice cooked with some kind of broth and fat, wine and Parmesan Reggiano. It’s a blank canvas that can accommodate a variety of additions.

Most restaurants, in my experience, get it egregiously wrong. That includes many so-called Italian restaurants. To get it right you need an experienced chef and the correct rice.

The three most common types of rice used are Arborio, Baldo and Carnaroli. There are others that are a little more boutique and difficult to find so we’ll stay with the three most common.

I’ve used all three over the decades and I’ve come up with a formula for remembering quality results: ABC. Carnaroli produces the finest results due to its resistance to overcooking. Baldo is next best with Arborio being the most common, price effective and easy to find.

At Chez Lionel they use Arborio and the results were superb. As with everything else they make the lobster bisque that seasons this dish. It was liberally peppered with bay scallops, Argentinian shrimp, garlic croutons, peas and was dotted with saffron mayonnaise. I think of it still.

Chez Lionel changes their menu a few times a year and you may want to book a lunch reservation while this menu is still offered. Note that there will also be a Mother’s Day Brunch that looks very appealing.