Nestled into the southeast corner of the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store at Yonge & Richmond, Leña`s warm lighting and art deco furnishings make a setting fit for a lavish evening.
But don’t let the ritzy decor fool you. Leña is a place where warm service comes coupled with sophisticated yet completely un-intimidating flavours – kinda like eating in your own mother’s familiar kitchen.
Leña is the creation of Chef Anthony Walsh. The restaurant pays homage to his Argentinian mother-in-law, Elena, who was a source of great culinary inspiration for him. Leña embodies what Walsh experienced in his mother-in-law’s kitchen: a philosophy of of simple food done well.
But it’s a woman who is in charge of the kitchen. Executive Chef Julie Marteleira leads a menu that embodies the vibrant essence of South American cooking, with unique Spanish and Italian influences. Everything I bite into has enough pizazz to impress the foodie in me, and enough comfort and familiarity to appeal to even the pickiest of eaters.
The Pera Crush juice – a concoction of cactus pear, apple and xocolatl mole bitters – reminded me of Mexican paletas, perfect for a treat on the patio, or post-meal for someone who would rather skip a heavy dessert.
The Maracuya, although simpler than the Pera Crush, had a more sophisticated flavour. It was sour and bitter but not too much of either making it simple and likeable.
You smell the rucula before you taste it, and that is definitely a compliment. The arugula, radicchio, orange, red onion and a coriander cumin vinaigrette creates a complex smattering of flavours – bitter, salty, peppery, wonderful. I could eat an entire meal of just this dish!
The stracciatella cheese might just be the best thing on the menu – or at least my favourite! Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper before you dig into what feels like a mini adventure on a plate. The salty cheese is a perfect complement to the tangy taste of the Seville orange marmalade. The purple yams make the dish more robust and the cornbread crumble finishes it off with a little crunch. The flavours are just so darn complex and so, so delicious! You can eat your way through the entire dish just shaking your head and trying to figure out the flavours.
Oysters are always best served raw, and restaurants can make their serving unique with what comes with them. At Leña, both sauces served alongside the oysters make a star appearance without stealing the spotlight from the main attraction. The sweet flavour from the cava mignonette sneaks in behind the saltiness of the oyster, before the sour joins in. The flavours come together like waves crashing into the ocean, cathartic but also undisruptive. The nasty sauce is the real show stopper! The chilli hits you like OMG and lingers in your mouth long after you’ve swallowed the oyster, giving you time to offer respect to what you have just eaten. It tingles your tongue for a long time as any good chilli should do. The spice is flavourful so you welcome the taste instead of wanting it go away.
The clams are a real treat, prepared with garlic, olive oil, coriander and white wine, served with a beautifully charcoaled slice of housemade bread.
“You can screw this up at every step,” my server told me as he placed a Spanish potato pancake in front of me. The fatty flavour of the potatoes and sweetness of the sauce are perfectly balanced with the smokey padron peppers and onions.
My meal ended with a serving of veal Milanesa – grilled veal paillard, duck egg, white anchovies, chimichurri and yucca fries served on a beautifully decorated plate. The big plate of food reminded me of homey meals served at small restos – or your mom’s house – but this is done with a sophisticated audience in mind.
Like any loving matriarch’s kitchen, Leña is open morning till night, serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In 2017, Toronto Life magazine named Leña one of Toronto’s top 10 new restaurants, and Canada’s 100 Best ranked Leña among the country’s finest.
Now is the time to set up your Aeroplan account if you haven`t done so already. Aeroplan members had the opportunity to snag advanced reservations at participating restaurants and also get special privileges at select restaurants, which makes hustling for those limited Summerlicious reservations a piece of cake!