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LSL
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It all started with Yo Yo Ma, according to Chef Didier Leroy. Masaki Saito was supposed to cook him dinner in Toronto at some point in 2022 but, 24 hours before the meal, Chef Saito fell ill. On short notice, he asked Chef Leroy to step in. The latter had never worked with omakase before, so he decided to make a French meal, which turned Chef Saito’s unfortunate illness into a stroke of magic. Like a Yo Yo Ma composition, French and Japanese traditions and flavours came together as if in a perfect harmony. Yo Yo Ma agreed: It was a culinary symphony. And the idea was born.
After summoning chef Christian Le Squer from Paris, Chef Leroy says, the idea of marrying omakase techniques and traditions with French cuisine fell into place, born out of a shared belief that food is best enjoyed when shared with good company. “The purpose and the mission of this restaurant, really, is to elevate Toronto’s food scene to the world,” Chef Leroy says. As a result, eating at LSL is more than just a meal - it’s an experience. From the best possible facilities, to the best ingredients Chef Saito can import from Japan, to traditional enoki wood for omakase, to famous dishes and recipes perfected by Chef Le Squer and executed to perfection by Chef Leroy, a night at LSL - which hosts one dinner in its nine-seat restaurant three times a week - is intended to be a memorable one, enjoying the art of cooking and the most flavourful experiences in the company of others who are there to appreciate the experience.
Every detail is intended to make sure a person dining at LSL feels, truly, like a guest. Accommodations can be made for virtually any dietary restriction, conversations can flow however a guests desires, knowledge can be shared, virtually anything can be done to make a guest feel at home. The personal touches are important for the restaurant’s team, too: There are handwritten affirmation cards in the bathroom, and guests are encouraged to take them and impart the wisdom however they see fit. For special events and buyouts, there’s even a pearl experience, where guests are gifted an oyster with a genuine pearl inside it as a keepsake from the evening.
It also doesn’t hurt that all three chefs are globally recognized, with a handful of Michelin stars, decades of experience, and international acclaim between them. The tasting menu, which rotates depending on which high-quality ingredients Chef Saito brings in, is a reflection of their true respect for one another - and for food.
LSL’s opening dish packs a punch of umami: it’s a Japanese imported tomato stuffed with tuna and topped with a healthy portion of caviar. Chef Leroy seasoned with a symphony of spices including shallots, olive oil, tarragon, and, he says, “just a little bit of Japanese spices.” It comes with a coulis, which is made with basil and the inside of the tomato. “When you eat it,” Chef Leroy says, “you have to cut it from the top with a knife and a fork, and then use a spoon to eat it to keep it all together.”
The squab’s leg is confited, and stacked onto the breast and served on a house-made brioche bun with liver and a Japanese muscat grape. It’s all served with what Chef Leroy, a master saucier, calls a “love sauce.” “It’s a 72 hour process to get this,” he says, “and there’s one ingredient there: a lot of love.”
Three layers of grapefruit come together in this modernized version of an Italian dish. “This is a Chef Le Squer signature dish, which we interpret here,” Chef Leroy says. “This dish is 25 years old, and so is its presentation.” The skin of the grapefruit is confited and cooked in syrups repeatedly for 48 hours to remove the bitterness, and topped with fresh grapefruit and a sorbet. Basil flavouring creates a full-bodied tasting experience.
The omakase-style menu is designed with a wine pairing for each dish, but non-alcoholic pairings are also available for those who choose not to imbibe. There are dessert wines, reds and whites, and the selection is carefully curated to accommodate whichever menu guests are enjoying on any given night. And, if a guest particularly enjoys a bottle, LSL will even connect them with its supplier - further ensuring the sense of community, and the memory, stays with the guest for a long time.
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