I do love all kinds of food, and through this series on lentils I am showing you my love for these wonderful little tasty gems. Earlier, we chronicled some of the food at Frank at the AGO, and their attempt at winning my affections with their lentil dish. Well, sorry to say Chef Yarmovitch, but Chef Tom Brodi at TOCA has blown you out of the water. So, The Ritz is pretty fancy, huh? I havnt been down to that are of the city in a while, and between The Ritz and The Shore Club, we are really elevating our hotel and dining options in the city, and we haven’t even touched on the Trump or the soon to be opened Four Seasons and Momofuku beside the Shangri-La. But I digress, because we are here to talk about lentils, and the food at TOCA.

Chef Brodi, who incidentally left TOCA to take some time off and refocus his energies this passed Saturday, sent out a wonderful lentil dish, playing on a nice balance of sweet, sour, and savoury. We loved it. How about the versatility of those lentils? This is one of the things I love about lentils, is that there are so many applications, so it is great to see what trained chefs do with them when challenged.

The official lentil dish at TOCA is on their lunch menu, but seeing as I went for dinner it was up to Chef to create something interesting. This worked out well for me, and it is nice to place yourself in the chefs hands when opportunity knocks. After the dish was served Chef came out to chat, and was so excited about what he had plated for us, and I love to see that kind of exhilaration. We really lucked out because the first local strawberries of the year had come in that morning, and along with strawberries come rhubarb. Amazing tastes of early summer. Combine that with some perfectly flavoured and cooked savoury lentils, seared foie gras, and voila!

What else came out of the kitchen at TOCA that night? Some amazingness.

Ingersoll Burrata 
compressed watermelon, pine nuts & 
“Belly” basil 

Hand Chopped Cumbrae Farm 
Beef Tartare

Quebec Foie Gras Torchon
confit rhubarb, fairy floss & Matt’s brioche

“Fancy Fish and Chips” 
Mill Street beer battered yarmouth lobster 
avocado frites & espelette tartar 

B.C. Dungeness Crab Marrow 
peau rouge cheese & fennel foam

The final stop on my lentil tour will be at Bannock, so stay tuned for that. I also have a couple more lentil recipes coming your way when I can find some time in the kitchen, and would love to hear your favourite ways to use lentils as well. Leave me a comment!