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The Dorset
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Chef Ryan Lister may call Toronto home now, but he's never truly forgotten his roots. And, now, his latest opening under the Oliver and Bonacini umbrella pays homage to the place that will always have a piece of his heart and a key role in his childhood: the English countryside. Chef Lister hails from the small seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, and is bringing elevated versions of British comfort food to The Well in a multi-level space that serves as a choose-your-own-adventure dining experience.
The bottom floor is designed as a true British restaurant, churning out small bites, brews and shareables between giant oil paintings of animals and leaders of yore affixed to deep red walls. It's even got a daily happy hour. On the top floor, exposed brick meets white-washed woods and greens and blues of the ocean to create a serene, fine-dining atmosphere that feels like it could be situated on cliffs in England.
The cocktail list is brimming with favourites from across the pond that are given a modern, seasonally inspired twist. The selections will rotate, though the crafted beverage list is large and ambitious. It's also met with a rather extensive beer and wine offering, with the former heavily favouring local brews like Collective Arts, Blood Brothers and Bellwoods with nods to English notes. Everything on the cocktail menu is deliberate, says general manager Gagan Singh. The Solitaire, for example, comes with a tarot card to pay homage to the James Bond film "Live or Let Die," in which Solitaire uses tarot cards, and Bond seduces her with a card called "The Lovers."
The Dorchester Pimm's is a play on a British favourite, designed to contrast The Solitaire with a sweet, refreshing and classic flavour profile. While The Solitaire is bourbon-based, The Dorchester Pimm's uses gin, Pimm's, lemon, ginger ale and lavender-thyme. It also accommodates those who prefer a different, lighter cocktail.
The Skyfall literally sparkles. Seriously. It's got gold flecks in the mixture of tequila, mezcal, rum, lime, cola syrup, and honey that glimmer in the sunlight. The result is an opulent drink that's silky and strong - some of the characters in the modern James Bond films would surely approve.
The bar fare on the bottom floor is honest but upscale, Lister's elevated take on comfort food from his hometown. The tuna tartare is served with prawn toast, a Dorset favourite, and meets a Scotch duck egg - surrounded by sausage and duck confit - that's served with house-made beetroot ketchup as well as gigantic, mouth-watering triple-cooked chips (blanched in water, blanched in the fryer and then cooked) served with house-made mayonnaise. But the piece de resistance is, arguably, the Dorset burger. It's a healthy hunk of meat topped with beer and processed cheddar cheese, as well as a Branston pickle, Worcestershire aïoli and pickled white onion and served with green salad. "A lot of this is really nostalgic for a lot of Brits," Lister says. "That was kind of the goal here, to have a really nice snack menu that pairs well with cocktails and beers so that we have a hustle and bustle in the happy hour."
Heading upstairs to the space dubbed The Dining Room at The Dorset, the vibe turns less snacky and more sit-down meal. The open kitchen churns out elevated cuisine that is seasonal wherever possible and has not forgotten its British roots. Options include a roasted scallop served with celeriac, charred cabbage, dry cider and cucumber sauce. "You can't open a British restaurant without having scallops on the menu. In the south of England, they're the most prized possessions, for sure," Lister says. "The idea of serving this dish in the shell, on top of the seaweed and rocks, is to just really ring home where I'm from. When I see seaweed and rocks, it makes me think of my hometown."
Chef de Cuisine Rob Ratliffe is the mastermind behind a fresh and filling salad creation that pairs turnips, bitter lettuces and radishes with Dorset cereals and pine nut granola with whipped ricotta and a horseradish buttermilk dressing. "It's just a really nice, chunky salad," Lister says. "I think Chef Rob made this one for his wife. He knows that his wife loves salads like this, that are nice and chunky and fresh." The result is a surprisingly full-bodied flavour that offers freshness, pepperiness, crunch, creaminess and more.
"We wanted to put something on that is super humble," Chef Lister says. "And ham hocks is super humble. But we also wanted to luxe it up a little, so we put some foie gras in there." The flavourful hocks are slow-cooked overnight, and the gelatin that the juices and broth produces are combined with the ham hock meat and the foie gras to stuff the baked tart to create a country-style, hearty meat tart. It's served with fried mushrooms and pickled cornichons and mustard as well as earl grey tea and prune jam.
For a coastal classic, Lister serves up a King Salmon and its caviar atop potato pancakes, broccolini, radish, watercress and Ikura caviar sauce. "We prep the salmon and then we let it dry for a day so the skin gets nice and dry. This way, it gets nice and crispy when we roast it. It's served nice and medium rare, because the fish is super buttery and delicious."
The Black Angus Strip Loin operates more as a tenderloin, Chef Lister says. The kitchen staff takes all of the fat off of it so that it can be roasted and get maximum flavour. It, too, is served medium rare, accompanied by broccoli and blue cheese purée, fondant potato and a beef shin-stuffed onion. The whole dish is drizzled with a port jus.
To finish off with a sweet treat, pastry chef Alessandra Bustamante leaned into the feelings of nostalgia to create a puddings menu that's sweet, tart, and fruity. She dreamt up the gluten-free Solero from a popsicle from Chef Rob's childhood of the same name, recreating it with mango, passion fruit and zéphyr white chocolate.
She also used a classic strawberry tart as inspiration for her trifle, which is built with custard, sherry sponge and strawberry chantilly.
The key difference, though, is that all of this can be enjoyed from a sun-drenched spot in Toronto's trendiest location, The Well. It's like taking the best parts of British culture and cuisine, but serving it under way less clouds - and without getting on a plane.
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