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Enigma
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Tucked away on a Yorkville side street, Enigma is a gilded, pristine shrine to haute cuisine. More refined than flashy, it’s a place where craft and creativity shape each of the seasonal menus experienced in the lavish space. Here, familiar ingredients metamorphose at the hands of a deft kitchen brigade, while soft-spoken servers translate cryptic menu descriptions for enthralled diners. If there’s any mystery to Enigma, it’s in the tales of terroir that unravel with every bite.
Michelin-starred and recently expanded, Enigma has come a long way since it first opened in 2020. Having first earned a reputation as a bakery and bottle shop, it emerged from its Covid-era pivots and closures with a fanbase devoted to something it was not. “We had to flip that narrative, stop doing that,” explains executive chef, Quinton Bennett. “People were wondering, ‘Where’s the bakery? Where are the croissants?’ We had a lot of angry people.”
No one, however, was irate for long, as a post-Covid rush inspired the masses to shed the confines of their homes for more attractive climes. “There was such a surge. It was crazy,” remarks Bennett. “Everyone wanted to go out.”
Many of them opted to experience the real Enigma. Billed as a “modern international restaurant,” the restaurant offers blind tasting menus built on a “British French foundation, with Asian influences on top of that,” explains Bennett.
Exceedingly well-travelled, Bennett carried his experiences from Michelin-starred Northcote Manor, Noma and Vancouver’s Hawksworth Restaurant, as well as from various destinations in Southeast Asia, to his spot helming Enigma’s kitchen team.
“The menu is dictated by the seasons, what’s coming up,” he offers. “Also, by my international experience working around the world, and playing off my staff and what my staff’s experiences are.”
The continually revolving door of seasonal finds means that R&D keeps the team perpetually active. You might see broccoli in the market and think soup. This team sees broccoli and envisions savoury panna cotta encircled by dainty petals of watermelon radish and pear with a toasted almond and lemon basil leaflet garnish.
“Nature is a big influence, flowers, sea, earth, forest, gardens,” says Bennett. Additionally, “biodiversity is a strong thing that I utilize.” Single ingredients, he explains, are just the beginning. “Say there’s a farm here, say they’re doing lamb, for example. What’s in that biosphere that the lamb is eating? You incorporate that into the food or into the garnish. What else is growing on the farm? Is there lavender on the farm? Are there bees? Is there honey? Is the farm also rearing chickens? What’s in the radius of that farm? We say, ‘Ok, there’s a story there.’”
Over the course of 8 or 10 courses at dinner, or a trimmed-down lunchtime 5, the stories unfold.
The chronicles begin with tea. Made to invigorate the palate, the house brew matches the menu it introduces. Springtime sees a chamomile base brightened with the sunny flavours of yuzu, peach and cardamom-honey syrup.
Next, comes the beverage cart followed by the presentation board: an artistically arranged grouping of ingredients featured on the current menu. With each arrives the option to upgrade one’s meal with beverage pairings or high-end indulgences, such as caviar and foie gras.
Alcoholic and non, beverage pairings range from elaborate fresh juices to cocktails, mocktails and fine wines selected by head sommelier Junxing (James) Li.
“We have a concise wine list. We flip it as much as possible,” explains Bennett. “We like to hold at least 30% Ontario wine, because we get a lot of out-of-town guests. They should experience the terroir of Canada, of Ontario.”
Beyond that, he adds, the list is divided between old- and new-world bottles, including, unsurprisingly given Bennett’s background, several from South Africa. “I’m South African but I also think South Africa has some fantastic wines.”
Taking cues (and actual ingredients) from the kitchen, cocktails fit courses like a final garnish. Here, cordials are made from whole fruits (waste not, want not), bourbon is washed in wagyu fat and spirits are infused with all manner of fragrant finds.
For the Perilla Highball, a zippy, Japanese-style sipper, the team pairs Saicho Sparkling Darjeeling Tea with Shiso Shochu, hojicha, Fino sherry and a lush sprig of fresh shiso leaves.
Balancing sweet and sour notes, the Golden Hour is a fresh, smooth blend of gin, Choya 23 ume fruit liqueur, clementine cordial and clementine sugar.
Dangerously light and refreshing, the Glass Lassi pairs ice-filtered dark rum with an abundance of tropical fruit and dash of demerara sugar.
Owing to the restaurant’s recent expansion, cocktails are now also available in the lounge, along with an à la carte menu offering tantalizing samples of chef’s exquisite work.
Still, this being a tasting menu restaurant, there’s really no substitute for surrendering to the entire spectacle.
It’s only then that you’ll find yourself gawking at an oversized, striated bowl holding a flawless quenelle of tartare cradled by a glistening strip of yellowtail. Despite being flanked by vivid orbs of trout roe, squid ink croutons and fresh herbs, it’s actually the tableside squall of wasabi-infused crème fraiche snow that completes the dish.
Then, there’s the pristine puck of East Coast halibut sporting a sweet tomato courgette cap under a diaphanous mushroom veil. With roasted garlic emulsion and a warm pool of lobster dashi crème, it pairs umami richness with spring’s unbridled freshness, classic cooking with an air of mischief.
A dish that takes days, along with countless steps to create, Ontario lamb shoulder is nonetheless described as “simple,” by Bennett. Hours of slow-braising, searing, restructuring, rendering, pressing, even wrapping in rice paper result in a deeply flavoured protein that virtually collapses at the sight of cutlery. With charred lettuce, crisp sweetbread mouthfuls and crystalline onion gel pooled in tender onion cups, it’s both robust and delicate, and a fitting welcome to spring.
Dessert, care of executive pastry chef Sarah Tsai, is a picture-perfect celebration of the season’s nascent greenery. Sat atop a golden choux base, a fluffy whorl of Chantilly cream, basil-flecked kiwi sorbet, and the delicate crunch of tuile together combine into a series of punchy and subtle, crisp and soft, frosty and smooth bites.
At Engima, the goal is to pamper, to sate and, most of all, to delight. A place for grand celebrations, it’s also a place to mark the passing of time, with seasonal menus rooted in Mother Nature’s most captivating treasures.
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