Maison T — Restaurant in Toronto

I found this gem on Google Maps by searching for French restaurants in the area. What drew me to this place was it had the highest rating and the menu was actually affordable. I was NOT disappointed. I also loved the idea of French cooking with a Japanese flair. I’ll start from the beginning and work my way through the night.

We entered a busy restaurant and the only two remaining seats left were the ones reserved at the bar for myself and my mom. We were greeted by Carolina (the manager) and she offered to take our jackets which was really nice. We sat at the bar and within a minute our bartender / server (didn’t catch name) greeted us and offered us some water. His service throughout the night was very good and attentive.

Within a few minutes we were offered to hear the specials. Shortly later we ordered our starters and main courses.

The starters took approximately 20 minutes to come. I took this as a good sign as it was clear everything was being made fresh. We had the scallops and the endive salad. Both were fantastic. But the scallops won. They were immaculate.

Our plates were cleared and we were given fresh cutlery which I thought was a nice touch. The mains came within about 10 minutes of our starters being cleared. We ordered the duck confit and one of the specials, seared tuna with some sort of red wine reduction. Both were fantastic. Although again I think my duck confit took the cake. But both were bloody brilliant.

Lastly, we ordered dessert which was the chocolate mousse. Unreal!!!

Everything from beginning to end based on service, ambience and food was brilliant. The restaurant was also packed. 31 seats available and 30 of them were taken. I’d also like to mention that they had non alcoholic options available which was much appreciated as I’m trying not to drink. So non alcoholic beer and mocktails was greatly appreciated.

Finally, on the way out, I had a quick chat with Carolina as she brought our jackets out. Lovely lady and this is when I found out it is a family run restaurant. Well done to this family for creating such a gem.

I would highly recommend this restaurant and would easily place this within my top 3 favorite...

This neighborhood joint doesn't seem like a whole lot from the outside, but it is operated by one of the most celebrated chef in Toronto, Masayuki and his lovely wife Carolina. If you are interested in the background of this dynamic duo, please feel free to look them up and you will know why this joint is one of our favorites in Toronto. We love neighborhood joints, because their focus is always about the food, and doing what they love. You will find exactly that at Maison T. You won't find marble countertops, twice fold and ironed table cloths, Laguiole en Aubrac and Christofle cutlery, Baccarat wine glass and Bernardaud tableware. But you will find a small but diversed menu with some of the most desired French dishes with a surprising twist, under the Nouvelle Cuisine classification. Everything was made with love. We tried mostly everything on the appetizer side and picked the duck confit and the short rib as main. The foie gras was crispy and melts in your mouth, the portion was just right to give you enough to tease but not to fill. The lentils stew perfectly balanced the fattiness and lightens the taste, just in time for summer. The Japanese fried chicken is served over a dashi broth, and I tasted some miso in there somewhere, crispy chicken Karaage, perfect combination. This is the first time I have had it served in this fashion and I loved it. 😍 The mushroom tempura and softshell crab special was on point, light and fluffy, great flavors. The beef tartare follows the French recipe pretty closely, just the right amount of Dijon mustard and egg mixed with a perfect cut of sirloin. We also loved the olive puree on the seared scallops, surprisingly it didn't over power the freshness of the scallops, strongly recommended. Finally the duck confit, one of the most crispy on the outside and tender on the inside version we have ever had, top 3. The short ribs were fork tender, with a perfect red wine reduction. To be honest, I wish I had multiple stomachs, but I will just have to come back here next time to try the rest. Thanks so much Masayuki...

Serendipity works in mysterious ways - we were just around the neighborhood looking for food and we stumbled upon this restaurant on Google Map (thanks google map) and we decided to give it a try. It was the most pleasant surprise we’ve ever had in Toronto.

We were greeted by the very nice and friendly waitress who told us that the chef specialises in creating sauces and the sauces are indeed spectacular.

We had the onion soup as starter and the soup was already made us very excited about what was about to come. Nothing special but it was created with care and effort and we know that this meal is gonna be special.

For main course we have duck confit and wagyu steak. The beef was super tender and the mushroom sauce complimented the beef in created an amazing synergy between the too. The star of the night for me is the duck confit, where the skin is crispy but the inside of the duck is braised to be soft and juicy.

We almost didn’t have the dessert but it was actually highlight of the night. The crème caramel with the orange slices add a lot of layers to the crowd pleasing dessert, but the cream on top added the savory and saltiness to the dessert is the cherry on top that we didn’t know we needed.

The almond and coconut panna cotta is rich on its own, but the sesame crisp on top added so much texture that we just couldn’t stop eating. And the chocolate cake with the raspberry (or redcurrant?) and pistachio sauce also make us twitch in the back of our throat, and the fruity sauce is just balancing out the bitterness in the dark chocolate cake and make the flavours sparkled in our mouth.

The manager of the restaurant greet us with love and joy and introduce us to the chef. All the staff treated us like friends and we appreciate their kindness. We love the environment and the coziness and even the art on display gives character to the restaurant. We will be coming back and we look forward to...