New Star on the Block: At the Table, Behind the Kitchen and On the Couch with Michelin-star Chef Quinton Bennett of Enigma in Yorkville

Chef Quinton Bennett has only landed in the Toronto food scene three years ago. His restaurant in Yorkville, Enigma, opened during the pandemic. And he has already bagged one of Toronto’s first Michelin stars.

Leslie Yip

23 May 2023

Concord Adex

23 May 2023

Chef Quinton’s day in the kitchen typically begins at 10 am and doesn’t end until dinner service is concluded and reviewed, but today, we managed to pry him from his restaurant and brought him to Concord’s Bridge Suite, Canada’s highest and largest suspended residence. This lofty location not only befits his high status as one of our country’s best chefs, it also allows him to see from high above the city he managed to “conquer” in just three short years.

But first, why Toronto?

“I [visited] Canada 18 years ago and have wanted to live and stay here ever since […] This is also where I want my family to grow up.”

— Chef Quinton Bennett

When Chef Bennett was invited to open a French-style fine-dining restaurant, he was intrigued by the prospect. After flying in to look at the site of the restaurant, which is opposite the famed Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto’s Yorkville area, he fell in love.

“It is a very nice area. I can see very beautiful architecture around it, which reminds me of the feeling of London, New York, Paris. The building has good bones, and as I walked around the site, I can see a vision of me creating here. Also, having looked around the area, I can see a niche in the market for my style. This is where my dream for Enigma grew and stemmed from.”

Born in South African to a mother who is a great cook and a father who used to be a marketing manager at a food company, he found his calling when other kids his age were interested only in toy trains and cars.

The Michelin Guide says Chef Bennett’s resume is “as varied and glittering as the tile mosaics that stretch across the ceiling of this Yorkville looker”, and it is not an exaggeration. In fact, his chef experience stretches across four continents: Africa, Europe, Asia, and now, North America.

This international journey began after he shadowed Rudi Liebenberg at Picalomonde for two and a half years in Johannesburg. The first stop was the UK, which he calls “the portal of Europe”. There, he worked his way up to become head chef at The Arch London and The Gun Docklands. Next came Noma in Copenhagen and Northcote in Lancashire, both Michelin-starred establishments. Somewhere in between, he also managed to squeeze in a six-month stint in Singapore. A decade before finally landing in Canada. He was executive chef for Vancouver’s Hawksworth Group before settling in Toronto and opening Enigma.

How does Toronto’s food scene hold up for a professional chef with such an impressive and international scope?

“Toronto’s dining scene has come a long way. There is a lot of diversity, a lot of culture, just like melting pot,” he observes. “However, there are too many chain restaurants serving generic plates like burgers, steaks and seafood tower. I wish diners are more adventurous and try more new food.”

He goes on to mention that the Michelin guide coming to Toronto is the best thing to happen in the last twenty years. It brings positive changes not only to the restaurants, but to the hospitality industry as a whole and its supporting industries as well. From hotels that can cater to travellers with discerning tastes, to farmers and fishermen to supply better ingredients, the Michelin acts like a giant propeller for advancement.

And it is also an exercise in positive reinforcement.

“The Michelin will bring more chefs and investors to the business, because great chefs can now get the accolades they seek right here in Toronto. The future is very bright.”

Chef Quinton’s outlook is indeed shining with the first star he received for Enigma. And foodies should rejoice too—if Chef Quinton is right, we can expect more and more world-class dining experiences coming to our doorstep soon.

An hour slipped by, and it is time for Chef to head back to his restaurant. We reserved a table at Enigma for that evening, and to our delight, we are invited to see him prep. What an incredible privilege!

A rhubarb is meticulously brunoise diced for a sauce; a blood orange lovingly peeled for garnish; sea buckthorn expertly encased in white chocolate, speared with a spruce twig to transform it into a popsicle. The pace is full of energy but not harried. The sound of chopping, sizzling and oven doors clanging intermingle with the humming of a Dyson—the front-of-house staff is vacuuming a second time in anticipation of dinner service.

With less than an hour before the doors opening, it is meal time for the staff. It is curried noodles today, and the fragrance is enticing. Once everyone finishes eating, it is time for pre-service meeting. The regiment stands respectfully around the bar, while Chef goes over the night’s menu, double-checking if any guests have dietary restrictions. The assembly is not like what you see on Hell’s Kitchen. While everyone appears to mean business, there is no shouting, no tension. It feels like it is just eager anticipation.

Six o’clock. Doors open. Diners start to stream in. Patrons are greeted izakaya-style by the kitchen staff as they parade sown the stylish dining room. Once seated, the hostess regales about Chef’s South African roots, and explains what is means by a blind tasting menu: diners will not know what the next dish is before being served. And as Chef mentioned earlier in our interview, the menu changes constantly.

To my surprise, the first thing served is a ginger, turmeric and pineapple tea. It is customary to have hot tea prior to a meal in Asian culture, but not in Western ones. The slightly sweet and spicy hot drink does a great job in stimulating my tastebuds, and a trio of seasonal snacks arrives, as if they can read my mind.

Amuse-Bouches

These small bites are a play on crispy-crunchy textures. One of them is tartlet playing tribute to the humble corn. The sweetest kernels is turned into an airy espuma, topped with popped sorghum and amaranth seeds that resemble nano popcorn.

First Course: Japanese Amberjack, Yuzu

The six-course meal commences with a Japanese amberjack served with squid ink chips with a deconstructed dipping sauce. You are encouraged to “play with your food”—to taste the raw fish by itself, on a crisp, with the ingredients of the sauce, individually or mixed together.

Second Course: Hokkaido Scallop, Grape, Fermented Kohlrabi, Caviar Butter Jus

Next comes Hokkaido scallop, veiled under an exquisite caviar butter. If you are offered the option to upgrade the dish with caviar, do it. The sturgeon eggs are warmed slightly to coax out their full flavours before being combined with butter. Fermented kohlrabi contributes just a tad of earthiness to ground the sweetness of freshly flown-in shellfish.

Third Course: Hokkaido Madai, Mussel, Pear Kimchi, Sticky Malt Rice, Shiitake Oil

The third course is fish and rice, and it is not your garden-variety poke bowl. Hokkaido madai, also called Japanese sea bream, is paired with pickled pear and micro greens dusted with Korean spices, served with sticky malt rice that is drizzled with shiitake oil.

Fourth Course: Quebecois Foie Gras, Kelp, Mushroom, Dashi

Foie gras is typically served with a sweet and sour accompaniment to balance the creaminess, but Chef Quinton chooses to play with umami instead. It must be my first time to have foie gras in broth—a dashi broth infused with kelp and topped with reconstituted dried beech mushrooms, both ingredients famed for their lip-smacking savoury deliciousness.

Fifth Course: “Cornish Hen Curry”: Tikka, Tandoor, Market Lime leaf, Onion Bhaji, Tamarind, Raita

Up to this point of the meal, there has been quite a bit of Asian influences: great yellowtail with yuzu, scallops from Hokkaido, kimchi and dashi stock. The fifth and last savoury course is inspired by another region in Asia, namely South Asia. The handsome dish comprises curry-spiced Cornish hen served with onion fritters with three types of sauces. Every bite is a delightful new experience.

Sixth Course: Dessert Medley with Clementine, Seabuckthorn Spruce, Black Forest and Lemon Verbena

The dessert finale is a spectacle: a melt-in-your-mouth confection in the shape of a clementine nestled in a copper wire tree, a sea buckthorn popsicle in a nest of fresh spruce sprigs, a sliver of black forest cake topped with mini dollops of cherry gelee resembling tiny cherries, and a lemon verbena meringue that puts most macarons to shame. A visual and gastronomic climax to a wonderfully orchestrated tasting experience indeed.

Three beverage pairings are available with the tasting menu. This is one example of the cocktail pairing.

The tasting menu can be paired with three complementary beverage menus: wine, premium wine and cocktail. After trying the first and the last, I highly recommend the cocktail pairing. While the wines chosen were great, the cocktails were mind-blowing. Imagine: champagne with gin, lemon and Earl Grey syrup to go with scallops. A mezcal with sherry and clementine to accompany a slightly sweet fish and rice course, bitter Campari and sweet Vermouth to balance an umami-filled foie gras course, and an amazing rum perfumed with coconut, ginger and Thai syrup to be sipped with the Cornish hen tandoor.

Dinner at Enigma is a faultless affair, both in terms of gustatory enjoyment and service. This first Michelin star is well deserved, and Chef is eyeing a second one. To afford more space to the kitchen, especially for pastry-making, Chef Quinton is taking over the unit next door. About half of the new space will become a slightly more casual lounge dining option. An artisan bakery is also in the works.

All these, in just three years. Chef Quinton has set a bar so high—perhaps our next meetup will need to take place on a rooftop.