Pearl Morissette is a special place – truly. If you need proof, try snagging a reservation. Even better, try getting your hands on one of its wines, which are pretty much constantly sold out.
We had planned a trip to pretty Jordan Village for the first weekend in May and, with just a couple of weeks lead time, thought we’d book a table at this hot spot that’s been compared to Noma. It was then we learned that the next available table was – wait for it – in July!
We joined a waiting listing and, by fluke really, managed to get a table for the night we’d be there. It was for 6:30 pm but we were ecstatic. We were also blown away by the service even before we arrived. The very helpful reservations manager Robin explained everything PM novices need to know: the restaurant is on the second floor so climbing stairs is necessary; it’s set away from the road in the middle of the country so watch for a sculpture of a giant red cardinal; and any and all dietary restrictions and allergies are happily accommodated. FYI: the restaurant takes its name from a combo of the owners’ surnames: property developer Mel Pearl and winemaker François Morissette.
The whimsical cardinal that lets you know you’ve arrived at Pearl Morissette. The restaurant is at the end of an L-shaped drive past grapevines, a farmhouse and the most beautiful chestnut tree.
Our hotel was about a 15-minute walk away so we decided to travel on foot even though most of the journey is roadside – after you leave Jordan Village proper, there are no sidewalks and no streetlights for the dark walk back. This wasn’t a problem with phone flashlights and the fact that only one car passed us the whole way back to the hotel.
I’m glad we walked so we could leisurely take in this pretty amazing view to the restaurant and the diners already seated.
Super cool simplicity. I love how this resolutely modern structure references traditional barn style. The choice of black for the middle of the country furthers the dynamic.
Follow the cardinal! This door leads to a staircase that leads to the restaurant. Staff is on it and as soon as they heard us open the door, rushed down the stairs to greet us on the landing.
The dining room’s rustic and live-edge central service table. The abundance of glassware and the fresh greenery make the space feel festive even before the food and drink arrives.
The far end of the dining room. I love that they obviously have a bit of space to play with here but don’t cram tables in.
We sat at a table with a view to the farm where we spied galloping Galloway cattle – really! You don’t normally see cattle gamboling about but these ones were so playful and obviously loving the spring air. We started with apertifs: Julien Frémont Cider for me and Vermouth for Evan.
Delicious and dry with great bubbles, Julien Frémont Cider is made in Normandy using hand-picked apples, centuries-old methods and an 18th-century wooden cider press. It smelled funky in that fermented way at first but was complex, smooth and easy to drink.
Evan’s Willem’s Vermouth (the first Dutch-made vermouth) that was sweet, herbal and fruity.
The menu is “blind,” meaning you don’t see one and don’t know what you will be served – I love that! Before the service of our nine courses began, we were brought the housemade grain bread that is transcendent: dense, chewy, almost chocolately. We were in heaven. I don’t love dairy (I know! I know!) and Pearl Morissette is definitely a place for dairy fans as the butter served with the heavenly bread is also made in house. Given that, I was so impressed that the kitchen didn’t default to olive oil for my bread accompaniment and, instead, served me a generous dollop of room temperature whipped pork fat sprinkled with salt. Oh my goodness!
Off-the-charts decadent.
We opted for the wine-pairings. This is Sommelier Svetlana Atcheva and she is amazing.
For our first course, an oyster dish, Svetlana recommended Pearl Morissette Black Ball Riesling 2014, which has a slight effervescence. It takes its unlikely name from Ontario’s VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) refusal to acknowledge the Riesling with their certification. Their reason? Its “atypicity.” Feeling “black balled” by the snub, Morissette ran with it and gave the wine its cheeky moniker. The Riesling was highly acclaimed internationally and also sold out. Take that VQA!
East Coast oyster with white asparagus that was grown on the farm, white currants and foraged knotweed.
For our next dish, which was lobster, Svetlana chose Cannonau di Sardegna 2016. It is berry-heavy, complex and usually reserved for meat dishes. Served slightly chilled, which she said was a bit cheeky, it was perfect with the shellfish.
Lobster claw with lobster roe, which was whipped with housemade butter.
Next, unleavened bread topped with fresh foraged herbs, mustard greens and pork belly. I loved the addition of mint to the greens and this sort of reminded me of the best falafal ever.
Spelt wheat flatbread, mustards, pork belly.
Pearl Morissette Cuvée Redfoot Riesling 2014 was up next for our sliced scallop dish. I have to say that scallops are my least favourite shellfish but this dish changed my mind. Raw, sliced and perfectly dressed they were phenomenal and, with foraged-from-the-farm greens and flowers, almost too pretty to eat.
Scallop with anise and borage.
The next pour, Pearl Morissette Irreverence 2017, was a blend of Riesling, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer. I think it was called irreverence because of its darkish hue, a result of the grapes touching the skin during fermentation. We had it with rockfish and sliced turnips. Yum!
BC rockfish with turnip and juniper.
The final dinner course was beef. It’s something I rarely eat, especially in this pure form (I’m more a cheap taco, meatball kind of date). Again, this changed my mind and I think it was my favourite course. The wine was Colombera & Garella Bramaterra, a Piedmont Nebbiolo that was dark, spicy and scrumptious with beef.
Longhorn beef with wild onion, sunchoke and pureed wild alum.
Dessert was three courses served with vermouth. The first bite-size treat was a wheat puff with a liquidy hazelnut and maple filling that had a kind of grown-up cereal flavour – nostalgic, nutty and sweet. Sweetgrass ice cream followed for Evan (mine was sorbet). The last plate was black walnut cake and my non-dairy version was a mulberry tart. It was like a less sweet butter tart and I can’t remember the last time I had mulberries.
Sweet wheat puff with hazelnut and maple.
I’m so comfortable, it looks like I work here!
Sweetgrass ice cream with angelica and blackberries.
Breton-style black walnut cake with cherry pit ice cream.
At the end of it all, we were more than satisfied, yet there were two slices of that heavenly bread left. I didn’t want to leave them so unashamedly asked if we could take them with us. When our server returned with the doggy bag, she once again proved how special this place is. Inside the bag, along with the two slices I greedily requested, was a freshly baked whole loaf. How sweet is that?
The loaf we took home.
This pic sums up the attitude of Pearl Morissette: modern, professional and competent but also pure fun. They are doing something that few, if any, restaurants in Canada are doing. There’s no place like it and, like all superlative eating experiences, it will make you very, very happy – with or without extra bread.
