I went to Picton last Friday and fell in love with The Marans Dinebar.
I was in town solo (Evan having dropped me off before heading out to meet his clients, a young couple looking for a Prince Edward County abode) so I thought I’d treat myself to lunch.
The Marans had been on my list and I was the first arrival at noon on the dot. It was opening time, yet Chef/owner Guerin Sykes was already deep in orders – more on that later.
The space is charming (there’s a painted tin ceiling) and tiny (just three booths) and the menu is guided by gratification, with pleasure-filled dishes, many of which are vegetable-forward and Asian-influenced.
The staff of seven is hard-working and enthusiastic, and my server Rollande was brilliant. I ordered a Stock & Row dry cider, from nearby Bloomfield, because I love its crispness and refined carbonation and knew it would pair well with my two courses, pork dumplings and Mapo tofu.
The supremely comforting dumplings were elevated by garnishes of fresh coriander, radishes, beets and spiralized carrots. The traditional pork and tofu Mapo (a vegan version is also available) was gussied up with bok choy and roasted eggplant and served with sesame ginger rice.
And I don’t know what was more remarkable, the quality and freshness of the food or the fact that it’s banged out in this teeny space. “We consider our kitchen to be unique,” says Chef Guerin. “There’s no gas or commercial range hood or commercial equipment. Most of the meals are prepared with three induction burners, a toaster-oven and a sous-vide circulator.”
Guerin Sykes, chef and owner of Marans Dinebar.
A Nova Scotia native, Guerin packed up his car when he was 18 and hit the road to begin his cooking career in Toronto. He apprenticed at Glen Abbey Golf Club and opened his first restaurant in Burlington when he was just 22 (!!).
It was one of a few ventures before he landed an Executive Chef position at York University and eventually became National Corporate Chef for Rational Canada. He was at an industry event accepting an award when he heard Fogo Island Founder Zita Cobb, who was also receiving an award, make a speech. “It changed my life,” he says. “Her passion for local, ethical and community-based business touched me. I decided at that moment that it was time to get back to my cooking roots and put serious thought into the future. That’s how I ended up in the County.”
His vision for The Marans was an intimate dining experience with an onus on ingredients and locality. “The food is globally inspired and locally sourced and the business is family-run,” he says. Guerin credits his two young sons for coming up with the resto’s name. “Marans is a French heritage breed of chicken. It was the first breed our family rescued when we made a conscious effort to understand where our food came from, learn who was growing it and dive deeper into ethically sourced products.” Guerin, with the help of some customers, also created a local food program offering free soup to anyone looking for some comfort during the peak of Covid. “We gave away over 1500 portions throughout the pandemic.”
The Marans hasn’t missed a single day since Covid struck as it pivoted immediately to take-out (which still counts for 60% of the a la carte sales) and added a bakery line. It created 1,000 cheeseboards for wholesale customers this summer and provides food to Closson Chase Winery and Gillingham Brewery. The menu changes every four to five weeks based on availability of ingredients, and dine-in tables are booked a minimum seven to 10-days in advance so dinner reservations are a must.
Before I left, Chef treated me to his signature dessert: chocolate torte, a delectably dense, gluten-free ganache sprinkled with Szechuan peppercorns and served with local County blueberries and cream. It was as sweet and satisfying as Chef’s parting words to me: “I’m currently working on a new dining experience in Picton. A 70-seater that’s under construction and slated for an early spring opening.”
You heard it here first.
