One of the culinary masterminds behind LSL is back with his own spot, serving up the French cuisine that’s made him famous. Chef Didier Leroy’s new spot, the French Kitchen, brings tried-and-true recipes and exquisite culinary culture from his native country.
Chef Leroy left LSL, the nine-seat restaurant he shared with chefs Masaki Saito and Christian Le Squer, to open his own 20-seat spot on Dundas Street, and The French Kitchen represents an homage to the restaurant scene in Europe.
“For me, cooking has always been about more than food. There is no better way to show someone how much love you have for them than by cooking for them. It is an act of care. It is respect, respect for the ingredient, for the people who grow it, for the team that prepares it, and for the guests who gather around the table,” he says. “The French Kitchen is not simply a restaurant. It is an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and restore, a place where hospitality is felt in every detail and where every person, guest and team member alike, is welcomed with the same warmth.”
But Chef Leroy didn’t always plan to start a restaurant after his departure from LSL, though. His initial intention was to step back from day-to-day cooking to launch an apprenticeship program mentoring the next generation of Toronto chefs, which has always been one of his passions. But a former LSL client found the perfect space in the Junction, and The French Kitchen was born. The 20-seat restaurant truly houses an experience, as the menu is a constantly-evolving testament to French cooking in a tasting style, with a selection of choices offered at each course, and is born out of fresh and seasonal ingredients as well as by the chef’s own inspiration.
While the menu isn’t fixed, a few signature dishes anchor it, affirming Chef Leroy’s dedication to the French culinary craft, including a quail dish called La Caille, steak tartare, rice pudding and one of the chef’s own creations called Gateaux au Cendres (which translates to “a cake of ash”), which has become his calling card and one of his most-discussed creations.
Another big component of the experience at The French Kitchen is the wine, which is intentionally priced at only a 2.5 per cent markup to make the price point more accessible to guests.
“Wine belongs at the table. It always has. We wanted to make sure nothing about how we price it gets in the way of that,” chef Leroy says.
And he wants wine to take part of the stage, as plans are already in place to transform the back room into a more casual bar space with drinks and small plates that’s certainly reminiscent of European culture.
As for the space as a whole, the vibe is specifically intended to compliment both the food, the French inspiration and the Junction neighbourhood it occupies. As a result, the styling is deliberately unpretentious yet bursting with character. The idea is that the room is small enough to allow The French Kitchen’s team to offer the utmost care to every diner and get to know them as a guest. Chef Leroy’s hope is to have an impact on every person who walks through the restaurant’s doors.
The French Kitchen is located at 3054 Dundas Street West and is open for dinner Thursday through Sunday.