23Niagara Street Cafe

The talent of a chef can be measured by two simple things — first the degree to which they bring out the taste of each ingredient and second the way they add interest to the main event. Chef Nick Liu’s pedigree is showing on every dish: he worked for nine years at Scaramouche and the Fat Duck in England, and was sous at Splendido. Liu makes passionate and expert love to every ingredient. You never know what’s on the menu because chef Liu is market-driven and seasonally adjusted. What you do know is that every plate will be small perfection of big contrasting flavours and textures. He is equally solid on meat and fish appetizers receive the same TLC as mains. Sometimes the execution is French or Italian but the spicing is Asian. Liu’s reach is global but his feet remain firmly planted in the ground of his long classical nouvelle trend training at Scaramouche. If it’s spring, he strews plates with fresh baby peas, asparagus, morels, wild leeks and fiddle heads. In high summer his cooking is a riot of local veg. In the fall his thoughts turn to squash, kale and home-pickled onions and mushrooms. In the winter he dives deep into rich meats both cured and fresh, cheeses and beans.