Reverie Restaurant: London's Best Kept Secret - Chef Brian Sua-an's Thoughtful Modern Canadian Cuisine

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BY BRYAN LAVERY

There has been a movement towards a modern, minimalist cuisine that is natural, but also resolutely seasonal, local, and with a focus on pristine ingredients and terroir. New Nordic Cuisine has been a phenomenal success, one that has resonated with chefs all over the world. London-based chef Brian Sua-an has adapted the Nordic discipline in refining the spectrum of Canadian flavours. This is a new concept, modern, minimalist and hyper-curated.
Before Reverie opened, I attended a tasting menu preview that garnered spectacular reviews. This is an intimate 500-square-foot space with four tables of two (or a communal table of eight) and four seats at the bar with an open kitchen. There is one five-course tasting menu that changes. The goal is to serve inventive and intelligent cuisine based on simple, high-quality ingredients and traditional techniques. Everything else is secondary. By keeping everything simple, from the pared-down equipment (dishes are hand-washed) to the minimalist interior, the environmental footprint is kept to bare bones. The focus is on innovation in a casual and relaxed setting.









Reverie is operated by Sua-an and his wife Jerrah Reville. Sua-an previously staged at NOMA and at 108 Restaurant in Copenhagen. It had been his dream to open a restaurant, but he never thought of it as a 12-seater, let alone serving a tasting menu only. Chef uses modern techniques and applies them to his cuisine to make a dish better, not less. Using seasonal and local produce is important, but quality is paramount. Chef plans food items months in advance, but also intends that the concept and development will evolve organically. Chef gravitates to perfect ingredients and goes to great lengths to source the very best of what is available. Forests, meadows and waters provide a diverse range of edible wild plants and funghi to forage for the menu. Chef encourages diners to eat specific courses with their hands.

The glassed frontage is reminiscent of a terrarium and somehow seems fitting allowing the outdoors to be part of the experience. Sua-an says, “Simplicity with quality comes first. Everything else is secondary.”

Reverie Restaurant
1–208 Piccadilly Street
reverierestaurant.ca
Reservations only, Wednesday to Sunday or by special arrangement



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