Markham's Frilu among 13 Toronto-area restaurants to earn Michelin star

Toronto is the first Canadian city to be featured in the ‘Michelin Guide’

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 16, 2022
Irene Wong

Of the 13 restaurants that received Michelin stars in Toronto, Frilu is a hidden gem in uptown Thornhill in Markham.

The new restaurant at 7713 Yonge St. is driven by local and seasonal ingredients, but heavily influenced by Asian flavours and techniques. The restaurant’s name, Frilu, is derived from the Norwegian term friluftsliv, which roughly means “being one with nature.”

Here’s what the Michelin inspectors say about Frilu.

“There is a saying that we should dance like nobody’s watching. This adage feels true of Chef John-Vincent Troiano, who cooks to his own rhythm in Thornhill. Smoke, game and refined sauce-work figure prominently on what might be the only tasting menu for several kilometres. A tiny space packed with talent, the sparsely decorated nook leaves everything on the plate, with high-quality product from their own farm coupled with an intriguing Japanese element that feels natural.”

Frilu had been featured on our weekly Neighbourhood Eats on yorkregion.com. It was described as “an amusement park for the palate” operated by Troiano.

Troiano apprenticed in Toronto with Japanese master chef Maskai Hashimoto, learned Tuscan at downtown’s Tutti Matti and interned in Copenhagen and San Francisco. He and his wife Sandra brought the dream home and opened Frilu in Thornhill, a Nordic-like minimalistic space with an inventive menu.

Frilu partnered with Willowolf Farm, a small 15-acre farmstead located in northwestern Ontario in the town of Tottenham. The partnership allows Frilu to deliver a truly farm-to-table experience, focusing on quality of ingredients and seasonality. You can see Troiano out harvesting in the early mornings for guests that evening on Instagram.

The restaurant had been closed when the pandemic began until end of July 2020. It reopened with a new patio that can be reserved for dinner, dessert or just some cold beers on a hot afternoon. Both indoor and outdoor dining is by reservation only.

In the first Toronto edition of the “Michelin Guide,” 12 one-star restaurants and one two-star restaurant were revealed. Toronto becomes the first Canadian city to be featured in the guide, which is renowned for ranking global culinary destinations.

“The diversity of the selection reflects the cosmopolitan soul of this exciting city. With 27 cuisine types, from Japanese Kaiseki to Italian, Mexican or contemporary cuisine, there’s something to please every foodie here. Toronto already was a multicultural place where people meet to enjoy architecture, arts and nature, and now it becomes a world-class destination for gourmets too,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.

Here is the list of restaurants that received stars:

Two Stars

Sushi Masaki Saito, Japanese/Sushi cuisine, Chef Masaki Saito

One Star

Aburi Hana, Japanese/Kaiseki cuisine

Alo, Contemporary cuisine

Alobar Yorkville, French cuisine

Don Alfonso 1890 Toronto, Italian cuisine

Edulis, Contemporary cuisine

Enigma Yorkville, Contemporary cuisine

Frilu, Contemporary cuisine

Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto, Japanese/Kaiseki cuisine

Osteria Guilia, Italian cuisine

Quetzal, Mexican cuisine

Shousin, Japanese/Sushi cuisine

Yukashi, Japanese/Kaiseki cuisine