A sneak peek at Claudio Aprile’s Origin brunch menu
Claudio Aprile is about to dive into the most sacred of Toronto meals: brunch. Starting Saturday, February 5, Origin, the chef’s ten-month old restaurant, will serve the ritual feast on both Saturday and Sunday. The menu will feature Aprile’s unorthodox twists on classics, like dim sum-inspired French toast and elderberry mimosas. We caught up with Aprile to get a preview of what to expect.
For his “global brunch menu,” Aprile says he’s “not trying to reinvent the wheel”—just French toast. The idea came to him while eating a sticky bun at a dim sum joint: swap out sliced bread for the brioche from Origin’s dessert menu. The decadent, doughy bread is drowned in crème Anglaise, pan-seared and served with unexpected flavour pairings like olive oil–poached tomato, fior di latte, basil and pine nuts, or else duck confit, sesame brittle, hoisin and crème fraiche. April assures us that there will also be a straight-up version, for purists. “It’s a very sacred meal, we respect that.”
Other dishes include poached egg on rosti with Thai sweet chili sauce and yogurt, and mac ’n’ cheese with chorizo. After opening week, look for a stylized steak and eggs, featuring a hulking six-pound beef shin smoked in house and served with the requisite eggs and other accompaniments, all meant for sharing. How exactly do you share eggs? Says Aprile: “Yeah, we’ll figure it out. It can’t be that hard.”
Indeed, the chef’s new easygoing attitude seems to extend to the dining room. Origin’s inaugural brunch weekend will be pay-what-you-want—inspired, Aprile says, by Radiohead’s sales strategy for In Rainbows. And if a patron were to dine and dash? “Ha! I think that’s when the tables turn and the chef becomes the blogger and photographer,” jokes Aprile, referring to his now-notorious run-in with the city’s food bloggers.
Brunch wouldn’t be brunch without a full list of cocktails. Aprile’s features twists on mid-morning favourites like the Caesar, made with house-made tomato water, Clamato and chili-infused vodka. Origin will also offer mimosas with different bases and blends. The Grand, for example, will feature St. Germain (French elderflower liqueur), prosecco and orange juice.
Even if the tradition-trumping brunch rubs diners the wrong way, there’s more empire up Aprile’s sleeve yet. He’s in talks about a cookbook (liquid nitrogen sold separately), a new restaurant (he’s in Uruguay for research next month) and a major reinvention at Colborne Lane come September.
I look forward to a yummy new brunch spot.
oh, and I blog but open minded and will always pay for a meal. Plus, I haven’t been disappointed at Origin.
We at Origin are very excited to break your eggs!
My first meal at Colborne Lane was like discovering God. So many delicious surprises. I didn’t stop smiling throughout the entire meal. I visited Origin soon after it opened and loved every moment of that experience as well. The two restaurants are so different, but both are very close to perfection in my book.
Claudio has an incredible level of talent in the kitchen
at C.L. and you can feel the smooth, professional feeling
as soon as you enter.
I’m excited to eat brunch at Origin.
I worked for Claudio many moons ago and as
I remember, he is extremely demanding, a perfectionist
on all levels, but when you are on the receiving end
of the plate you can only thank him.