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Food & Drink

What’s on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato’s fancy French pop-up in a power plant

By Suresh Doss| Photography by Suresh Doss
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What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant

One of the highlights of this year’s Luminato festival is among the coolest restaurants this city has ever seen: Le Pavillon, a classic French bistro inspired by the 1939 New York World’s Fair—in a decommissioned power plant. Montreal’s Fred Morin (Joe Beef) and Toronto’s John Bil (Honest Weight) teamed up to create the restaurant in the Hearn Generating Station’s control centre.

“Fred and I are just doing this for fun,” Bil says. “It took some convincing, but Jörn Weisbrodt and Luminato gave us the freedom to do what we wanted with this unique space.” The two recruited many of their friends in the industry to help: Jesse Grasso (The Black Hoof) led the kitchen on opening night with guest chef Michael Olson (Niagara Culinary Institute), and Hoof owner, Jen Agg, hosted another night while Robert Spektor (Buca Yorkville) cooked. Later this week, winemaker Norm Hardie and celeb chef Daniel Boulud will be making appearances. “It’s a group effort and we want our friends to be a part of it,” Bil says. 

Tickets for the seven-course tasting menu are sold out, but an à la carte menu is being served at the 16-seat bar, reserved for walk ins. And what’s going to happen to Le Pavillon after Luminato? “Poof! That’s the magic,” Bil says. “It’ll be gone when the festival is over.”

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
The Hearn’s control room, decommissioned in 1983.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
A full kitchen was built down the hall, and the control station was turned into a prep area and bar.

   

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What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
The 16-seat bar and oyster counter.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Farmhouse Tavern’s Darcy MacDonell opens a bottle of bubbly.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Sheila Flaherty (Halpern Enterprises, Momofuku) created the 30-bottle wine list.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
John Bil, manning the oyster bar.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
The coquillages (shellfish) course is served.

   

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What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
East Coast oysters are served with scallops and mussels.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Rotating chefs will man the pop-up restaurant until the end of the festival.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Chef Jesse Grasso.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Chef Michael Olson.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Chef Olson prepares the Terrine de Canard Tradition—duck terrine cooked in a can.

   

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What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Morin opening the can table side.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
The can’s label was custom made using the duck head logo from a 1970s foie gras company.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Morin made 180 terrines, using 100 kilograms of meat.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Chef Olson brought his 85-year-old hand-cranked meat slicer.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Pork is brined, cured with Norm Hardie pinot noir, then served with a celery root remoulade with walnuts and walnut oil, and finished with a butter and foie gras reduction.

   

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What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
White asparagus cooked with flour, lemon and oil is chilled and then warmed up in green asparagus jus.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Trout comes with crayfish and crayfish sauce.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
Quebec capon legs are cooked with vermouth, white vegetables and tarragon, then finished inside a pig’s bladder with truffles and sherry.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
The bar seats are reserved for walk-ins.

   

What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
A selection of Ontario and Quebec cheeses.

   

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What's on the menu at Le Pavillon, Luminato's fancy French pop-up in a power plant
And for dessert, there’s chocolate mousse with a sugar crust.

Until Sunday, June 26. The Hearn Generating Station, 440 Unwin Ave., luminatofestival.com

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