Michael Stadtländer’s Haisai reopens with a new chef and a dramatic menu make-under

Michael Stadtländer’s country restaurant Haisai, located two hours north of the city in Singhampton, Ontario, impressed us with its culinary artistry in 2010 when we named it Toronto’s best new restaurant. Then it closed mysteriously last September, making Stadtländer’s principal restaurant, Eigensinn Farm, the sole option for diners wanting a taste of the chef’s Governor General Award-winning food. Now Haisai is back on weekends, this time with Scaramouche alum and Stadtländer protégée Min Young Lee in the kitchen and a more down-to-earth menu with wood-fired pizzas and small plates, like shitake mushroom gyoza and miso-braised beef tongue with pickled ginger. Coming on the heels of similar menu make-unders from restaurants like Vita Sociale, Reds Wine Tavern and Splendido, the revamp marks another move from finicky haute cuisine to casual food designed for sharing. [Post City]

Haisai Restaurant and Bakery, 794079 County Road 124, Singhampton, 705-445-2748, haisairestaurantbakery.com