What’s on the menu at Hexagon, a new French restaurant in Oakville from one of the country’s best young chefs

By Renée Suen | Photography By Renée Suen | October 20, 2017

By Renée Suen | Photography By Renée Suen | 10/20/2017

Name: Hexagon
Contact: 210 Lakeshore Rd. E., Oakville, 905-844-1286, hexagonrestaurant.com, @hexagonrestaurant
Neighbourhood: Oakville
Previously: The Green Bean
Owners: Artur Koczur (7 Enoteca, The Green Bean)
Chef: Sean MacDonald (Calgary’s Market Restaurant)

The food

Modern and contemporary French dishes that draw from an international pantry: sable fish dressed with a white mole sauce, prawn “hot dogs” on brioche and a dessert piñata (yes, a piñata) of banana crème brulée. The short à la carte lunch menu includes bistro classics like steak frites and French onion soup. For dinner, guests can choose between a four-course tasting menu ($60) and a nine-course carte blanche one ($130). A version of MacDonald’s winning duck dish from the 2016 San Pellegrino Young Chef competition made it onto the menu. The bird—aged for three weeks, then roasted—is sided with black garlic paste, sea buckthorn jelly and savoy cabbage.

Bar snacks include these prawn hot dogs, served in top-cut brioche buns with chives and mustard. $10.

Sable fish with frilled gai lan, white mole made from a sesame seed emulsion fortified with raisins, black sesame, grapes, shiso and water chestnut.

Charred octopus, water chili emulsion and salsa negra tortillas.

Tournedos Rossini: tenderloin, seared foie gras on brioche, a Bordelaise sauce made with braised beef tongue, pickled turnips and fresh shaved truffles.

The Creamsicle includes raspberries three ways (freeze dried, gel, ice cream), tonka bean mousse and scorched vanilla syrup.

The signature Piñata dessert is a collaboration between MacDonald and his sous chef, who is from Mexico.

It’s white chocolate shell is smashed to release chocolate pearls and candied hazelnuts, that land on a bed of black banana ice cream and banana crème brûlée.

The drinks

There’s French wine, of course, and cocktails courtesy of Jed Boller. His signature tipples incorporate spirits infused with savoury ingredients, and are meant to complement MacDonald’s dishes.

Hexagon: green chartreuse, white brandy, pineapple, lime, lavender syrup and basil. $18.

French 75: champagne, cognac (or gin), lemon and sugar. $20.

Pine nut old fashioned: toasted pine nut bourbon, sugar, chocolate bitters. $18.

Béarnaise: dry vermouth, gin, egg white, lemon, pinch of salt, pink peppercorn. $18.

Servers wheel the bar cart around to guests interested in a digestif.

The space

The 48-seat space (named after France’s hexagonal shape) includes a semi-private dining room next to the open kitchen. In the summer, a patio in Oakville’s Town Square can accommodate another 20 diners.