Adam Waxman is an award winning writer focusing on food,…
In the ever-expanding multiverse of gastronomy, new restaurants rooted in ancient cuisines are evolving the Toronto dining scene. Taline is a totally unique Toronto restaurant–recently recommended by Michelin–that showcases Armenian cuisine with passion and flare to entice our palates with gorgeous dishes of explosive flavour.
Armenian cuisine is one of the oldest in the world. The oldest winery in the world was found in a cave in Armenia. Diasporic Armenian communities spread their culture through their cuisine. Chef-Owner Sebouh Yacoubian and his brothers share their love of their mother’s cooking from her recipes growing up in Aanjar, Lebanon. This is relatively new to a city like Toronto that has long been dominated by more common cuisines like Italian, French or Chinese.

We’re seated on the second floor of this two-story restaurant. There is a tree in the dining room, and a skylight above. Our table lamp has a dimmer so we can choose the ambience for our table. With the exposed brick wall, there’s a courtyard-feel of conviviality. I sip a glass of Arak, the national drink of Lebanon. It’s a digestif that consists of two ingredients: grapes and aniseed. The distilled liquor is clear like water, but when ice and water are added it becomes milky white. It’s similar to ouzo or absinthe but feels more smooth, warm and sweet.
From the moment we open the menus, we realize “We’re not in Kansas anymore.” Our waiter graciously interprets for us since each item sounds so different, so flavourful, such a departure from the mundane, to shake up our taste buds and whisk us away to the Caucasus Mountains.

We begin with a trio of luxuriously textured palate openers. Banru is a whipped-up confluence of feta, embered carrot and Thai chili jam, crowned with king oyster mushroom and micro coriander. Hummus, infused with black garlic, little nubbins of celeriac and a soft grating of egg yolk, has a thick velvety texture. Babaghanoush is smoky with charred-eggplant and wears a jaunty cap of aquafaba foam (chickpea protein) with a splash of lemon. Each of these creamy purees are so rich in flavour and elevated beyond the familiar with uncommon dynamic notes. We relish scooping up each one with Matnakash, an Armenian bread drizzled with za’atar oil. It’s colloquially known as “Finger bread,” because traditionally, the women who baked it would press their fingers into it to bless it. And do we ever feel blessed! This is the ultimate nourishing comfort food.

Our Fattoush salad is a delicate melange of colours and textures from the sweet red and orange tomatoes, microgreens and pomegranate molasses dressing to the crunchy croutons. Though it’s a traditional salad, here it is accented by the seasons. Visit another time of year and ingredients are swapped out for pumpkin and persimmon, but the vibrant garden-freshness remains.

There are so many words on this menu that we don’t know, but good flavours are universal. Kaghamp is a smooth-leaved cabbage, brilliantly charred to make even the most carnivorous eater blush. The texture alternates between silken and crunchy. The caramelization on the edges is addictive. Lavished in a creamy fennel tahin sauce and bejewelled with pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds it is a surprise winner for which I keep saying, “Okay, last bite” before taking another.

Imam Bayildi has Ottoman roots and, legend has it, takes its name from an imam who lost consciousness over the dish. It’s that good. Chef Yacoubian is “Fire!” In an age where there is an appliance for every cooking method, he is the kind of chef who, if the power went out, would still know how to cook a mean dish. His charring technique, in the wrong hands, would result in a lot of burnt food, but the delicate manner in which he crisps the edges of the eggplant and tomato to elicit more complex, smoky flavours is wonderful. Add the rich smoked labneh and crushed nuts and seeds of the aromatic dukkah, and there we have another vegetarian dish that could make a vegetarian out of me.

But I’m not a vegetarian, and the Vochkhar is an unpretentious presentation of two thick chops of Ontario lamb, seasoned with a potpourri of spices like cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and peppers. Little doughy pearls of moghrabieh and yogurt, blended with cucumber, crushed garlic and mint enliven this succulent lamb to delectable heights.

Mediteranean sea bass is cross grilled to a perfect crisp. The meat is so tender, and elevated by lemon, aquafaba foam and dill oil. It’s just delicious. As with each dish, the flavours here are rich but not aggressive or over-salted. It’s all seasoned beautifully; the combination of textures is unusual–from the crisp skin to the light foam–and nothing feels heavy.

For dessert, the options are equally exotic. Our Ashta Tart is composed of ashta (cream made from simmered milk, sugar and orange blossom water,) pistachio halva, a drizzle of floral honey and a snowy meringue-like crumble made from dehydrated olive oil. Such an inventive kitchen. How exciting to experience new flavour-expressions like this.
This is a true culinary journey that not only expands our palates, but our curiosities about far away lands. We learn about each other through each other’s food, and that is one of the greatest aspects of multiculturism in Toronto—it’s like a potluck and everyone brings something to the table.

The Yacoubian brothers—Sebouh, Serouj and Saro—have honoured their mother and their heritage. They’ve unearthed these traditional dishes and made them so relevant and fresh, and created a warm, welcoming respite for us to appreciate it.
Taline Restaurant, 1276 Yonge Street, 416-922-8873
Adam Waxman is an award winning writer focusing on food, wine, travel and wellness. As well as an actor in film and television, he is the Publisher of DINE magazine.