IT IS THE BOUGIE CHICKEN THAT HAS TORONTO IN A TIZZY.
A breakout whole roast in what is one of the swankiest restaurants to open in Canada this year, Riley’s Steak and Turf is the latest venture from Vancouver’s Glowbal Group, where an $85 bird manages to hit all the notes of Ina Garten realness. So real, in fact, that there are only six available per night, spurring clued-in diners to call ahead to reserve their bird in advance.
“More bang for your cluck,” joked Executive Chef Scott Saunderson when I stopped by to discuss the pricey star poulet. The dish actually involves a rigorous three-day process, and comes to the table perfectly golden and crisp, stuffed with rich foie gras and tender brioche, and served alongside a still-life of root vegetables and an unctuous jus.
The $85 whole roast chicken at Riley’s Steak and Turf, prepared over three days and limited to six servings per night.
The culinary philosophy behind it? One that hinges on “the art of sharing,” which Saunderson notes “is indicative of the whole restaurant.”
Yes, this is a 725-square-metre space that feels like a classic film set, where the likes of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers might appear at any minute. And yes, it is a dining room defined by the quality of ingredients and the seamless choreography of tableside service. “But it is still about comfort food,” Saunderson adds.
Inside the 725-square-metre space, designed with classic cinematic elegance.
It nods to a larger shift in the fine-dining landscape. Writing in The New York Times, Frank Bruni recently pointed out that the “once-humble plate of poultry has been elevated to luxury status,” singling out word-of-mouth showcase chickens like the one served at Borgo in Manhattan.
Saunderson admits the preparation at Riley’s is extraordinarily intensive. “I’ve never seen more work go into a chicken in my entire life.”
Hailing from a family farm in Quebec, each bird is brined for 12 to 16 hours, then air-dried for about eight. Four kitchen hands are involved along the way, down to the precise trussing and final carving. The kitchen presses the skin with butter before it goes into the oven, navigating three distinct temperature changes while roasting, and presses it once more with garlic herb butter the moment it emerges.
“It’s so laborious, it’s incredible,” says Saunderson. “But it’s also about giving people the sense of home.”
