With its doors set to open to King Street West on October 25, Toronto’s newest culinary draw Lapinou just revealed the latest additions to its talented culinary team.
Lapinou--an updated and refined rendition of a classic French bistro--aims to inspire patrons with local terroir delivered through elevated and inventive French cuisine.
At the helm of Lapinou’s culinary program is head chef Jamie Ullrich. Since making a name for himself at Toronto’s Nota Bene, the Ontario chef completed successful stretches at England Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social and Australia’s NOMAD, before returning to Toronto to lead some of the city’s finest dining establishments, including The Grove, NAO Steakhouse, Estia, and Byblos North.
Chef Ullrich’s menu highlights the abundance of exceptional local purveyors and ingredients in Ontario. Although Lapinou plans to change the menu in congruence with the availability of seasonal products, its inaugural menu will offer an array of decadent sharing plates like crab on toast with hollandaise and green peppercorn vinaigrette and foie gras parfait with preserved strawberry, pickled onion and charred bread, along with hearty main courses such as agnolotti with duck confit, rye, fig, and sunchoke and côte de boeuf with truffle comté mornay sauce and potato pavé.
The face of Lapinou’s front of house, Lauren Hall, is a born and raised Torontonian with more than 12 years of hospitality experience. Having developed past wine lists for places like Figo, Estia, and Byblos, Hall has garnered a reputation for her ability to carefully curate a selection of impressive, yet approachable offerings.
"We are thrilled to welcome Jamie and Lauren to the Lapinou team," expressed Terry Tsianos, principle of Scale Hospitality. "This unique concept is dynamic and driven by passion and we feel they will bring great vision and energy to the Lapinou experience. We are excited to have them at the heart of this unique journey. "
Lapinou will be open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to close and for Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations can be made through OpenTable.
