Keriwa Cafe

Keriwa Cafe (@KeriwaCafe) have been on my list for a while but had had difficulties in getting a reservation when I wanted to go. And I have to say I loved everything I had and planning to be back real soon to try out their Brunch menu (^_^)

Being Toronto's only Native Canadian restaurant and I really don't know what flavors to expect but apparently I love it (^_^)

"Stepping into the dining room at Keriwa Cafe is walking into a mosaic as rich as

the heritage of Canada's people, Aboriginal and non-aboriginal, that make up

 the culinary landscape of our country today"

Short simple menu which I like

Housemade bread and this was a red fife sourdough which was a bit denser/heavier than your regular bread w/ butter, smoked sea salt and port fat (yummm)

Confit Pork Belly $14

~ Wild leek, Coriander, Eggplant, chili

Love everything here, the pancake was very crispy, a perfect match with the coriander pesto and sour cream with also lighten up the melt in your mouth fatty goodness pork belly.

Bison Tongue Pemmican $15

~ Red Fife bannock, Wild Mushroom, Elderberry

It was delicious, never imagine bison tongue could be so tender and moist... my only complain here would be the bannock, the flat bread underneath was rather dry and hard

(the only thing we didn't finish)

Wild Mushroom Soup $11

~ Creme Fraiche, garlic mustard, red fife

This was the most surprising/interesting dish of the night, this soup was so good and it basically consist every flavor in a bowl... woody goodness of the mushroom, the broth had a sour element to it and the bitterness from the greens and the flowery goodness sprinkled on top....

Bison Scottish Clod Tenderloin $28

~ Bison Fry Bread, Horseradish, Sunflower

Isn't this so pretty, the red of the bison (my camera is not doing it justice), it was so tender and flavourful and with the eggplant puree, yummmmm. The Yorkshire pudding was stuffed with more bison mixture but I was a bit disappointed since there was only minimal stuffing inside while I saw other pictures of it that's been stuff to the brim (see Carmen's post here) and I think it was a bit dry and tasteless because of that and I had to wipe the plate clean of the jus with it to compensate =P

But love ♥ everything here on this plate and would love to go back for more of their Bison goodness.

Lamb Saddle $29

~ Almond, Yukon Potato, Minted Peppers

The flavour of all the other dish was pretty strong but love the more subtle flavor of the lamb saddle here, letting the lamb-y flavor shine through and perfect with the sauce and the roasted pepper. Even the mash was very subtle, not buttery or salty but yet super flavorful. Love how they kept the skin/fat on since that's where most of the flavors are.

Pavlova w/ rhubarb & berries

Love how they kept the tartness from the rhubarb and berries which pairs so well worth the sweet meringue.

Verdict:

Love everything I had and will be back soon for Brunch

This is a must try since how often would you come across an Aboriginal restaurant like this