Mineral – Finally, a Well Executed Filipino Tasting Menu

Being Filipino, I love Filipino food. Its not as popular as other Asian cuisines which is a shame as its a wonderful mix of all the cultures that have had an impact on the country. In Filipino food, you will find traces of American, Spanish, Chinese, and various other influences. Its also difficult to find at a fine dining level, and I have never seen it executed well. For example, Abaca in San Francisco, which is in the Michelin Guide, was hugely disappointing. However, on a recent trip to Toronto, I had dinner at Mineral, and it was amazing. Here was the menu that evening. I think the menu was well executed, and they incorporated the Filipino elements well. For the most part, they didn’t try to jazz up traditional dishes, but rather, just put some Filipino flavors or ingredients in each dish.

The meal started with an amuse of mushroom soup that set the tone for the rest of the evening. The flavor was delicate yet very delicious.

Next some oysters (we added all the options; caviar in this case) and basically, shrimp cocktail:

Next a tuna tartar with Filipino shrimp crackers:

…and the first wow dish of the evening, pineapple with kombu:

One of my favorite Filipino foods came next, ensaymada. This is like a brioche with some butter cream on top and cheese usually. This one was topped with truffle. The flavor was spot on and was refined enough without compromising the traditional version. Very very delicious.

Next, a lobster dumpling:

…then their take on lumpia (which is loosely like a salad roll) but this one was made with inari and scallop; we also got the optional uni on top:

Onto the mains. The halibut sinigang (sinigang is a traditional fish soup that is made sour with tamarind; its delicious) was one of the best dishes of the night. Their interpretation of the classic Filipino soup was brilliant. The flavors of the sinigang were well represented in the sauce. They also served some brussle sprouts and rice. This is one area where I think they missed an opportunity. One of the best Filipino dishes is called sinangag. Its basically fried rice with tons of garlic. Its delicious and easy to prepare so I think they should of served this instead of just plain rice.

To go with the fish, steak and lobster. The steak was tender, well cooked, and delicious.

Lastly, the desserts were also well executed versions of traditional Filipino dishes.

Overall, service was very good and the food was delicious and well presented. I was impressed with the level of refinement and execution of the dishes. Nothing was trying too hard and the Filipino elements and interpretations were spot on. I would return and highly recommend.