Le Violon, Danny Smiles’ much anticipated new restaurant, officially opens its doors today. Taking over the space formerly home to Maison Publique — after a complete overhaul by celebrated restaurant designer Zébulon Perron in collaboration with co-owner and art director Dan Climan — it is completely unrecognizable. Leaving behind MP’s cottage-kitsch look, le Violon is elegance embodied. From the beautiful veined Portuguese marble bar to the white tablecloths and lacquered wainscotting in a lustrous shade of Parisian green, it is a room that feels both luxurious and timeless. The defining features of the space, it should be said, are the oversized Climan paintings — especially the one of a reposed Dalmatian which sits overlooking a beautifully appointed crescent banquette.
While the restaurant is new to the neighbourhood, it’s full of familiar players — many of whom have been by Danny’s side since the Bremner days. Heading up the kitchen alongside Smiles is co-owner and co-executive chef Mitch Laughren and Chef de Cuisine Sara Raspa. In the dining room, co-owner Andrew Park (ex-Bremner and Liverpool House) oversees service and the wine program while front-of-house manager Kyra Lajeunesse runs the daily operations. It’s a team that already knows how to work together, having long since found their flow. The space is new but nothing else is, really, which allows the team to deliver a polished and seamless dining experience that feels like it was years in the making — because, in fact, it was.
The food is approachable but invariably refined — a major departure from the British rusticity of the Willow Inn. Here, the team’s diversity of personal and culinary backgrounds is embraced, allowing for a menu that moves from mousse de volaille to tahini drizzled kibbeh nayyeh, stout bread with mussels and cheddar custard, or gochujang-glazed sweetbreads with charred kale and onion. Each dish is cooked exactly the way it ought to be: perfect seasoning, spot-on cuisson and presented in a way that reflects the elegance of the setting without trying to compete for the spotlight. It’s harmonious. I’m reminded of restaurants like Paris’s le Servan and Mokoloco, or world-roving pop-up Ha’s Dac Biet, which effortlessly marry beautiful spaces, exceptional food and a sort of proud self-assurance that allows them to cook what they want.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t praise the desserts by pastry chef Tamara (formerly of Salle Climatisée), which are exactly what I want at the end of every good meal: proper fucking desserts. That is to say, a towering slice of strawberry shortcake or an oozing chocolate Basque cheesecake bathed in crème Anglaise.
Add to the experience a growing but well-stocked wine cellar, a great cocktail list (including the best classic martini I’ve had in ages) and service that doesn’t miss a beat and you have the makings of one of the best new restaurants in the country. Mark my words, the accolades will be rolling in by the truckload for this one. ■
For more on le Violon, please visit their website.
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