Chef Ibrahim Ghozlani serves up a cultural blend.
Experimentation is the name of the game at Bistro Narra.
The kitchen staff, led by Chef Ibrahim Ghozlani, is always eager to try new combinations to see what their clients enjoy, or what they might not.
“Mississauga can be a tough crowd, because it’s so diverse,” says Ghozlani, “but that doesn’t stop us from trying new things. Our annual tasting menu, which collects all our experiments throughout the year, allows us to be mad scientists, in a way. For example, we’ll do things like molecular gastronomy—nobody expects a restaurant in Mississauga to be doing that. It’s a lot of fun.”
Located in a plaza in the Churchill Meadows neighbourhood, the cozy yet upscale restaurant offers classic European fare, but with a twist, as Ghozlani brings with him several other culinary influences beyond the French cuisine he was trained in. After graduating from the Culinary Arts School of Ontario in 2004, he lived and worked in Toronto, Montreal, Dubai and Amman, Jordan (and had his own restaurant there), before moving to Mississauga. Somewhere in there, he also found the time to get married, spend three months on honeymoon in Italy, and subsequently fall in love with Italian food.
“I’m from Jordan, so I add some Mediterranean and Arabic influences in my cooking,” he says. “But I’ve lived in many different places, and each new country I’ve worked in has exposed me to different ingredients. I love combining all these influences in ways that are fun and modern. You can always find a new fruit or vegetable you haven’t seen before—you just have to travel!”
Ghozlani enjoys working with seasonal ingredients, and changes the menu accordingly; whiteboards listing the restaurant’s ever-changing daily specials help illustrate his desire to keep it interesting. His philosophy? “Respect the ingredients,” he says. “Every item on the plate needs to shine on its own, and the dish must be balanced.” We got to try one of his dishes during our visit—this philosophy is paying off.
So what’s next for him? “I’d like to have my own restaurant again,” he says, “but I’ve only just returned to Canada. I need to give it a few years to better understand the local palate—that’s why I keep changing the board. I want to get as much feedback from our clients as I can.
“And in the future, I see myself going back to and retiring in Italy… but that’s a long way off!”
RECIPE: SURF ’N’ TURF
“This is my take on surf ’n’ turf, with organic beef loin, roasted bone marrow and snow crab claws. It’s currently my favourite dish to cook at Bistro Narra.”
—Chef Ibrahim Ghozlani
INGREDIENTS
- 6 oz AAA strip loin steak
- 1 bone marrow, 6-inch, split lengthwise
- 2 snow crab claws
- 1 Yukon Gold potato
- 1 asparagus spear
- 1 slice prosciutto Parma
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- dollop of butter
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- salsa verde (see separate recipe below)
METHOD
For bone marrow
- Soak marrow in cold water for 12 hours in refrigerator; change water after 6 hours.
- Remove from water and roast in convection oven at 320°F for 20–30 minutes.
For crab claw
- In a small sauce pot, add butter, fresh thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Poach in butter for 7 minutes.
For strip loin steak
- Season meat with salt and fresh-cracked black pepper.
- Grill to desired doneness.
For prosciutto crisp
- Place a slice of prosciutto between two sheets of parchment paper on a baking tray and bake at 400°F until crisp; about 5–7 minutes.
For potato fondant
- Using a paring knife, shape potato into a 1.5-inch cylinder and place in a small sauce pan; cover with chicken stock or water.
- Add a dollop of butter and a sprig of rosemary; bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer until all water has evaporated and potato starts to brown from the bottom.
For red wine glaze
- On low heat, reduce 2 cups of good quality red wine to 3 tbsp (should be the consistency of syrup); about 20–30 minutes, but keep an eye on it after it reduces by three-quarters.
For asparagus
- Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; grill (though you can substitute for any veggie you like).
SALSA VERDE
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp capers
- 3 gherkins
- 1 fillet anchovies
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch mint
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cup olive oil
METHOD
- Add all ingredients to food processor and blitz for 2 minutes on high.
PLATING
- Place bone marrow in the centre of the plate; prevent bone from rolling by anchoring it to the plate with red pepper salsa or whatever you like.
- Place potato fondant on one end of the bone and crab claws on the other; arrange slices of meat in the centre. Place asparagus on top of potato.
- Top the sliced meat with salsa verde.
- Place prosciutto crisp at an angle for height.
- Drizzle plate with red wine glaze in a circular motion.
Bistro Narra
3030 Thomas St., Unit A404
905-567-8555
(Originally posted on mississaugalife.ca; recipe originally posted on urbaneats.ca. The print version originally appeared in Mississauga Life, issue 30, 2015; the PDF of that is available here.)
Leo Graziani 