When asked about what his philosophy for food was, Engbers said it is "all about cooking food that people can identify with...that they can understand....and that once in awhile, produce a "WOW" moment for them." After being in the kitchen since 17, chef Engbers have done every style of food from casual to the highest level of fine dining but says his current favourite style is fun bistro food.
Started things off perfectly with some fresh, plump oysters.
Smoked Salmon - Cardamon crepes, fennel orange slaw, candied salmon
Ontario Trout Tartare - Spicy herb puree, fried jalapeno, crispy tortilla
Lobster Pogo - Triple crunch honey mustard sauce
Shrimp Taco - Ancho marinated shrimp, spicy slaw, lime crema, fried queso
Baked Oysters - Double smoked bacon, pesto goats cheese
Grilled Black Pepper Calamari - Tomato confi, kalamata olives, cornbread croutons
New Dixie Style Slaw
Mac and Cheese - Orecchiette with goats cheese
Gulf Shrimp Ravioli - Celery root, sage cream, toasted walnuts, rapini
Pan Seared Pickerel - Corn soubise, roasted red peppers, pearl onions, basil pistou
Albacore Tuna Nicoise - Fingerling potatoes, olives, egg, boston lettuce, caper vinaigrette
My favourites:
Oyster Boy's oysters...obviously!
Ontario trout tartare - The mild heat from the puree and jalapenos made this tartare really tasty.
Lobster pogo - Succulent lobster meat in pogo form? Yes! Loved the mustard sauce too.
Baked oysters - Can't go wrong with oysters + bacon + goat cheese :)
Pan seared pickerel - A really balanced dish, the pickerel was perfectly seared (with crispy skin!) and the corn soubise, roasted red peppers and onions were nice and hearty.
So what else can we expect from Oyster Boy in the near future? Well, chef Engbers have started doing his own smoked salmon and will be exploring the idea of a fully housemade seafood charcuterie board in the new year. Exciting times ahead!
