Chef Doug Penfold of Cava has partnered with long-time colleague Niall McCotter to bring vrai Parisian charm to the heart of Yorkville. Blink and you’ve walked too far. Chabrol is carefully tucked down an alley fit with high-end clothing boîtes. Whereas Cava is all about Iberia, the fare here looks to southern France. “It’s a French country thing,” Penfold notes.

A sense of place
Penfold was classically trained in French cuisine and draws his inspiration from the time he spent working at Didier and from his late mentor, chef Claude Bouillet. Working in a minuscule kitchen tucked into the corner of Chabrol’s 20-seat dining room, Penfold whips up French classics — from tartines with cured trout and rabbit to whitefish cooked en papillote with leeks and sea asparagus. 

Ttoro, a south-of-France bouillabaisse
The ttoro highlights what Penfold and McCotter are trying to achieve with Chabrol. Penfold’s treatment of a classic southern French bouillabaisse has already become an instant hit thanks to its layered flavours and silky aromatic broth.

Penfold, ever visible in the corner kitchen, has crafted a personal ballad to the coastal fishing stew. It all begins with the broth, built from whole fish and fish bones along with onion, garlic, green pepper, tomato and Iranian saffron — the real stuff. Carrot is added for aromatic purposes and later strained out, and boiled potatoes add bulk later on. Penfold reduces the broth until it starts to thicken and finishes it with butter.

Sustainable seafood
A daily selection of seafood creates the base for the ttoro stew. Penfold sources stacks of mussels and shrimp from sustainable seafood shop Honest Weight, located in the Junction ’hood. Depending on what’s freshest, at least three different types of fish keep the bivalves and crustaceans in good company. Mackerel, perch, pickerel and sablefish are all varieties that have graced the bowl.  

Perfect presentation
The fish is presented at the table unadorned and is then drenched with the aromatic broth. The soup is silky and unctuous, flavoured with hints of saffron that is soaked up by the tender morsels of meat and boiled potatoes. Pair with a glass of white to add a dash of acidity. Just a few whiffs of the ttoro and you’ll be transported straight to the French Riviera. 

Chabrol, 90 Yorkville Ave., 416-428-6641