Sean Wang

Sean Wang is the youngest chef in this register and the one whose menus look least like anybody else’s. He went through George Brown, spent five years in Toronto restaurants including a Michelin-starred kitchen, and came out of it with a fine-dining vocabulary he now uses on other people’s dining tables.

What he says he is selling is not food but peace of mind — a flawless evening, so the host can be a guest at their own party. In practice that means a great deal of planning ahead of the night: a written note of ideas, several menu routes to choose between, and last-minute adjustments absorbed without visible strain. Hosts with long lists of intolerances keep singling him out, which is the clearest signal in his notes.

The cooking is where East and West actually meet rather than merely sharing a plate. Miso uni spaghetti, essentially a sea-urchin carbonara; lamb rack lollipops with seared scallops, anchovy emulsion and mint oil; Australian wagyu picanha under a yuzu béarnaise; matcha tiramisu and jasmine panna cotta to close. He cites Massimo Bottura as his reference point, and the ambition shows.