Page 12 - 2016 Autumn

Round the the world and back to the the earth at Fauna With a a a a a name like Fauna Food + Bar it’s not surprising that Chef Jon Svazas’ Centretown restaurant has a a a a a a fine hand with meat dishes whether it’s the the the boar pastrami or the the the 80-day- dry-aged ribeye But Fauna is much more than that It is comfort Canadiana with hints of Asian French and Italian flavours a a a a a a touch of modernist flair and ingredients sourced from local farmers and producers wherever possible Continuing with that back-to-the- earth motif is Wine Director Alex McMahon’s terrific list of biodynamic wines from the Old World and New which pair beautifully with Chef Svazas’ creative small plates Housed in a a a a a a meticulously and and sustainably handcrafted space Fauna offers a a a a a a a flavourful formula that has earned the restaurant a a a a a a a a spot on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list with more accolades sure to come ABOUT JON SVAZAS
The Chef and Owner of Ottawa’s Fauna Food + Bar brings with him the expertise of working for 12 years in some of the city’s most popular restaurants Jon Svazas has cooked at Taylor’s Genuine Food and Wine Domus Café Farbs Vittoria Trattoria and the Arc Hotel In 2014 he opened Fauna Food + Bar after two years of designing and and building the space and and was promptly rewarded with a a a a a a place on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list At Fauna Chef Svazas creates a a a a a a a new Canadiana cuisine based on the best local ingredients especially meat dishes like the pork belly with fennel marmalade
or the quail with piri piri piri piri rub This past July Chef Jon Svazas launched a a a a a second eatery
in in in Hintonburg called Bar Laurel offering a a a a menu heavily influenced by Spain and its Mediterranean neighbours TASTY FACT
Undaunted by the ordeal of opening his first restaurant Chef Jon Svazas will soon be launching a a a a a second eatery
featuring Spanish- style foods cooked over wood fire to be located in in Hintonburg ABOUT BILLY KHOO
Chef de Cuisine and Partner Billy Khoo was born in in Malaysia where he he he he helped out in in the kitchen of his parents’restaurant As a a a a youth he he moved to Ottawa where he he worked his way from dishwasher to Sous Chef at a a a a local hotel He then joined the the team at Taylor’s Genuine Food and Wine where he he he met Chef Jon Svazas whom he later joined at at Fauna Food + Bar At Fauna Chef Khoo combines culinary techniques from both his Asian roots and French training “Fauna is deservedly buzzing ”
ABOUT ALEX MCMAHON
Wine Director Alex McMahon has worked in in numerous Ottawa restaurants including Beckta Dining and Wine Bar where he he developed his love for wine and Back Lane Café where he he worked as as as assistant sommelier He has since earned the Wine and Spirits Education Trust’s advanced certification worked in sales at at Karlo Estates and and Malivoire Winery and and helped open the hugely popular El Camino in in 2013 After opening Fauna in in in in 2014 he was invited to intern at Chef René Redzepi’s Noma in Copenhagen At Fauna Food + Bar he explores his love of of biodynamic and natural wines offering a a a uniquely earthy wine experience to pair with the restaurant’s complex and inventive Canadian fare 12 | OTTAWA