Jump, the first restaurant in the Oliver & Bonacini collaboration, was also the first in Toronto’s Financial District. It’s been around since 1993 and has been offering its globally inspired cuisine ever since. When I lived in Toronto I always worked uptown so many downtown restaurants escaped my attention. Fortunately, this was finally remedied.

The stunning restaurant is located in a glass atrium and boasts a beautiful bar, lighted liquor display, gorgeous lighting and courtyard patio. The décor is classic New York style with modern touches.

I loved the frog statues, surely a nod to the restaurant’s name. The jumping font on the logo and menu is clever too.

It’s also a popular place for special occasions. There was a wedding in a private room on the evening we were there but it did not intrude on our dinner. Service was impeccable and our waiter ensured no one was inconvenienced by the wedding party.

We started the evening with a selection from the impressive drinks menu. Paulo had Prosecco. I had one of Jump’s classic cocktails: Rhubarb Gin Sour with Dillon’s unfiltered 22 gin (a Canadian gin from Ontario), rhubarb syrup, egg white, lemon, cassis and Dillon’s rhubarb bitters. It was so good I ordered another!

Paulo and I both had our eye on the same starter: Albacore Tuna Tartare with toasted sesame dressing, pineapple, kimchi mayo, avocado and puffed rice cracker. It was beautifully presented and the tuna was top quality with its smooth, firm texture. This was a zingy, refreshing dish with a hint of sweetness from the pineapple.

The Handmade Pastas section on the menu featured Italian cuisine with North American ingredients. I’m always hesitant to order lasagna at restaurants for fear that it will consist of a few sheets of pasta layed with meat and cheese in an individual serving dish then popped into the oven. However, as I was in a top notch establishment I trusted the chef and he did not disappoint.

My Bison Lasagna was a delight with its feathery-light fresh pasta and layers of slow cooked tomato sauce, buffalo ricotta and bison meat, which has a sweeter and richer flavour than beef.

Paulo had the Beef & Boar Bolognese featuring bucatini, pecorino romano and focaccia gremolata. It’s such a simple dish but difficult to get right. The key is high quality ingredients and Jump certainly delivered.

For dessert, we each had a slice of The Jump White Chocolate Cheesecake. What a decadent treat! It was a huge serving and we easily could have shared one slice between ourselves but that didn’t stop us from gobbling up our own portions. The cheesecake was wrapped in a light phyllo pastry for extra flavour and texture. I never thought that was possible until I saw it with my own eyes and tasted it for myself. Served with bourbon sour cherries for flavour contrast, this dessert was a real winner.

We both enjoyed our dinner at Jump and look forward to trying out the other restaurants in the Oliver & Bonacini portfolio. We have already been to Bannock (review here) and Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill at Blue Mountain so there are many reasons to return to Canada to try their other concepts.

The owners, managers or staff did not invite me to visit this establishment and were unaware that my experience would be the basis of a written review. It is based on my experience at my own cost and I did not receive compensation for my review.

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