Where Paris and Perth meet can be found in nearby Morriston at Réunion, a newly opened bistro.
Mikael Colas, originally from Paris, France, and Courtney Colas originally from Perth, Australia, came to Canada in 2013 and have been together ever since.
Colas ran his parents' longtime restaurant in Oakville, La Parisienne Crêperie, since 2014. When they were given six months to vacate the premises to make way for condos, he needed a new location for Reunion.
They chose Morriston, in the location that for many years housed the popular Envers restaurant.
On the Reunion menu there are some of the crêperie’s favourite dishes like the crepe bourbon. This crepe has caramelized apples, smoked bacon, aged cheddar cheese and topped with bourbon maple syrup.
“We wanted to sort of go somewhere a bit more country in order to have a better space,” said Courtney. “Rather than being pigeon holed into a dining district.”
When they found the space in Morriston, it just made sense, Courtney said. Working with local farmers for their produce food supply and incorporating seasonal flavours into their dishes has been a treat.
“We're definitely spending more on French influenced cuisine,” she said. Influences like Vietnamese, Creole, and New Orleans.
“First night, it was all locals, everybody was just coming in just to welcome us to the community or people that have been walking by as we were renovating,” Courtney said after last week’s soft opening.
Réunion is open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
Courtney’s mother runs their sister restaurant Verlan in Hamilton, which has a focus on French and Australian brunch. Verlan has been open since October 2020.
Réunion is named after the French island. Being named after an island also shows the tropical flavour infusion in their dishes, Courtney said.
“It's such a meeting point to reunite people, reunite them with us, as well after, you know, being having to leave, reunite with each other, and also reuniting some different flavours that aren't always used together,” she said.
It is a sentiment for people getting together after the pandemic separated them, especially after being separated from restaurant culture, she expressed.
Her husband Mikael wanted to include the colours green, gold and black, as a nod to French style and architecture.
“What we're trying to do here is French-inspired food from around the world,” said Mikael. “France has influenced a lot of places.”
He listed Québec, North Africa, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean islands as examples.
“Well, we want them to know that we're here, that we're offering something new, something different and it's ever growing,” said Mikael.
