Dunham | Ôma: anchoring yourself in the vineyard

The Ruisseau vineyard in Dunham has been welcoming a brand new restaurant, Ôma, since March. Chef Hakim Chajar and his partner are behind the country-style table project. The menu is made up of local products available throughout the seasons, and vegetables picked directly from the garden.

The space, with a breathtaking view of Mount Sutton and the estate’s vineyards, immediately appealed to chef Hakim Chajar, who was featured on the show The Chiefs ! and who recently opened the Jane Café in Cowansville. “It reminded me of California and France,” he says. It’s also the local lifestyle that convinced him to open his restaurant there: he grows his herbs, flowers and vegetables in his garden, he has access to his own livestock, and the producers and market gardeners are located nearby.

First opened as a sugar shack, the Ôma restaurant has been offering multi-course menus in the evening and at lunch since June (an à la carte menu is also available at lunch). “Our goal is to make the gold mine we have here shine,” explains Hakim, who enjoys creating a menu that varies according to the day’s arrivals.

At the passage of The Pressbeef entrecôte (from Shefford and aged for 55 days), asparagus (grilled and served with oyster and buckwheat cream), tomato (prepared three ways), scallop (topped with buttermilk sauce) and artichoke (with lamb sauce) were featured on the menu. As for desserts, pastry chef Alexandra Rheault also draws inspiration from seasonal fruits, as evidenced by her haskap mousse, accompanied by candied rhubarb.

The products of the Ruisseau vineyard are highlighted on the plates. The chef notably adds the estate’s macerated gin to the oyster mignonette and wine (Merlot, Pinot Noir) to the sauces that coat the meats. The wine list is based solely on bottles from the vineyard and the cocktails, created by mixologist Thomas Climent, also include several house products.

People come to the new establishment to reconnect with the land – the name Ôma evokes “mother earth” – but also to celebrate the riches of the area. In mid-August, it will even be possible to sit down in the middle of the restaurant’s gardens. “It will be under a Berber tent for an even more intimate experience,” says the chef, who wants to give a nod to his Moroccan origins. He also hopes to hold culinary events to showcase a local producer or market gardener. One more reason to venture to Dunham – and onto the gravel roads – to try Ôma.

4500 Strobl Road, Dunham

Visit the Ôma restaurant website