Bloorcourt is now home to a new prix fixe Korean spot, serving up unique dishes all made with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.
The succinct four-course prix fixe menu is available for $78 and provides creative, artfully plated dishes using the bold, aromatic Korean flavours you know and love served up in a modern, industrial-meets-minimalist space.
In an open kitchen by the bar, you’ll catch chef Kwangtaek Lee putting his four years of experience at Actinolite to work.
During his time working at the Ossington strip bistro, under the guidance of owner and chef Justin Cournoyer, Kwang learned the value of creating food that both connects back to your culture and prioritizes freshness and locality.
Chicken, rice, anchovy and kimchi in a savoury broth.
These values are clearly echoed throughout the expertly curated menu which lets diners choose between two options per course, like the sea bass, daikon and plum or the Kalbi, potato and coriander. Be sure to warm up with the chicken soup, made special with rice, anchovies and green onion for a hearty bowl packed full of umami flavour. Vegan? Menu items can be modified to suit your dietary restrictions too, so the whole group can indulge.
Brussels sprouts
And if you’re looking to sweeten the deal, Orote has made choosing dessert simple with one stellar pick: brown butter cake topped with sweet potato ice cream and flecked with blackcurrant powder. This is a treat that’s unique and faintly sweet, the perfect way to balance out the palate.
The sweet potato ice cream and brown butter cake.
And for wine drinkers and aficionados alike, you can catch a buzz throughout your meal with a selection of organic, private-label wines spanning Europe. Orote has even listed pairing suggestions right on the menu so you know what sip will best complement the dish you decide to order.
No plans for ringing in 2022? Orote is offering a specially designed New Year’s Eve prix fixe menu if you’d like to celebrate with an upscale Korean dinner.
Head to the 276 Havelock Street spot from Wed – Sat 5 – 11 p.m.
It’s been a wonderful year for fashion in Toronto. With so many up-and-coming designers taking a chance at founding new companies, along with big moments for established fashion brands with local roots, this was a year of inspiration and taking risks with major payoffs. Here are our top five fashion stories of 2021.
When Miriam Baker’s first boutique opened in Bayview Village earlier this year, we spoke to Miriam Baker herself and plus-size fashion blogger and model Mariah Alderson about the need for size inclusivity in the fashion industry.
Our interview with Toronto mom Nyla Obaid about her pandemic-inspired kids clothing brand was one of our most-read fashion stories this year, and we’re not surprised! Lode Store, a secondhand shop curated by Obaid herself, is the perfect answer to buying for fast-growing kids without breaking the bank.
Toronto’s own Ellie Mae has been a celebrity-approved favourite since its inception in 2015. They announced their flagship studio location opening this year at 1096 Yonge St., and the team behind the brand spoke about operating as a fashion house during the pandemic, sourcing fabrics from Europe and their celebrity clientele.
Everyone wanted to read the news of Canada Goose’s first footwear line after the company acquired fellow Canadian footwear brand, Baffin, three years ago. The line includes two styles of shoes – a heavy-duty, Arctic ready snow boot in three different colours, and a more casual luxury hiking boot. Despite the hefty price tags, the line sold out quickly.
Vintage shops open and close pretty regularly in Toronto, but this King St. E. vintage streetwear shop had the added intrigue of a Raptors endorsement. When Northern Touch Vintage opened in the fall, owner Aly Jamal hosted a nightclub-style opening night and was visited by Fred VanVleet before the shop officially opened its doors.
“Of all the desserts that I make, financiers are one of my mom’s favourites. She is an avid tea drinker and enjoys pairing it with a simple dessert,” says Roselle co-owner Stephanie Duong of this pistachio financier recipe. “Although we don’t have it on our regular menu anymore, she always requests that I make it for her when she visits us.”
“The financier is a classic French tea cake and it’s easy to understand why it has stood the test of time,” adds Duong. “It’s an elegant afternoon treat to enjoy with tea. The recipe is simple and it produces a cake that is tender, buttery and not too sweet.”
Tip: Make sure you take the time to caramelize the butter properly — it should be just on the verge of burning. This will help give the tea cake lovely nutty nuance, crisp edges and a tender interior.
Ingredients
300 gicing sugar
115 gflour
110 galmond flour
4 gbaking powder
3 gsalt
275 gegg whites
165 gbrowned butter
80 gpistachio paste
30 ghoney
chopped pistachios or other nuts of choice, to taste
Method
Sift and whisk together all the dry ingredients. Whisk in egg whites.
Add slightly warm browned butter and stir to combine. Add honey and pistachio paste, stirring thoroughly.
Chill batter in the fridge for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F
Lightly spray mini muffin mould or any small cavity mould.
Fill batter ¾ of the way and sprinkle chopped pistachios or any desired nuts on top.
Bake for 13–15 minutes until edges are golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy! Baked financiers keep in an airtight container for up to three days or they freeze beautifully for a few weeks.
Even before we found ourselves knee-deep in a pandemic that refuses to quit, most kids were already spending a lot of time in front of a screen, whether playing video games online with friends, scrolling through social media or watching YouTube videos. Now though, after nearly two years of varying forms of social distancing, Zoom school and limited interactions with others, screens have even more of a hold on kids.
So how do we mitigate this and encourage kids to trade screen time for outdoor fun? There are a few tactics to try over the holidays and beyond.
Schedule regular “no tech” time and stick to it
It may sound simple, but sometimes implementing a new routine comes down to scheduling. Parenting expert and bestselling author of three parenting books, Alyson Schafer suggests building “no tech time” into your daily schedule and keeping to it. “Establishing routines and habits helps,” she says. “Kids have forgotten they like being outdoors, so create a list of activities with them that they can do with their friends or as a family. When it’s no tech time, you can refer to the list and see what they would like to do from the items you’ve already generated,” she explains.
Take advantage of the season
Winter may not have the same cachet as summer when it comes to favoured seasons, but it’s actually the perfect time to get the family outdoors. There are a host of free or low-cost activities to choose from, including ice skating, tobogganing, cross-country skiing, winter hikes, snowball fights, fort building and more. A fresh snowfall combined with a bit of imagination can equal a fun afternoon outdoors for kids of all ages.
Use technology to your advantage
The goal here may be to limit screen time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use technology as a helping hand. “For those who hate the outdoors and are seemingly tech addicted, you could try using apps that get kids outside,” Schafer suggests. “For example, Earth Rangers is an app about nature conservancy, and the app delivers activities that are conducted outside, mostly.”
Make it a joint effort
Depending on the age of your kids and how well you know their friends’ parents, getting kids off screens this winter can become a joint effort. “Kids want to be social, they want to go where the action is. Work with some of their friends’ parents to co-ordinate outside activities together,” Schafer says. Group activities like a toboggan party, an outing to a skating rink for shinny hockey or even a scavenger hunt on a hiking trail can all be simple ways to build in some much-needed time away from technology.
While ordering in Chinese food has become something of a holiday tradition, Japanese food is an equally popular choice.
With plenty of options to choose from, and party trays that can feed anywhere from two to multiple guests, sushi is the perfect meal to serve at your holiday gathering.
Unlike traditional sushi, aburi sushi incorporates the use of a flame to lightly sear the fish that’s placed on top of the rice. The end result not only enhances and brings out the natural flavours of the fish, but is aesthetically beautiful as well. Here are four spots in Toronto to consider trying aburi sushi over the holidays.
MIKU
Starting off where it all began, a single bite of Miku’s sushi will prove why it is the proud pioneer of aburi sushi here in Canada. Miku’s fresh sushi is torched to a precise degree of caramelization and topped with a thin slice of jalapeno, creating a careful balance of texture and flavour. Miku’s menu offers an aburi oshi sampler consisting of two pieces each of salmon, ebi and saba oshi, along with the option to turn any nigiri or sashimi sushi into aburi. At Miku, aburi is more than flame searing; it’s an art form.
10 Bay St., #105, currently open for dine-in, takeout, and delivery.
Project: Fish offers a range of platters perfect for feeding groups of all sizes. This Japanese restaurant uses the contemporary concept of the flame-seared style to put a twist on authentic Japanese sushi. Each piece is delicately made and uniquely garnished. Beautifully crafted, the aburi oshi chirashi tart, for example, is made with avocado nestled between layers of rice and spicy sashimi and topped with crabmeat and shrimp. Other aburi oshi menu items include a basil pesto sauce on black tiger shrimp and unagi on salmon and plum.
16 Park Home Ave., currently open for dine-in, takeout, or delivery.
This modern Japanese bistro sources fresh fish from coasts around the world, with a focus on reflecting the natural flavours of the traditional cuisine. JaBistro’s aburi oshi sushi includes a hotate (pressed scallop) and wagyu (pressed wagyu beef) alongside popular salmon, mackerel and shrimp options. The specialty namesake, the Jabistroll, is filled with salmon, snow crab, scallop, cucumber and tobiko. Diners who want to try a little of everything can order the Aburicious platter, which features a variety of JaBistro’s best flame-seared rolls.
222 Richmond St W., currently open for dine-in, takeout, or delivery.
Once you start eating sushi, it’s hard to stop, which is why there’s no better way to enjoy it than in all-you-can-eat style. Located downtown, Kaka offers menus of all you can eat or à la carte fare. Both menus feature an extensive list of aburi nigiri, including salmon, butterfish, beef and duck. Kaka’s signature oshi sushi features a filling of avocado and smoked salmon topped with salmon and scallop. Kaka also features plenty of options for vegetarian diners, including rolls filled with sweet potato, avocado, cucumber and mushroom.
655 Bay St., #5, currently open for dine-in or curbside pickup.
“Creamy burrata is one of my all-time favourite cheeses,” says Food Network star and chef Lynn Crawford. “It’s incredible with bread still warm from the grill and topped with this delicious, easy-to-prepare chutney.”
Chef Crawford says she first discovered white balsamic vinegar — a key ingredient of the chutney — while travelling through Italy. She has been hooked on the stuff ever since. “It adds a touch of sweetness and depth of flavour.”
Burrata crostini with tomato chutney
Serves 4
CHUTNEY
4 cups cherry tomatoes
2 sprigs oregano
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon’s grated zest
1⁄2 cup honey
1⁄2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 1⁄2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp chili flakes
1 vanilla bean, split
FOR THE BURRATA
1 clove garlic, peeled
4 slices rustic bread (about 3⁄4 inch thick)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 oz burrata
1⁄4 cup toasted pine nuts
4 basil leaves, torn to taste
sea salt and pepper, to taste
NOTE: Make the sweet and sour tomato chutney at least one day ahead so it has plenty of time to marinate. If desired, you can swap out the burrata for mozzarella or another soft cheese like a brie or Camembert.
PREPPING THE CHUTNEY
1. Put the tomatoes and oregano in a large bowl.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the remaining chutney ingredients; stir together with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and pour over the tomatoes and oregano. Stir to combine. Cool to room temperature, then cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
PREPPING THE CROSTINI
1. To serve the crostini, gently crush the garlic clove and rub over one side of each of the bread slices.
2. Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil. Toast the bread on a grill or in a skillet over medium-high heat until golden and crisp on both sides. Transfer to a platter.
3. Break the burrata roughly with your hands and divide it among the toast slices. Spoon some of the tomato chutney over the cheese and garnish with the pine nuts and basil. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and serve.
Executive chef Ryusuke Nakagawa has created a series of bespoke tiers that are presented in traditional ojubako vessels. All three tiers contain an assortment of fresh fish from around the world, expertly sliced and delicately balanced atop rice and finished with garnishes that include truffle sauce, black caviar, edible florals, and more. Aburi Hana‘s New Year’s Eve Oju dinner contains more than 100 pieces of sushi and sashimi, and all comes wrapped in furoshiki (traditional Japanese wrapping cloths) and costs $800. Wine pairings can be added to your takeout offer, with select pairings starting at $140.
Plant-based Italian eatery, Gia, is offering a set three-course NYE menu for two, priced at $145. You can choose from a vegan and vegetarian menu, but both options include a selection of shareables like focaccia, meatballs, and baby gem salad, a main (choose from porcini agnolotti or vegan lasagna), and two desserts, which include chocolate budino and olive oil cake. A series of add-ons, like additional sides, as well as beer and wine can all be added to your takeout order.
Pink Sky‘s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang menu is available for dine-in ($125) and takeout ($95) and is a four-course send-off to 2021. For the first course, diners can choose from lobster bisque, beef tartare, shrimp cocktail, or the wedge salad. The main course presents options including the lobster mac and cheese, a 10oz tenderloin steak, mushroom wellington, or a whole grilled branzino garnished with lemon, olive oil, and salsa verde. Next, you get to pick a side, with the choice of fresh-cut fries, charred broccolini, or roasted mushrooms. For dessert, take your pick from a black forest mousse, tropical cheesecake with coconut and passionfruit, or the maple tart.
One of the most beloved sushi spots in North York (based out of Yorkdale Mall), Tora’s massive sushi and app platters have you covered for entertaining at home. Tora’s holiday takeout appetizers include kaiso salad, cucumber kimchi, ebi fritters (four pieces), beef sukiyak (two pieces), and pork katsu (two pieces). The sushi platter includes a variety of popular rolls, like the California roll, albacore oshi, and salmon nigiri. Tora’s holiday appetizer and sushi platter costs $140, or you can purchase them separately for $95 and $55.
Takeout orders close at 8 p.m. For more information, click here.
When you sit down for a big holiday meal, there’s a good chance there’s a stuffed turkey involved. Chef Jason Do of Miku shares a recipe for a turkey dinner on a smaller scale. He cooks up turkey legs which cut down the roasting time and make for a better tasting bird since all the pieces are the same. Chef Do has made this particular dish for the crew at Miku during a holiday staff meal. It was received so well that it’s become a staff favourite. Here is his recipe for the ultimate holiday comfort food.
TURKEY • turkey leg, boneless, skin on (2.5lbs)
• soft room temperature butter for basting
• canola oil for searing
STUFFING STEPS
1. Slightly toast the ciabatta bread in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes. Just enough to dry out most of the bread. Set aside in a mixing bowl.
2. Place butter into a medium size frying pan over medium to high heat.
3. Once the butter has melted, add in the bacon. Fry the bacon and render out the fat. The edges should be slightly crispy.
4. Add in the onions, celery and leeks. Continue to sauté the ingredients until the onions turn translucent.
5. Add in shiitake mushrooms and continue to sauté for about 5 mins.
6. Turn off the heat and add the sage and toss it through.
7. Add the sautéed vegetables to the bowl with the ciabatta bread.
8. Add in the chicken stock and thoroughly mix all the ingredients together. The goal is to have all that bread soak up all the flavours of the stock and vegetables.
9. Season the mix with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
TURKEY STEPS 1. Place the turkey leg on your cutting board skin side down.
2. Butterfly the turkey leg so it becomes as flat as possible.
3. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on top and then using a meat mallet pound and even out any other areas of the turkey legs to get it to about 2–3cm thickness.
4. Lightly season the inside of the turkey leg with salt and pepper.
5. Spread the stuffing over the meat, leaving a half-inch border.
6. Roll turkey leg with the stuffing to form a long cylinder, try to keep the stuffing in the centre of the leg as you roll. To get a more uniform shape, place the leg onto a long piece of plastic wrap and roll it again to hold its shape.
7. Twist the two ends of the plastic wrap to tighten the leg and tie them off with string or butcher’s twine.
8. Place in the fridge for about 3 hours or overnight.
9. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
10. Unwrap the leg from the plastic wrap being very careful to keep the cylinder shape.
11. Using string or butcher’s twine tie off the turkey leg in 5 spots.
12. Season the turkey with salt and pepper on all sides.
13. Put canola oil in a hot pan and sear the turkey on all sides to get a nice golden colour.
14. Remove the turkey from the pan and place it into the oven for about 1.5 to 2 hours or until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165°F.
15. Using a brush, be sure to baste the turkey with room temperature butter every 20 to 30 mins.
16. Once it is done let the turkey rest for about 10 to 15 minutes so that the juices can be absorbed back into the meat.
17. Remove the string and slice the turkey into about 3 cm slices.
18. Serve alongside your favorite holiday vegetables and your own house-made gravy.
Also, check out Aburi at Home for the ultimate take out experience.
In spite of everything that’s happened this year to the hospitality industry (one of the longest in-door dining bans in North America, lockdown restrictions, food inflation costs, supply chain shortages—we could go on and on), plenty of new restaurants still managed to successfully open their doors in 2021.
From fine dining to casual snack spots, the sheer culinary talent of some of the city’s best chefs are on full display at these new eateries.
Without further ado, here are our top ten new restaurants to pay a visit to in the new year.
Cà Phê Rang
Located in Chinatown at the corner of Spadina Avenue and Richmond Street West, Cà Phê Rang is Toronto’s newest bánh mì restaurant. The humble Vietnamese eatery is a new collaboration between renowned chefs Matty Matheson, the familiar face behind smash burger spot Matty’s Patty’s Burger Club and Maker Pizza, and Rang Nguyen, former head chef at Le Sèlect Bistro. With winter weather in full swing, Cà Phê Rang is the go-to spot for warm pho soups and bánh mì sandwiches.
Start by sipping a savoury bowl of beef and brisket pho garnished with crisp bean sprouts, diced green onions and red chilies. Next, bite into a slow-cooked beef brisket topped with fresh slices of cucumber and sprigs of parsley, and don’t forget to dunk it in one of the eatery’s many homemade sauces. Like any good snack bar, Cà Phê Rang also serves a small selection of sides, like bite-sized khai vi (spring rolls) that can be ordered in prawn or shiitake mushroom varieties, among others.
— 147 Spadina Ave., currently available for dine-in or takeout only.
Crosley’s
Run by internationally renowned chef and sommelier J. P. Adamo (co-owner of Bar Piquette), Crosley’s restaurant officially opened in January 2021. The changing menu of small share plates is simple and distinctly Canadian with a European-inspired twist. Chef Joachim (Joe) Hayward previously worked as the head chef at the now-closed Brothers Food & Wine in Yorkville, where he met fellow Crosley’s chef Myles Harrison. Their partnering with J.P. and Laura Adamo has the end result of a personalized approach to fine dining.
The seasonal menu is rife with distinctly Canadian, nationally sourced items with an international twist, courtesy of tasting trips to London, Italy and Paris. Recent dishes have included Albacore tuna filet topped with caper berries, bone marrow croutons guindilla peppers, tomato and fresh rosemary, as well as the treviso radicchio salad mixed with grilled grapes, chestnuts and ricotta salata with a red wine vinegar dressing. In true Canadian fashion, less commonly seen meats have also made their way onto the menu, with dishes like the rabbit terrine and sweetbreads done with sun choke and onion soubise, pickled maitake mushrooms and roasted pearl onions glazed in chicken stock recently on offer.
— 214 Ossington Ave., currently available for dine-in or curbside pickup.
Fonda Balam
Home to the city’s best birria-style tacos, Fonda Balam is a reincarnation of the former Birria Balam and was recently opened by former Quetzal chefs Julio Guajardo and Kate Chomyshyn, alongside celebrity chef Matty Matheson. The trendy Mexican eatery specializes in serving up a daily dose of birria-style tacos, which originate from the Mexican state of Jalisco. Fonda Balam’s affordable menu pays tribute to homey comfort foods and street food classics and was inspired by Guajardo’s native homeland of León, Guanajuato, and the couple’s many trips back to Mexico over the years.
Alongside a series of mouth-watering tacos that can be ordered crispy or soft, expect to find a selection of quesadillas, made with fresh house-made corn tortillas and filled with fresh ingredients like pico de gallo, cilantro, onion, guacamole, and a selection of house-made red or green salsas. Fonda Balam’s cocktail menu fuses classics, like the Cuba libre (rum, tamarind, Mexican Coca-Cola, and lime) with in-house creations like Fonda Margarita (tequila, cointreau, lime and agave syrup).
— 802 Dundas St. W., currently available for dine-in only.
MIMI Chinese
MIMI Chinese is the newest and hottest restaurant to open in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. The sophisticated eatery is the brick-and-mortar sister restaurant to wildly popular pop-up Sunny’s Chinese, opened by David Schwartz and his talented team. The dimly lit and moody interior is flanked by plush, red velvet booths where waiters dressed in starched, white dress shirts expertly finish dishes tableside.
The menu features a carefully curated selection of small and large sharing plates that are a nod to the southern regions of China. Chef specials include the Hunan Chili Sea Bass done with house fermented chilies, Fujian wine and flowering chive, as well as the succulent signature Black Pepper Beef, which uses an 18 oz. boneless rib eye, black pepper sauce and onion. Chinese ingredients are also at the heart of the cocktail menu, where many libations riff on classic drink recipes, like the Mimi Manhattan, which mimics the traditional whisky cocktail by adding Cantonese rice wine to the usual rye and Italian vermouth combo.
— 265 Davenport Rd., currently available for dine-in only.
Osteria Giulia
Osteria Giulia, owned by former Top Chef Canada contestant and chef Rob Rossi, brings coastal northern Italian fare (and flair) to Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Designed by Guido Costantino, Osteria’s interior is hyper minimalist, featuring natural wood and wicker dining chairs, pale hardwood floors and a modern wood-panelled bar that’s stocked with spirits from around the world.
According to Rossi, the inspiration for the seasonal menu was to breathe new life into some classic Italian dishes but still keep them very simple and honest. The anchovy and whipped butter toast, for example, is a nod to traditional bruschetta and is topped with roasted garlic and crispy capers instead of diced tomatoes. Over at the bar, Iain Codona has created a cocktail program that aims to highlight the same fresh approach Rossi has taken with the food menu. The Messicano, for example, Osteria Giulia’s top seller, is a tequila-based cocktail that blends green Chartreuse, mint and basil cordial, a hint of lime juice and a refreshing piece of sliced cucumber.
— 134 Avenue Rd., currently available for dine-in or takeout only.
Pai Uptown
With more than five successful restaurants under her belt, Pai Uptown is the latest culinary venture from Thai chef Nuit Regular and her husband and business partner, Jeff Regular. The original Pai restaurant, located at 18 Duncan St., is named after a small town in northern Thailand where Nuit and Jeff met. Pai Uptown is bold and bright and represents the culinary couple’s biggest restaurant to date, with a 12,000-square-foot space that is spread across two storeys.
Despite the new neighbourhood, the menu at the midtown spot still features the unadulterated version of Thai cooking that Regular is known for. Expect to find a selection of delicious curries, like the gaeng kiaw wan (green curry), served with bamboo shoots, makrut lime leaves, basil leaves and coconut milk, and other Thai staples like chef Nuit’s famous pad Thai, cooked in her house-made tamarind–palm sugar sauce, and the khao soi (fresh egg noodles stirred into a thick, golden coconut curry).
— 2335 Yonge St., currently available for dine-in, takeout or delivery via Uber Eats and SkipTheDishes.
Pink Sky
Pink Sky is a buzzy new sea-to-fork restaurant whose thoughtful, pared-down approach to seafood shines the spotlight on the natural flavours of its high-quality ingredients. Large windows running along the front of the restaurant offer views of the King West strip, and the rear of the space features a sparkling open kitchen framed by a display of fresh seafood.
With stunning raw bar platters and handsome decor balanced by an old-school rock soundtrack and comfort foods like beer-battered fish and chips, Pink Sky exudes easygoing elegance. The raw bar menu, which changes daily based on what’s freshest, features beautiful platters and towers piled with oysters, shrimp, mussels, lobster and other off-the-boat fare, served either raw or grilled with a simple finish of lemon, olive oil and sea salt. The menu is rounded out by delicately flavoured desserts, and there is also a comprehensive drink program that features cocktails, wines and beers.
— 480 King St. W., currently available for dine-in only.
Selva
Selva is an immersive, multi-sensory, and colourful new restaurant run by Thai chef Nuit Regular, who’s known for a handful of other restaurants across the city including the new Pai Uptown, Kiin, and Khao San Road. Selva, which translates to jungle from Spanish, features massive murals of contemporary art, black lights, lots of tropical plants, and plenty of visually stimulating experiences.
Most of the dishes on the menu are small plates that are meant to be shared with the whole table. Expect to find a variety of meat and seafood dishes, including four kinds of ceviche (fish, scallop, lobster, and vegan coconut), grilled whole fish, Waygu beef skewers, and plenty of apps. The menu also features a variety of vegetarian, vegan and keto-friendly items.
— 221 Richmond St. W., currently open for dine-in only.
Toronto Beach Club
Set on Woodbine Beach with views of Lake Ontario, Toronto Beach Club aims to evoke the vibe of a European coastal getaway with its airy decor and Mediterranean-influenced menu. With warm breezes drifting through the indoor-outdoor space, evocative oud music playing over the speakers and the glistening lake visible on the horizon, Toronto Beach Club truly does feel a world away from the city.
The menu is fresh and citrus-forward, with many dishes cooked over a charcoal grill. There’s an extensive selection of mezze and seafood, along with salads, a raw bar and grilled meats. The tangy, barrel-aged Greek feta, for example, is complemented by an herby mix of caper leaf and mountain oregano, plus zesty lemon. An understated finish of lemon and olive oil allows the natural flavour of the juicy, yogurt-marinated Ontario lamb chops to shine. A wide range of champagne available by the glass and bottle is among the highlights of Toronto Beach Club’s drinks menu. The wider wine menu offers a mix of old and new world bottles, while the cocktail menu features refreshing spritzes, riffs on the classic martini and many vermouth-based drinks.
— 1681 Lakeshore Blvd. E., currently open for dine-in or curbside pickup only.
20 Victoria
20 Victoria. Photo: @micahpolowin
Restaurant 20 Victoria marks the much-anticipated return of Chris White and Jonathan Nicolaou, who closed their critically acclaimed restaurant Brothers Food & Wine just over a year ago during the pandemic. Like their erstwhile Yorkville bistro set above Bay Street station, Restaurant 20 Victoria is intimate and deceptively humble, with just 20 seats. Expect the six-course set tasting menu to build upon the style of cooking that Brothers was known for, which means a focus on seasonal ingredients and simple yet nuanced flavours.
Although the menu adjusts seasonally, and often on a whim, recent highlights have included locally sourced striped bass fished from the Eel Ground First Nation, braised oxtail and cod cheeks. Top-notch wine pairings can also be added to the meal, alongside a well-rounded bottle list. Restaurant 20 Victoria has also started offering private parties in the bar room, where an à la carte menu and wine list are on offer.
— 20 Victoria St., currently available for dine-in only.
Though he is one of the most famous international action stars of the last thirty years, Keanu Reeves hasn’t forgotten his hometown roots. Having grown up in Toronto, Reeves returned to be inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, while also attending the premiere of The Matrix Resurrections at the Scotiabank Theatre on Dec. 17. During his induction speech, Reeves mentioned countless of his childhood Toronto haunts, reminiscing on fond memories and formative experiences.
“I would not be here if not for where I came from,” he shared in his speech, making Torontonians all over the city swoon.
His speech was a complete ode to Toronto, from the good (the Toronto Reference Library) to the bad (the TTC). If you’re interested in taking a Keanu-themed tour of Toronto, through his eyes, here are all the places he shouts out in his speech, plus a few more fun pieces of Keanu trivia.
While growing up in Yorkville, this is the street on which Reeves’ family lived.
Jesse Ketchum Public School
This was Keanu’s elementary school from kindergarten to Grade 8,
Ramsden and Rosedale Parks
Reeves mentions these parks where he and his friends used to go.
Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
Reeves mentioned watching this luxury hotel being built during his childhood.
North Toronto Collegiate Institute
This is the first high school Reeves attended, while his friends predominantly went to Northern Secondary School and Jarvis Collegiate Institute.
Canadian Tire
Even Canada’s resident home hardware chain got an honourable mention from Reeves. “For supplies, hockey equipment, wheels and axles for the go-carts,” he noted in his speech.
Etobicoke School of the Arts
At ESA, where Reeves moved to in Grade 11 after auditioning, he made his initial strides in order to more formally pursue his acting career.
De La Salle College
Eric Nesterenko. Keanu Reeves as a 13 year old used to deliver the Toronto Star to our house in downtown Toronto. Really nice kid. Played hockey where I coached and he work with us a few summers as he got into his later teens. Loved hockey but loved acting more. pic.twitter.com/kDTUepC8H8
This Avenue Road high school is where Reeves was the goalie for the school’s senior boys’ hockey team, earning the nickname “The Wall” and also the season’s MVP award.
Avondale Alternative Secondary School
This high school allowed Reeves to both be enrolled in school while also taking on more roles during the year.
Pastissima
Keanu Reeves famously worked at this former Italian restaurant on Yonge Street before kicking off his acting career officially.
Toronto Reference Library
Reeves credits this library as where he was able to foster his love of the arts.
The TTC
“I rode a lot of buses and streetcars,” Reeves mentions in his speech, which is exactly how any of us would describe our experience with Toronto transit without being too negative.
Bloor Cinema, University Theatre, Eglinton Theatre, Revue Cinema
There are numerous theatres in Toronto that evidently left a strong impression on Reeves, including the now closed University Theatre and the Eglinton Grand.
Theatre Passe Muraille
The first professional play in which Reeves acted, Brad Fraser’s Wolfboy, was performed here in 1984.
Leah Posluns Theatre
It was this North York theatre where Reeves played Mercutio in a 1985 production of Romeo and Juliet.
Spadina Avenue
When he first arrived in Hollywood, Reeves’ manager asked him to change his name. What did he suggest? Chuck Spadina.
Jen Agg sits on the patio outside her Bar Vendetta and, when a guy walks by asking her if the food here is any good, she says, “It’s OK. I think there’s a few good things on the menu.”
What Agg doesn’t do — what she never does — is pander, not to the press, not to her colleagues and not to potential customers. Agg is arguably the most influential, and most famous restaurateur in Toronto. Author of I Hear She’s a Real Bitch, Agg launched the Black Hoof in 2008 and has since launched Rhum Corner, Cocktail Bar and Grey Gardens. Along the way, she helped make Grant van Gameren, her original chef, into a star.
Today, sitting out on her patio over a glass of wine, Agg says the restaurant scene in Toronto is in dire straits.
“There’s no shortage of people who want to dine in restaurants right now, but there’s a huge staffing problem,” she says, mentioning the roughly 180,000 people in Canada who’ve left the restaurant industry since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. “If one person quits at any of our restaurants, we’re so close to the precipice that everything would fall apart.”
Inside Grey Gardens, one of Jen Agg’s restaurants in the city.
Calling it quits
There are reasons why folks are leaving the business. The bad behavior in the industry, most recently exemplified in the Buca empire — where bad pay, brutal hours and demeaning bosses were tolerated, if not exalted, for years — has cast a dark spell over the once-glamorous profession. In addition, the recent bankruptcy filings of major multimillion-dollar corporations, like the McEwan Group, show that restaurants aren’t really doing that well.
“Turns out, they’re not that good businessmen. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe the finance bros made some bad bets,” says Agg, who uses the term “bro,” dismissively, to describe the abusive culture and people she’s been rallying against for years.
“If a company is $46 million in debt, maybe they’re not that good at this, but the fact that they could blatantly get away with it for so long is proof of what we value culturally and the kind of people we’re willing to support and lift up. For a long time, it was white dudes — especially in this industry.”
The industry is no doubt going through changes, and this is both a response to COVID-19 and a changing of the guard. Popularized by Anthony Bourdain, who loved Agg’s restaurant and whom Agg loved — she can recite his writings by heart — the rock star chef created a new food culture. Agg benefited, as did Bourdain, but the imitators dragged restaurants down and brought with it — or made more pronounced — a toxic stench. Agg knows that culture shifts. Perhaps restaurants were always due for a comeuppance.
Jen Agg
“How the art world dominated pop culture in the ’80s happened with restaurants in the early 2000s,” explains Agg, “but there was always going to be a time when people were rolling their eyes at chefs they used to think were cool. I’m rolling my eyes and have been for a long time.”
New trends will emerge
Heading into the holiday season in unprecedented times, Agg thinks the big dining trend will be luxe. She says her average bills per table are going up — “People are balling out on wine” — and although it brings her no pleasure, she says, to prophesize what’s next, she believes that neighbourhood spots are in danger.
“Fine dining is busier than ever. Grey Gardens is packed every single night, and rich people are still rich, maybe even richer, but it’s the smaller restaurants that are in trouble,” she says, citing the local pub or great Ethiopian place as smaller businesses who might miss out on the new dining trend. “I’m really worried about the casual restaurants, but I’m not worried about the chains — they’ll be fine, a few of those links will always stay floating around.”
a sample dish from Grey Gardens.
Trends that Agg sees floating around in the Toronto dining ether are sweetbreads and less of an emphasis on vegetables. As she once made charcuterie ubiquitous in Toronto, she now says that overall food programs have evolved.
“Vegetables were ignored for a long time and then vegetarian food was cool and good for the planet and everyone’s serving plates of vegetables, which is wonderful, but it was a trend vibe and I feel like that’s waning,” she says. “This decade, we’re moving away from that and, sadly, I think luxury and opulence are the next big thing.”
What’s next?
As big things come and go, Agg remains dedicated to her passion, despite bad actors, for restaurants and food. Later this evening, she’s going to Scaramouche, Keith Froggett’s fine dining restaurant that she used to enjoy with her parents and where she hosted a reception after losing her mom. Restaurants still mean everything to her. She goes to Foxley and Imanishi, often by herself, and she sees opening places as her lifeblood.
“I don’t have active plans to open another restaurant, but I always want to open another restaurant,” she says, with a laugh.
Next up for Agg could be another book, another restaurant or shepherding in the next great food star, trend or pop culture moment. But she’s not changing her approach.
“Are there any other patios you could recommend?” the man in front of Vendetta asks her. “No,” she says, “Only this one.”
TikTok, the video-sharing app known for its viral dance challenges is expanding onto the food scene.
You may have tried one of the recipes popularized on the app, like the baked feta pasta or the sweet and creamy dalgona coffee that went viral in 2021. In fact, food videos are incredibly popular on TikTok with clips using #TikTokFood racking up more than 44 billion views.
Now, the algorithm won’t be the only thing serving up these delicious and easy-to-make eats.
Baked Feta Pasta. Photo: @mamikochtfueruns
In 2022, Tik Tok is slated to open up 300 delivery-only restaurant kitchens in partnership with Virtual Dining Concepts, the company behind Mariah Carey’s virtual bakery “Mariah’s Cookies.”
The social media-inspired delivery kitchens will be serving up a few staple food items as well as a revolving menu that changes based on what’s trending on the app.
Nature’s Cereal. Photo: @sarah.jherman
Expect dishes like nature’s cereal, originally posted by Sherwayne Mears (@natures_food) and popularized by Lizzo after she recreated the simple recipe – quite literally just blueberries, blackberries, and pomegranate seeds topped with coconut water – and broadcasted it to her over 13 million followers.
Twisted Bacon. Photo: @made.by.millenials
Looking for something heartier for breakfast? Try @lowcarbstateofmind’s twisted bacon, where the slice of meat is simply twisted to resemble a straight line, then cooked to crispy perfection for about 20 minutes in the oven.
Unfortunately, these social media-approved menu items will only be available in the United States for now, but with the plan to expand to over 1,000 locations opened nationwide by the end of 2022, there may be a good chance one or two make their way north of the border.
