Demand for home renovations has reached an “unprecedented” level, but the COVID-19 pandemic has caused supply shortages that are driving up costs.
General contractor Mike Lawrance said that supply shortages and high demand have sent home renovation costs up at least 10 to 15 per cent over the last year.
He said that shortages for building material, such as copper, lumber, pipe, insulation and drywall, began last year at the start of the pandemic due to factory shutdowns and shipping bottlenecks.
At the same time, demand skyrocketed to “unprecedented” levels as more people looked to improve their homes that they were now spending more time in.
The industry has been unable to catch up to demand since those initial shortages, according to Lawrance.
“All the different components that go into these projects are all more expensive, and all harder to obtain,” he said. “Collectively, that’s what’s killing project budgets.”
Natalie Preddie is one homeowner who has experienced the rising costs firsthand. She initially got a quote for her full home renovation in the summer of 2020 and was warned that costs might rise.
Beginning in 2021, that increase came to pass and ended up setting Preddie back thousands of dollars extra for the same or less work than she initially planned.
“You don’t want to know that you’re getting less for your money,” she said. “You want to know that you can really stretch your dollar as far as you can, and [right now] it’s just impossible, which, of course, is frustrating.”
Preddie ended up deciding not to finish her basement and renovate her front porch, and is still waiting for a refrigerator that has been delayed.
Looking forward, one industry expert is hopeful that production capacity will be able to catch up with demand.
“At these prices, I can tell you that any manufacturer who can produce lumber will be doing so,” said Ian Dunn, the president and CEO of the Ontario Forest Industries Association. “As more capacity comes over the line, as more numbers are produced, we will see an easing of prices over time. It’s just how long that will take, I’m not too sure.”
Charlie Iscoe and Laya Bail started Sunday Farms during the pandemic
Charlie Iscoe and Laya Bail spent years in high-paced New York careers in finance and luxury fashion marketing, respectively, so it might be surprising to hear they started a company devoted to providing sustainably raised, non-GMO, local farm-to-table meat through subscription boxes in the GTA.
“[Laya and I] started to have this crazy idea of just leaving it all behind and travelling around the world before having kids and all that and just sort of thinking: if there was another career for ourselves, one that was fuelled by our passions,” Iscoe says.
So they took that trip and discovered the deep connection between good food, local agriculture and the artisans making it possible. Then the pandemic hit, and they decided to pack up a U-Haul and trek from New York to Creemore, Ont., to Bail’s family farm.
“In the first few weeks that we started planting and eating off the land, we were just dumbfounded to realize that the same passionate and amazing agriculture that we’d just spent months chasing around the world was quite literally in our own childhood backyard this entire time,” says Iscoe.
Meanwhile, Iscoe’s brother Alex had already formed relationships with pasture-raised meat farms because he was frustrated with the lack of options in the city. A frustration shared by friends Iscoe chatted with in Toronto. That’s when Sunday Farms was formed.
Iscoe says his time in high school at Upper Canada College helped lay the foundation he needed when starting a business.
“It helped me understand that this is the opportunity, this is what the long-term business plan could look like,” he says.
The company offers a subscription-based service, which will deliver a package of your chosen meat selection every month or two months.
“We created our own checklist for what we cared about and what we would want to feed our own family,” Iscoe says.
Then they started calling farms in Ontario and going through that checklist, which included ensuring animals were pasture raised, never fed GMOs or given antibiotics or hormones and ensuring all beef is 100 per cent grass fed. They also looked for farms devoted to agricultural integrity, animal welfare and regenerative practices.
“We believe that less than two per cent of beef across Canada is actually pasture raised and 100 per cent grass fed,” Iscoe explains.
Sunday Farms currently has a database of more than 100 small family farms that they will reach out to as demand increases. Iscoe and Bail regularly visit the farms and have frequent conversations with the farmers.
“Our biggest value-added here is that we are helping farms grow by just educating consumers and finding this demand for them in the cities,” he says.
It has been a long hard road for Toronto’s incredible live music scene, but one of the oldest and most iconic of them all, the Horseshoe Tavern, is doing what it can for music lovers in the city despite it all with the just-announced concert series Chill-O-Rama.
Running July 15-17 the series will include performances by Jim Cuddy Band, Stars, Skydiggers, The Sadies, and Elliott Brood live on stage at the CityView Drive-In in addition to a livestream option for viewers to watch at home.
All drive-in and live stream ticket holders will have access to watch a rebroadcast of the show for 10 days after the original event.
Pre-sale tickets are on sale this morning, with general tickets going on sale May 14.
On July 15, the Jim Cuddy Band will play with opening act the Arc Sound. On July 16, Stars will play with opening act Ellis. On July 17, there will be a triple bill with the bands Skydiggers, The Sadies, and Elliott Brood.
“Chill-O-Rama financially supports the bands, their crews, local technicians and videographers, and the venues while the stage is dark and in lockdown, during a full year of COVID-19,” a press release read.
Vandals targeted two locations of small independent clothing boutique Coal Miner’s Daughter this past weekend. On Saturday night, a concrete block was thrown through the display window of the Roncesvalles location, and the Leslieville location was broken into on Sunday.
“After an already really challenging last 15 months, nine of which where we have been fully closed and working as hard as possible to keep up with expenses. This is a new blow and a new low,” wrote the owners in a Facebook post following the first break-in at the Roncesvalles location. “We will get through it as we have been, one step at a time.”
In response to the attacks, the team at Cookery, a neighbouring business on Roncesvalles, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the boutique pay for the damages. So far, more than $8,000 of the $10,000 goal has been raised.
“All small businesses have been struggling severely due to COVID. Trying to survive despite being locked down to customer entry, trying to shift everything online, and trying to avoid missing a rent payment, takes everything we have,” reads the statement on the GoFundMe page. “With rising insurance premiums and increasing costs for glass and steel — this will be a blow a small business cannot handle alone.”
The owners of the Coal Miner’s Daughter are currently working on cleaning up the broken glass and repairing the damages. They hope to be ready to reopen in time for the end of the Ontario stay-at-home order later this month.
After the break-in at the Leslieville location, the owners posted an update to Facebook stating the police don’t currently believe the incidents are connected.
“That was a really intense last 22 hours. The police don’t think they could be connected and we weren’t the only ones hit tonight in the area,” read the post from early Monday morning.
Coal Miner’s Daughter has four locations across Toronto, including one in the Junction area, one on Roncesvalles, one in Leslieville and one on Queen Street West. Donate to the GoFundMe page here or shop online at coalminersdaughter.ca.
We round up some of the go-to comfort foods that have been getting us through the ongoing lockdown.
BEST ‘ZA
AMBASSADOR PIZZA CO.
Ambassador Pizza Co. has introduced Toronto to the unusual but much-loved Windsor-style pie. Signature toppings in the Rose City include canned mushrooms and lots of shredded pepperoni.
GHOST PIZZA
A pivot by West Queen West drinkery Bar Poet, Ghost Pizza features pies finished with creative toppings like shrimp rose with garlic spread, as well as tried-and-true classics like the Margherita.
ONE NIGHT ONLY
Fortunately for fans, this formerly home-based pizza operation will soon be available much more often than a single night per week now that it has found a permanent home in Riverdale for its classic, thin-crust pies.
MEL’S PIZZA
Mel’s self-proclaimed Canadian-style pizza features a thin, crispy yet fluffy crust and high-quality toppings. Mel’s regularly offers “secret pizzas,” which can be ordered using a password accessible on Instagram.
BEST BURGERS
MATTY’S PATTY’S
Chef Matty Matheson’s burger joint features single, double or triple patties made from locally-raised AAA beef. There’s a plant-based Impossible Burger option for vegetarians and flexitarians.
EXTRA BURGER
Specializing in smash burgers before the craze took hold of Toronto, this unfussy joint is known for flat top–cooked burgers doused in a signature sauce, as well as perfectly salty, crinkle-cut fries.
AUNTY LUCY’S
Started as a wildly popular Parkdale pop-up, Aunty Lucy’s now has a permanent home in the Annex Hotel. Their standard burger is the Kumasi, a single smash patty topped with American cheese and Lucy’s Sauce.
HAPPY BURGER
Another simple smash burger done right, Happy’s version is smashed on a griddle and served on a toasted Martin’s potato roll as a basic patty or with added toppings like steamed pastrami.
We highlight some of the local figures who helped support important Toronto restaurant industry causes this year.
JEN AGG The always-outspoken restaurateur has garnered support via social media for industry issues, ranging from paid sick days for hospitality workers to the negative impacts of SkipTheDishes partnership with the LCBO.
VICTOR BARRY The Piano Piano owner partnered with chefs Vikram Vij and Dan Geltner to launch the Canadian Hospitality Worker Relief Fund, which has provided over $1 million in grants to restaurant workers.
STEPHANIE LUI-VALENTIM With the goal of addressing systemic inequities found in the hospitality industry, siblings Trevor Lui and Stephanie Lui-Valentim founded Quell, a culinary talent agency dedicated to under-represented voices.
JOHN SINOPOLI The co-founder of Ascari helped launch SaveHospitality.ca, a coalition of independent Canadian restaurateurs aimed at unifying the voices of the hospitality industry and lobbying the government for support.
Off Menu
THE SUPPORTING CAST
These are some of the many brands and companies that gave back to the restaurant industry during a difficult season.
OFF MENU This merchandise initiative gives diners a new way to support restaurants by producing and selling branded T-shirts and hoodies from local faves like the Federal. All profits are donated back to the restaurants.
CORBY Building on an earlier $100,000 donation made in partnership with Diageo Canada, the spirit company donated $100,000 to the Bartenders Benevolent Fund, which is expected to benefit over 400 bartenders.
BRANDING AND BUZZING The marketing agency launched Canada Takeout, an ongoing campaign that encourages Canadians to support their local restaurants by ordering takeout every Wednesday.
CNECTING Founded by Not 9 to 5, a non-profit dedicated to mental health advocacy for the food service sector, CNECTing is a new online educational platform aimed at supporting mental wellness for restaurant workers.
The past year has brought a never-ending series of challenges for Toronto’s restaurant industry. The ongoing strife, however, has driven innovation. Looking back at the past year, it’s truly amazing that restaurants have been able to stay open at all, let alone manage to delight and surprise us with multi-course takeout tasting menus, thoughtful cocktail kits, chef-driven markets, and countless other groundbreaking transformations.
BEST DATE NIGHT
There’s a passion and vibrancy to Italian spot La Palma’s interior that might seem impossible to replicate at home — until one samples its simple but sumptuous take-away menu, lights a candle or two, puts on a record, and dims the lights. Talk is easy even though your mouths are sure to be full when splitting the cacio e pepe pizza or, perhaps, the 100-layer lasagna. Smooth tiramisù for dessert will seal the deal.
BEST FINE DINING
One of the city’s top restaurants, contemporary French hot spot Alo offers weekly five-course menus to be devoured at home that are as detailed and carefully constructed as if you were nestled in the restaurant’s sorely missed dining area. With dishes ranging from black striped sea bass crudo to cavatelli pasta to east coast scallop and pork belly, this is the definition of fine dining – at home.
THE MICHELIN MAN Even in takeout form, Sushi Masaki Saito continues to offer one of Toronto’s best dining experiences. The restaurant has hosted several limited-time takeout pop-ups over the past year featuring omakase boxes hand prepared by the Michelin-starred chef.
Takeout from Sushi Masaki Saito
BEST MEAL KITS Konjiki Ramen is making it possible to enjoy its Michelin-recognized ramen in the comfort of home with its new frozen ramen kits. Each of the two kit options comes with three sets of ramen noodles, soups, and toppings, with smokey black tonkotsu and spicy miso ramen among the choices available. Diners can also add on extra savoury toppings like pork chashu and braised pork belly.
BEST BOTTLE SHOP Babel temporarily paused its food takeout service last November, but its pop-up bottle shop is still going strong. It features a well-curated selection of wine, beer, cocktail kits and spirits, including exclusive spirits, made in partnership with Dillon’s distillery, for its sister restaurants Canoe and Maison Selby. Auberge du Pommier’s manager and wine educator, Anna Jarosz, offers free virtual wine consultations.
BEST NEW CHINESE Toronto is home to hundreds of Chinese restaurants, but Sunny’s Chinese, a not-so-secret pop-up, takes the top spot. The menu can’t be found online — you’ll have to sign up for the newsletter to receive it. Menus feature dishes that honour regional origins. Past menu items have included twice-cooked pork with long pepper, Chinese-style dumplings, scallion and ginger snapper and stir-fried bok choy with garlic sauce.
BEST RESTO-TURNED-MARKET Local Public Eatery was one of the first adopters of the restaurant-turned-market concept and continues to offer an excellent selection of goods for home cooks. Dubbed the Local Corner Store, the Leaside restaurant features signature ingredients like fire-roasted salsa and garlic chili sauce, as well as DIY meal kits and heat-and-eat dishes like braised short ribs.
BEST SPLURGE Restaurateur Grant van Gameren’s latest may have recently pivoted to a chicken joint called Don Pollo, but it’s still offering “Quetzal at Home,” a luxe multi-course to-go kit that brings the best of the Mexican spot’s cuisine to your door. Worth every dollar, its prix fixe dinner menu shifts by the week. Throw in a Quetzal cocktail and the only thing your wallet will regret is not springing for more.
BEST SUSHI
Through its name alone, which translates to “craftsman heart,” Bedford Park–based Shoushin promises authentic, well-made edomae-style sushi with a refined taste. That’s thanks to chef Jackie Lin, who has worked for two decades as a sushi chef and for whom simplicity and elegance are key — in both the restaurant’s space and menu. To taste Shoushin’s sushi is to taste dedication.
BEST MEXICAN Home of $5 tacos, Gus Taqueria has been serving up a taste of Mexico to Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood for just over two years. All tacos come enveloped in a handmade corn tortilla, and there are 10 protein options to choose from, including barbacoa (braised lamb) and mushrooms for a vegetarian option. Gus Taqueria also makes its salsas and many toppings in-house.
BEST COCKTAIL KIT With both originals and classics decorating the Cloak Bar’s menu, you can pick up everything from a tequila milk punch or a rye & pandan manhattan to a whole Ontario-sourced wine-tasting kit. The Cloak Bar now also boasts a cocktail hotline, where you can place instant, custom orders via Instagram or head bartender Farzam Fallah can rustle up a recommendation just for you.
A cocktail kit from The Cloak Bar
BEST COLLAB Italian eatery 7 Numbers has worked with chefs and restaurants across the city this year, including hosting a taco pop-up with the former owner of Fonda Lola, Andreas Marquez. Most recently, the restaurant teamed up with Stock-in-Trade butcher shop for a weekly in-house residency. The butcher shop will soon be a permanent fixture at the Danforth location and will have its own side entrance.
BEST PIVOT In its efforts to adapt to a changing world and industry, Pizzeria Libretto got quick and clever, selling pizza — its beloved Italian staple — in frozen form. Easy to heat up and devour entirely in one’s home, this new feature had been in the making for some time, with president Max Rimaldi having had the idea six years ago. The frozen menu is now carried by several top Toronto grocers.
BEST MODERN DINER A Yonge Street mainstay for over four decades, Rosedale Diner continues to delight Toronto with its creative selection of Canadian and Middle Eastern dishes. It also has an impressive range of biodynamic, organic and natural wines.
BEST OPENING DURING THE PANDEMIC Ranging from house-made dip platters to spicy skewers and meaty mains finished with fresh herbs, Amal’s flavourful dishes will break you out of even the deepest takeout rut.
The pistachio kebab from Amal
BEST WINE BAR AT HOME There’s always been a singular low-lit intimacy to Grey Gardens, Jen Agg’s Kensington Market wine bar. Although you can’t perfectly recapture the experience of sipping a glass of crisp wine over smoked fish – chips n’ dip, its bottle shop offers a taste of the experience with offerings ranging from a citrus spritz cocktail for two to a biodynamic Malvazija from Slovenia.
BEST BAR SNACKS Queen West’s 416 Snack Bar has transitioned to takeout with “meal format snacks.” The multi-person whole fish platter has been miniaturized into the “jerk fish for one,” and small plates have been upsized.
BEST GHOST KITCHEN Opened in October 2020, Coast by MDP isn’t actually a physical restaurant at all, but a ghost kitchen with a delivery-only model run by Matt Dean Pettit, the chef behind Rock Lobster. This top spot for surf and turf in Toronto serves up seafood favourites, including lobster rolls, a cheesy lobster poutine, beer-battered fish sandwiches and, of course, a creamy seafood chowder. It recently expanded to Vaughan.
Takeout from Coast by MDP
BEST PLANT-BASED Inspired by traditional Thai cuisine, Mugi is a purely plant-based Thai restaurant that makes all of its curries and chili sauces in-house. Fish sauces and shrimp pastes commonly found in Thai dishes have been replaced by Mugi’s own plant-based recipes. All of the noodle dishes, like the Chaiya pad Thai, use sweet potato noodles instead of gluten-based or rice-based noodles, and everything on the menu is vegan.
BEST CHEF-MADE PRODUCT The Sanjeev Masala Co. spice line from Host Hospitality Group is based on the blends developed by late founder Sanjeev Sethi. It’s made to help diners build a pantry of Indian culinary staples.
BEST BRUNCH Ossington bistro Union offers an outstanding weekend brunch menu that includes dishes like simple but superb Flat Top Breakfast with double-smoked bacon and the BBQ rib benny with spicy aïoli.
Sweet breakfast options from Union
BEST COMEBACK Charbroiled cheeseburgers and home-cut fries are the only things on the menu at Harry’s Charbroiled. Formerly operating out of a food truck, Harry’s has found a new home on Palmerston Avenue in the former home of Woodlot in the Little Italy neighbourhood. Although we were sad to see Woodlot go, we’re happy to see the space serving as a permanent home for Harry’s.
BEST BBQ With summer just around the corner, Beach Hill Smokehouse is ready for barbecue season and eager to serve up some Southern hospitality with its mouth-watering selection of smoked meats. Inspired by the traditional smoking practices found in central Texas, Beach Hill sells its meats by the half-pound. A variety of meaty sandwiches is also on offer, along with family-sized cookout kits.
BEST INDEPENDENT CHEF VENTURE With Leña temporarily closed, chef Julie Marteleira founded Petisco Kitchen, an Instagram-based food business, with her mother and sister. It specializes in traditional Portuguese dishes.
Julie Marteleira (left) with her mother and sister
BEST HAUTE CUISINE Iconic French restaurant Scaramouche continues to prove why it’s an enduring Toronto favourite with a takeout menu that includes dishes like soy-sesame glazed roasted duck breast with duck confit dumplings.
BEST ON A BUDGET A favourite for classic Italian-American staples and red sauce pastas, Sugo’s friendly neighbourhood vibe and affordable homemade comfort foods make it a must-visit for when a craving for Italian food strikes. With most items priced under $16, Sugo serves a variety of sandwiches, pastas, salads, and small plates, including veal parm, stuffed peppers, and house-made ricotta gnocchi.
Looking to be entertained by a little song and dance from the safety of your own home? A Toronto theatre company has just the thing. The Musical Stage Company is reviving its popular Porchside Songs coming to a front yard or porch near you this summer — maybe even yours.
The line-up features performances by Coby Sara Farb & Britta Johnson, Jewelle Blackman & Evangelia Kambites, Saccha Dennis & David Atkinson, as well as Gabi & Jake Epstein.
The company is reviving the program after a year of sold-out performances last summer. The live musical cabarets are physically distanced mini-concerts performed outdoors on the front porches and yards of Toronto.
The 2021 line-up expands from three cabarets to four this year and features some of the city’s best musical theatre talent.
Last year, the Musical Stage Company performed 80 Porchside Songs concerts to 1,500 people in the city as well as one performance from a dock in Muskoka with guests watching from their boats.
Here is the Musical Stage Company rundown of the four 40-minute Porchside Songs cabarets available to book this spring and summer beginning June 8. Specific dates and tickets will be announced May 12.
SAD LADY SONGS
Conceived & Performed by Sara Farb & Britta Johnson
Sara Farb and Britta Johnson bring you a captivating concert, celebrating their love of songs by, for, and about complicated women. They’ll perform original music, including work from their upcoming musical KELLY v. KELLY, as well as beloved pop and folk songs by masters of the sad lady music genre. Farb, who was last seen in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway, and Johnson, a composer and songwriter heralded as “Canadian musical theatre’s next great hope,” have been friends and collaborators since 2014 and ironically find the most glee while making sad lady music.
A CRACK IN THE WALL
Conceived by Jewelle Blackman, Performed by Jewelle Blackman & Evangelia Kambites
Jewelle Blackman and Evangelia Kambites take you on a musical memoir exploring themes of love, loss, life and everything in between. Having worked together on the Canadian Premiere of Hadestown and Soulpepper’s The 27 Club, this dynamic duo is not only exceptional storytellers in song but also seasoned multi-instrumentalists. Guaranteed to enlighten and entertain with music ranging from Nat King Cole and Gnarls Barkley to their own original tunes, Blackman and Kambites will leave you believing that “a crack in the wall, doesn’t always mean it’s about to fall.”
FAM JAM
Conceived & Performed by Jake & Gabi Epstein
Siblings Gabi and Jake Epstein take you on the open road with their heartwarming story of music and family. From epic road trips in the backseat of their parents’ minivan to seeing each other perform on the stages of Stratford and Broadway, music has always been the driving force behind their unique and special bond. With an acoustic playlist that includes everything from Beatles to Barbra, the Epsteins will have you singing along, reminding us all that family isn’t just an important thing — it’s everything.
JUST MY RE-IMAGINATION
Conceived & Performed by Saccha Dennis and David Atkinson
From Jon Bon Jovi to Gloria Gaynor, Saccha Dennis brings you into her reimagined world by hearing classic songs done with a jazz, funk, and bluesy twist. She was last seen in Come From Away, Broadway’s hit show, running at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre, where she played Hannah and others. A Musical Stage Company debut, Dennis is accompanied by the multi-talented David Atkinson. Come experience the retelling of some of your favourite songs with some of Toronto’s most dedicated storytellers.
One of Canada’s most trusted authorities on style and fashion, Jeanne Beker has covered the industry for more than 30 years. Now watch her in her current style editor role on TSC’s Style Matters with Jeanne Beker or tune into her new podcast Beyond Style Matters, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Clogs are back and trendier than ever, so we asked Jeanne Beker to pick her favourite pairs for the season.
A) Woven wonder
“I love this woven top — it’s so funky. These are classic shoes you’ll want to keep for years.” Modcloth.com, $141
B) Quilted clogs
“I really love these ribbed ones from Beklina. Anything with that quilting, to me, looks like it has a touch of Chanel, and I always love that feel.” Beklina.com, $270
C) Unique & chic
“This ankle strap is very fashion forward. If a clog can be sexy, these are the ones.” Gravitypope.com, $280
D) Strapped in
“I like the back strap, the nice buckle and the hand-stitching detail. It looks artisanal.” ShopFrock.ca, $149
E) Orange opulence
“The colour on this Stella McCartney pair is fantastic. And I love that it’s not leather.” SaksFifthAvenue.com, $1,144.65
F) Going glam
“Leopard print is always fun, and the gold studding makes it a glamourous clog.” LoefflerRandall.com, $350
One of Toronto’s favourite drag entertainers, Tynomi Banks, is giving Torontonians something to look forward to this summer with a drive-in concert series at CityView Drive-In called Drive ‘N Queens Summer Series. The all-ages concerts will take place once a month from June to October and will feature Banks as the headliner along with performances from other drag queens.
“We’ve all been through one mother of a year, so I’ve decided to bring some joy back to our city with a high-energy Saturday night drag show,” says Banks. “Get ready for some of Canada’s favourite queens to energize you and make you feel alive again.”
The series kicks off with its first concert on Saturday, June 12 as long as Ontario’s COVID-19 restrictions allow. The lineup features Banks’ friends and drag entertainers JIMBO, Lemon, Jada Hudson and Aurora Matrix. There will also be a DJ set by Dancing Phil who will also serve as the night’s emcee. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show kicks off at 9 p.m. One lucky fan at this kick-off show will also receive a prize pack from Yohomo.
The second instalment is on Saturday, July 10 where Banks will be joined by JuiceBoxx, Kiara, Ivory Towers and Miss Fiercalicious. Tickets for these two shows are on sale now at tynomibanks.com and cityviewdrivein.com. Prices start at $120 per car.
Details for the three remaining shows on Aug. 21, Sept. 18 and Oct. 9 will be released soon.
Banks starred in the first season of Canada’s Drag Race in 2020 and is known for her impersonations of Whitney Houston and Beyoncé. Her performances include outstanding costumes, choreography with dancers and upbeat pop numbers.
Banks is a world-renowned drag entertainer and was the first drag entertainer to perform at Yonge-Dundas Square during World Pride 2014, and this past February she partnered with Black Lives Matter – Canada to create and sell a line of merchandise where partial proceeds went to dismantle all forms of anti-Black racism.
A dish from Mademoiselle's sister restaurant Marbl
For years, For Your Eyes Only held the space at 536 King Street West and stood ground as one of Toronto’s last remaining strip clubs. When it shuttered in August 2020 after the owners sold the building that housed it, the vacant space raised a lot of questions. What would take over the massive space at King and Portland?
Now, finally, we have an answer. A restaurant called Mademoiselle Raw Bar and Grill has applied for a liquor license for the address, indicating it will be taking over the space.
Chef Evan Dickinson, who is responsible for the menus at Aria and Crush Wine Bar, will be at the helm. Mademoiselle will centre around raw food and seafood with an emphasis on sustainability. Full menu details have yet to be revealed, but it will reportedly include fish charcuterie, a chef’s table and an extensive wine program.
The restaurant comes from the same team behind Marbl, which is located just steps away at 455 King Street West (and features a lower-level champagne lounge that’s also known as Mademoiselle). Like Mademoiselle, MARBL’s menu focuses on fresh, sustainably sourced ingredients. Set on the food-focused corner of King and Portland, Mademoiselle Raw Bar and Grill joins the likes of Wilbur Mexicana, Lapinou, Baro, Gusto 101 and Lavelle.
According to a source for the restaurant group, the restaurant will feature a Miami-meets-Southern-France aesthetic. “As a team, we feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to open a restaurant at a time when the hospitality industry is at its lowest point,” reads a statement from the group.
Mademoiselle Raw Bar and Grill is slated to open this summer, pending the lifting of COVID restrictions, and is expected to employ over 200 staff. More details regarding the menu will be revealed as the opening nears. Keep an eye on the restaurant’s Instagram for the latest updates.
Why open a restaurant during a pandemic? It was actually the perfect opportunity, says Thanawat Khamchum (T), co-owner of Yaksha South East Asian Eatery. The exodus of restaurants from midtown helped T and his wife, Sue, secure their new space at 2109 Yonge Street, as many landlords reduced prices to try and attract new tenants. The couple previously owned a location of a popular Asian chain restaurant but lack of foot traffic amid the pandemic forced them to close up shop.
“We do have fun and we don’t want to give up,” says T. “We looked around [for] a better place that is suited to the situation . . . we just [wanted to] downsize, down really tight and try to stay alive.”
T and Fue had a clear vision: “People are used to the taste of Asia: this is a Thai taste, this is a Vietnamese taste, this is a Malaysian taste. However, there is no restaurant in Toronto that has mixed all of these into a workable concept,” says T.
The couple has drawn on ingredients, flavours and techniques from some of Southeast Asia’s most popular dishes, distilled them down to the basics and re-assembled them into flavourful but healthy rice bowls. Diners can choose from pre-made bowls like Saigon Supreme (lemongrass chicken, Asian slaw, fresh veggies and tamarind sauce) and Malay Satay (peanut satay chicken, Asian slaw, fresh veggies and peanut satay sauce), or create their own customized bowl.
What makes Yaksha different, T says, is their focus on healthy and convenient eating. Rather than heaping your plate with rice and noodles, Yaksha’s bowls are compact and provide alternative bases like romaine lettuce so you can easily turn a bowl into a hearty salad. Rice is only a part of the bowl, never the main ingredient.
Although takeout is the focus at Yaksha, T and Fue have plans to set up a small counter where customers can stand and eat outside once restrictions are lifted. Yaksha is now available for takeout or delivery through Ritual, UberEats, DoorDash and SkipTheDishes.
anada’s most trusted authorities on style and fashion, 
