A pot of coffee is brewing at the Lakeview Lunch on Dundas, but Seamus O’Regan has no need for a pick-me-up. 

It’s one o’clock in the afternoon, and the Canada AM host’s day has come to an end, so like any working man at the end of his shift, he orders a chilled pint and exhales.

“I got up this morning at four a.m.,” he says with a tired smile.

WATCH VIDEO OF SEAMUS TELL ABOUT HIS FIRST TIME AT LAKEVIEW LUNCH

Apart from the crazy hours, Seamus has no complaints about his job. He tells me earnestly that it’s a total joy, and with his afternoons free, he revels in the fact that he can put his  neighbourhood to good use.

“Every day I get off work, pop into the gym and then head down here,” he says of the area he moved to three years ago.
“I told my real estate agent that I wanted to be around these parts, but I’d never really been this far west. Lo and behold, he brought me here right before the area blew up. Luck of the Irish on that one.”

Seamus’s reference stems from the fact that the ’hood he calls home has fast become one of the hippest strips in the city. But while some locals have expressed displeasure over the residential boom, Seamus is far from disappointed. 

“I’m delighted for it, for all the businesses and restaurants in the area. They’re all great — my style completely. I love that I’m able to go down to the corner, grab something and go back to the house.”

And grab he does. As we stride out of the Lakeview, the Newfoundland native’s arm darts from side to side engaging me in a story about every venue on the block.

“Pizzeria Libretto — last time I went in with a newspaper and just read, and there were lineups out the door but for good reason. The food is fantastic. The service is fantastic. The wine is reasonably priced.”

“We order four things at once and bring the rest home. You’re there so you might as well stock up!”

Recommending the marinara and the hot sausage pizza, his attention is grabbed by another foodie favourite across the road.

“And there’s the BQM. There’s no better place to get a burger and fries. I always order the Riverside burger. Oh God, and the pulled pork poutine!”

Half a dozen more names drop before Seamus and I head toward Frantic City Books & Records — a kitschy Ossington favourite with an endless supply of page-turners.

Seamus tells me that in these types of shops he gravitates toward “the unusual read” and the owner’s recommendations.

This outgoing attitude is helpful in the eclectic neighbourhood that surrounds his west-end home.

“That’s another reason that I’ll stick around here. You have lots of people that have lived here forever and always a handful of brand new ones, lots of artists. Most importantly, a lot of people who aren’t awake to watch morning television.”

When Seamus is able to steal a rare night out for himself, he prefers to hit the Resposado, a dark and trendy bar on the west side of Ossington.

“It’s an amazing place. The atmosphere is incredible.”

And for a bite to eat after those rare nights out on the town, the host swears there’s no better place than the 24-hour Lakeview.

“I flew down with my friend to audition for CTV’s Chat Room 10 years ago and never had any desire to get into broadcasting whatsoever. One of the first places we went was the Lakeview, and I immediately liked it for its authenticity.”

“At that point, I never thought I’d live in Toronto, and here I am 10 years later living just up the road. Isn’t that foolish?”

And it’s not just Seamus who’s come to call this area home. The handsome host shares a property up the road with his partner and their dog Rhys.

So with canines on the brain, we head down to Trinity Bellwoods Park, an off-leash sanctuary lovingly described by Seamus as “squirrel heavy”

“We go down to Trinity Bellwoods every day,” he says. “It’s just the best natural dog park with this huge beautiful pit. There are always people down there, watching the dogs, zoning out.…”

As we make our way back to where we began, Seamus gets distracted. He has yet to eat lunch and has a hard choice to make — Golden Turtle versus Photien Thanh. Both Vietnamese and both in the area, the pho lover is often torn between these competing neighbourhood restaurants.

“I travelled in Vietnam for a while, and I love pho, and this is as good as it gets.”

As we finally enter the bustling Golden Turtle, the traveller leaves me with a last worldly thought.

“Newfoundland pride has prevented me from calling Toronto home as well, but it is. I’ve lived in London and Paris and in Dublin, but this is by far the most dynamic, vivacious place to be.”

WATCH VIDEO OF SEAMUS TELL ABOUT HIS FIRST TIME AT LAKEVIEW LUNCH