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Food Food & Drink

Weekend eating: August 25-26

Saturday

Hoof Raw Bar

926 Dundas W, at Gore Vale, 647-346-9356, theblackhoof.com. The latest spinoff of the Black Hoof puts the focus on seafood, particularly if its cured or smoked. Though most of chef Jonathan Pong’s fishy carte is sustainable, sustenance it’s not, instead crafted as snacks to go along with an after-work glass of wine or three. And, in typical Hoof fashion, service ranges from friendly and informed to snooty and aloof – all in the same server. Best: to start, warm croissant-like milk buns from OMG Bakery spread with whipped butter smoked shrimp cocktail with retro house-made horseradish ketchup chef’s cured fish board, a charcuterie-like platter with the likes of olive-brined branzino, miso-rubbed black cod, albacore tuna gravlax, sweet, meaty mackerel and scallops in smoked paprika the oddly dubbed Fish Snacks – salty deep-fried spot prawns, panko-battered smelts and tiny bait fish in tempura to finish, rhubarb “thingy,” a deconstructed trifle finished with salted caramel and ribbons of raw ‘barb. Complete dinners for $35 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $13. Open for dinner Saturday 5:30 pm to midnight. No reservations. Licensed. Access: two steps at door, three steps to washroom. Rating: NNNN

Hopgood’s Foodliner

325 Roncesvalles, at Grenadier, 416-533-2723, hopgoodsfoodliner.com. Don’t come to former Hoof Café chef Geoff Hopgood’s ultra-hip Foodliner expecting bone-marrow donuts and suckling-pig eggs Benny. Not only does his Roncey resto not offer the two dishes that put him on the foodie map, but he doesn’t do brunch at all. Instead, go for some of most creative and downright fun plates in town in a relaxed room tended by attentive servers. Best: to start, Halifax-style donairs on warm house-baked pitas dressed with ripe tomato, diced Vidalia onions and a weirdly addictive sauce made from evaporated milk, sugar, garlic and vinegar lamb’s heart tartare laced with green olives and dehydrated cauliflower purée over nutty caramelized cream a winter cassoulet of French flageots beans thick with meaty sweetbreads and sage-scented sausages deep-fried chicken roulade on cheesy grits in bacon-maple sauce to finish, frozen house-made chocolate bars. Complete dinners for $60 per person, including tax tip and a glass of wine. Average main $22. Open for dinner Saturday 6 to 11 pm. Reservations recommended. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN

Woodlot

293 Palmerston, at College, 647-342-6307, woodlotrestaurant.com. Having already passed through his molecular gastronomy phase – haven’t we all? – owner/chef David Haman now deploys two locally sourced comfort-food cartes, one unabashedly carnivore, the other aimed at the Birkenstock set, both primarily cooked in the former body shop’s wood-burning oven. And while portions are somewhat less elephantine than they were when he first opened in late 2010, he still promises leftovers. Best: to start, vegan French onion soup topped with Gruyère and Red Fife sourdough croutons crostini dressed with puréed squash, bufala mozzarella and apple jam agnolotti stuffed with minty spring peas in shaved pecorino whey-fed pork chops naturally raised flat-iron steak with black trumpet Béarnaise sides of caramelized sunchokes roasted Japanese sweet potatoes spiked with maple syrup to finish, cherry pavlova. Complete meals for $70 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $24. Open for dinner Tuesday to Sunday 5 to 11 pm bakery same days from 2 pm. Closed Monday, some holidays. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN

Sunday

Aunties And Uncles

74 Lippincott, at College, 416-324-1375, auntiesanduncles.ca. Now in its 13th year, Russell Nicholls’s neo-mod hole in the wall attracts a budget-conscious crowd that appreciates value as much as style. Cast-off kitchen furniture and diner kitsch set to a stomping soundtrack of 60s beat groups and 70s soul make scooters optional. Warning: insane lineups. Best: omelettes du jour sided with challah toast, or a classique croque monsieur of Black Forest ham and Swiss, both served with dill ‘n’ Dijon mashed potato salad and cantaloupe wedges signature classic club with grilled chicken, cheddar, bacon, lettuce and tomato on aioli-smeared challah Breakfast Pockets, Micalense onion focaccia spread with nippy Dijon and stuffed with fluffy scrambled eggs, peameal bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato and caramelized onion, sided with smashed sweet potato home fries breakfast tacos of scrambled egg, house-made chorizo, pinto beans, cheddar, coriander and lettuce dolloped with sour cream Belgian waffles with maple syrup while they last. Complete meals for $15 per person, including tax, tip and a latte. Average main $7. Open Sunday 9 am to 3 pm. No reservations. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN

Café Fiorentina

236 Danforth, at Playter, 416-855-4240, cafefiorentina.com. Take two classically trained French chefs – Tina Leckie (Celestin) and Alex Chong (Didier) – and set them free in an all-day café-slash-bake-shop and get one of the Danforth’s tastiest alternatives to flaming saganaki. Counter service and a few scattered tables add to the casual vibe. Sous-vide takeout dinners, too. Best: from a constantly shifting lineup, sandwiches on house-baked yeast-free sourdough layered with seared rare steak, gooey Gruyère and pickled wild mushrooms house-cured Berkshire pork belly and puréed kimchee soups like duck broth with pastina creamy potato with leek soufflé-like quiches du jour, one day portobello mushroom with Brie, the next caramelized onion with Stilton house-cured charcuterie paired with local cheese at brunch, a take on eggs Benny with poached duck eggs in lemony hollandaise over pickled beets and Georgian Bay whitefish on toasted pains au lait whole flourless chocolate cakes. Complete lunches for $15 (brunches $20), including tax, tip and a fair-trade coffee. Average main $9/$12. Open for brunch Sunday 10 am to 3 pm. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN

Hawker Bar

164 Ossington, at Foxley, 647-343-4698, hawkerbar.ca. If it’s authentic Singaporean street food you’re after, head to Gourmet Garden in Agincourt, a no-frills food court where six bucks gets you a styrofoam container of salty “seafood” noodles. But if it’s stylish tapas-style takes on Pacific Rim fusion with a focus on a certain city state, look no further. And where else will you find an Australian chef – Alec Martin, ex of Gingerboy of Melbourne, mate – on a street named Oz? Best: single-bite Son-in-Law Eggs, runny soft-boiled eggs daubed with sticky-sweet chili jam, Thai basil and fishy prik nam pla delicate cubes of deep-fried tofu with chili salt vegan curry laksa soup with slippery rice noodles and crunchy Asian veg a spin on classic Hainanese chicken, here skin-on slices of poached boneless breast over jasmine rice and barely pickled cucumber splashed with house-made soy, ginger and Sriracha-like hot sauce signature deep-fried sea bream – an entire crispy fins ‘n’ all fish – in garlicky sweet ‘n’ sour sauce sided with cabbage slaw, finished with dragon fruit “dice” banana fritters in green pandan batter with pickled rhubarb and house-made red-bean ice cream to drink until the liquor licence kicks in, minty mock mojito spritzers. Complete dinners for $30 per person, including tax, tip and a mocktail. Average main $12. Open Sunday 11:45 am to 2 am. No reservations. Licensed. Access: three steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN

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