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Food Food & Drink

Weekend eating: July 21-22

Saturday

Bellwoods Brewery

124 Ossington, at Argyle, 416-535-4586, bellwoodsbrewery.com. As one would expect given the name, the focus at Mike Clark and Luke Pestl’s bustling west-side pub is the artisanal suds they brew on the premises. Former Brockton sous Rob Julen puts a definite stamp on a short shareable carte that ventures beyond the predictable pickled eggs. Informed servers steer newbies to the good stuff. Best: creamy-centred soft-boiled eggs dressed with house-pickled ramps grilled izakaya-style duck hearts drizzled in charred jalapeño oil platters of black Kalamata olives, pickled beets, buttery lima beans, spicy peanuts and whipped anise butter served with porous Woodlot sourdough made from leftover malt barbecued Perth County pork banh mi on crusty buns dressed with pickled daikon and peanut sauce purposefully stone-cold fried smoked chicken on fiery banana hot sauce to finish, seasonal berries tossed with crushed house-baked biscotti in heirloom beet gastrique. Complete meals for $35 per person, including tax, tip and a pint of house-brewed beer. Average main $9. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to midnight. No reservations. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNNN

La Carnita

501 College, at Palmerston, 416-964-1555, lacarnita.com. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Grand Electric in Parkdale must be particularly chuffed. So what if both taquerias appropriated the formula – trendy tacos, hard liquor and harder tunes – from Big Star Tacos in Chicago? Smooth service and the lack of a lineup most nights make the somewhat higher prices that much easier to stomach. Best: owner chef Andrew Richmond’s signature In Cod We Trust fish taco of battered wild Atlantic cod, pickled red cabbage and tart Granny Smith apple lashed with lime, crema fresca, spicy tahini-like Voltron sauce Pollo Frito with southern-style fried chicken in peanut mole sauce dressed with pickled napa cabbage and tomato salsa deep-fried avocado with black beans and peppery chipotle sauce house-made chorizo with pickled red onion and sharp cojita cheese, all on fresh La Tortilleria tortillas tongue tostadas topped with grilled pineapple and beet sprouts in hot sauce halved avocados stuffed with ripe mango, toasted pumpkin seeds and Hostess Hickory Sticks fashioned from deep-fried plantain tortilla chips dusted with powdered ancho chili sided with chipotle-spiked chicken liver páté charred corn on the cob slathered in yogurty crema fresca and anejo cheese paletas – Mexican popsicles – in flavours like key lime pie coated with crushed graham crackers, and salted dulce de leche with crushed chicharrón. Complete meals for $40 per person, including tax, tip and a pint of micro-suds. Average taco $5. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 11 pm. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN

Kinton Ramen

51 Baldwin, at Beverley, 647-748-8900, kintonramen.com. And you thought getting into Guu was difficult! This Baldwin Village spinoff of the relentlessly popular Church Street izakaya shifts the focus from tapas-like bar snacks to massive bowls of Japanese noodles, to the point of obsession. Little wonder lines form outside the 30-seat sweatbox half an hour before it opens. And be prepared to get stuffed: leaving anything other than an empty bowl is considered bad form. Best: to start, deep-fried boneless chicken wings in hot sauce fiery cabbage kimchee dense deep-fried tofu in Kewpie mayo the only mains, meal-in-one bowls of soup based on four “secret” broths – shio (salty), miso (soybean paste), shoyu (soy sauce) and spicy (lighter fluid) – swimming with astonishingly firm fresh noodles, caramelized roast pork shoulder or fatty belly and various toppings, including soft-boiled eggs steeped in sake, seaweed and raw grated garlic for the unconventional, ramen topped with Swiss cheese, frozen corn and Thai basil in miso broth spiked with butter. Complete meals for $18 per person, including tax, tip and a lemonade. Average main $10. Open for dinner Saturday 5 pm to 2 am. No reservations. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNNN

Sunday

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

Kim Bo

358 Bathurst, at Dundas W, 416-603-7817. David Chang’s ultra-hip Momofuku in New York City may do a Korean take on Beef 7 Ways, but only this slightly dodgy dive across from Toronto Western Hospital has the DIY Vietnamese version on its card locally. Billed as “serving two,” the series of plates and rolls can easily feed three or more. Sweet service, okay pho. Best: start with tissue-thin slices of raw beef and onion quickly cooked in a hot pot of bubbling broth scented with lemongrass and wrapped in rice paper, along with a heap o’ sprouts, pickled daikon, purple Thai basil, mint and lettuce spicy Saigon-style sausage dressed with crushed peanuts cubed beef with crunchy celery and carrots meatballs laced with threads of chewy ear fungus scoop the leftovers into a bowl of creamy porridge-like congee. Complete meals for $22 per person, including tax, tip and a domestic beer or iced sweet Vietnamese coffee. Average main $25 for two. Open Sunday 11 am to 11 pm. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN

Zorba’s

681 Danforth, at Pape, 416-406-1212. It’s certainly not the fanciest joint on the Boulevard of Broken Plates, but this old-school taverna decked out in naïf murals has something almost none of its neighbours still serve: home-style Greek grub. Just like in the old days, ignore the printed menu and point at what you fancy from the steam table. Sheep skull stuffed with offal, anyone? Best: the house cold platter with lemony baby octopus, hummus, eggplant melitzana salata, tzatziki and whipped carp roe taramosalata thick ‘n’ meaty grilled lamb ribs sided with baked gigantes lima beans and waxy oven-roasted potatoes lasagna-like pastitsio, tubular penne over ground lamb topped with eggy béchamel-sauced mashed spuds arni frickase, slow-braised lamb shank with artichoke hearts in dilled avgolemono lemon sauce traditional feta-strewn Greek village salad super-moist 2-pound takeout chickens. Complete meals for $25 per person, including tax, tip and a domestic beer. Average main $12. Open Sunday 8 am to 5 am. Licensed. Access: short step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN

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