Saturday
Bi Bim Bap
950 Eglinton W, at Rostrevor, 416-787-7423, stonebowl.ca. Bibimbap can be found at most Seoul food restaurants, but only Sam Lee and Janet Yun’s casual Korean cantina is dedicated to this meal-in-one rice casserole. And while Seoul food isn’t generally very veggie-friendly, this often innovative kitchen has much for even vegans to enjoy. Best: seven different versions all told, the traditional a bowl of short-grain white rice garnished with seared sirloin, veggies – raw, wilted or slightly pickled spinach, carrot, cucumber, zucchini, burdock, daikon and seaweed – and a runny fried egg the Seed, a dairy-free take with black sesame, sunflower, pumpkin and poppy seeds and grilled portobello over mirin-marinated brown rice, both in sweet house-made red pepper ‘n’ apple gochujang hot sauce. Complete meals for $18 per person, including tax, tip and a mug of barley tea. Average main $11. Open Tuesday to Saturday 11 am to 10 pm, Sunday 11 am to 8 pm. Closed Monday, some holidays. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Black Skirt
974 College, at Rusholme, 416-532-7424, blackskirtrestaurant.com. After making a splash at Wish a few years ago, Rosa Gallé and Aggie Decina strike out on their own to bring old-school rustic Italiana back to the former Little Italy. A charming room, engaging service and a no-nonsense card of reasonably priced Sicilian home-cooking classics add up to a trip back in time. Best: to start, meaty white anchovies and garlicky chopped tomato on grilled Riviera baguette barely grilled skewers of lamb speducci splashed with olive oil pressed muffuletta panini spread with black-olive tapenade and piled with capicolla, mortadella, sweet and hot soppressata and giardiniere pickles beefy breaded veal sandwiches in Decina-family tomato ragu dressed with Provolone and grilled hot banana peppers secondi like veal ‘n’ ricotta ravioli finished with butter, freshly shaved parmigiano and fried sage leaves grilled New Zealand lamb chops in a balsamic reduction sided with mashed ‘n’ baked potatoes with mozzarell’ and sautéed rapini to finish, textbook tiramisu and pistachio-studded cannoli. Complete dinners for $50 per person (lunches $25), including tax, tip and a glass of Chianti. Average main $25/$13. Open for dinner Saturday 5 to 10 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: one step at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNNN
Marben
488 Wellington W, at Portland, 416-979-1990, marbenrestaurant.com. Ex-Cowbell chef Carl Heinrich and charcutier Ryan Donovan bring the locovore credo to this former swanky clubland boîte. Goodbye bottle service, hello local microbrews. To match the urban farmhouse vibe – exposed brick, Mason jar chandeliers, Broken Social Scene’s Brendon Canning on the decks – Heinrich’s rustic card focuses on regionally grown ingredients, sometimes obsessively so. Dress code: plaid flannel shirts, beards. Best: to start, warm multigrain sourdough dipped into Niagara soy bean oil laced with Baco Noir balsamic mini Ploughman’s Lunch of house-made Muscovy duck salami, bresaola and fatty lardo with pickled cauliflower, date chutney and crisps mains like pan-roasted sustainable wild striped sea bass over soupy minestrone, braised fennel and spinach house burgers made of 6 ounces of Dingo Farms’ braised ‘n’ pulled beef ribs dressed with aged white cheddar and Branston pickle, sided with terrific frites and crunchy onion rings, ketchup courtesy of a certain H.J. Heinz of Leamington, Ontario to finish, Belgian Callebaut chocolate ice cream sandwiches. Complete dinners for $50 per person (lunches/brunches $30), including tax, tip and a pint. Average main $18/$12. Open for dinner Saturday 6 to 11 pm. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: seven steps at door, washrooms on same floor. Rating: NNN
Sunday
Cardinal Rule
5 Roncesvalles, at Queen W, 647-352-0202, cardinalrulerestaurant.com. One-time divey greasy spoon on the corner where Queen West meets Roncey, this slightly less divey diner offers an all-day card that’s not only often inventive but also available in gluten-free and vegan versions. Cool glam-rock tunes on the jukebox, smiling servers and kid-friendly, too. Dress code: argyle. Best: the Wallop, the already hefty house burger dressed with leek ‘n’ potato latkes, Oka cheese, bacon and a runny fried egg the Breakfast Pie, a mutant quiche with a bacon (!) crust layered with latkes and cheesy veggie frittata to finish, chocolate caramel pie with a salty pretzel crust classic Key lime pie to drink, pints of Beau’s all-natural microbrew. Complete brunches for $20, including tax, tip and a pint. Open for brunch Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Cash only. Access: one step at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Mi Mi
688 Gerrard E, at Degrassi, 416-778-5948. No relation to the late Mimi’s on Bathurst, this spic-and-span spotless Vietnamese resto (not only are tables covered in plastic, they’re glass-topped, as well) is an enduring family-run spot with a lengthy lineup of straightforward yet complex fare. Warning: a mid-sized room, it’s often packed at peak dining hours. Best: to start, sizable rice paper-wrapped spring rolls dressed with lengths of green onion sticking out one end and stuffed with pork or shrimp all-in-one rice vermicelli pho soups with the likes of barbecued chicken, beef or pork lightly deep-fried minced shrimp on intensely sweet sugar cane with rice-paper roll-ups loaded with leaf lettuce, raw bean sprouts, shredded daikon and carrot dusted with crushed peanuts boneless grilled chicken leg over steamed rice topped with salty shredded pork and a tasty wedge of Saigon-style quiche to drink, durian milkshakes. Complete dinners for $30 per person (lunches $18), including tax, tip and an imported beer. Average main $10/$8. Open Sunday 11 am to 10 pm. No reservations. Licensed. Cash only. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN
Porchetta & Co.
825 Dundas W, at Palmerston, 647-352-6611, porchettaco.com. Seating six at the most, ex-Drake and Canoe sous Nick auf der Mauer’s already busy take-away specializes in just one thing: slow-cooked naturally raised Beretta pork shoulder marinated in garlic, olive oil and lemon zest wrapped in thickly sliced prosciutto and fatty fennel-cured pork belly. Best: Sundays-only Breakfast Sammy, the take-away’s already famous roast pork ‘n’ crackling on a Portuguese bun now with additional smoked Gouda and an oven-baked egg from the regular menu, hefty porchetta sandwiches on toasted olive-oil-drizzled Portuguese sourdough buns spread with sinus-searing Dijon mustard or old-school tomato sauce larger combo plates of pork and either roast potatoes, braised rapini or baked romano beans soups like creamy porchetta chowder thick with navy beans finished with bitter greens and truffled mayo chunky porchetta minestrone thickened with buttered bread crumbs. Complete meals for $15 per person, including tax, tip and a soda. Average main $9. Open Sunday 11:30 am to 4 pm. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: short ramp at door, counter seating, no washrooms. Rating: NNNN
