If the names Jad Sfeir and Tara Tang don’t ring a bell, then perhaps J’s Steak Frites will. The husband and wife restaurateurs are the masterminds behind the Queen Street West outpost known for its delightfully understated yet supremely delicious take on the classic French dish, but they have another trick up their sleeve, Miss Aïda.
Inspired by the fresh and flavourful panache of Levantine cuisine and Sfeir’s Lebanese roots, he and Tang landed on their restaurant’s sentimental namesake; derived from Sfeir’s mother, whose portrait hangs on the back wall of the bar and main dining area of the restaurant’s Roncesvalles home.
The Levant region encompasses parts of Turkey, the north of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, small parts of Egypt and the coast of the eastern Mediterranean. It was important to Sfeir and Tang that Miss Aïda’s food concept was hinged firmly to his heritage, which is why naming it after his mother felt appropriate.
“My mother is Lebanese, very Lebanese, but we wanted something that also reflects our daily life and our generation, so we just added “miss” at the beginning to think back to my mum, to her younger years,” Sfeir told Now Toronto, culminating in a contemporary take on the ancient culinary traditions of her heritage.
By honing in on the youthful and vibrant energy of Toronto’s bustling restaurant scene with its modern Lebanese dishes and the appealing authenticity of the Middle East, Miss Aïda hopes to draw the attention of the city’s attentive, food-loving crowd.
But Sfeir and Tang were conscious of not overdoing it on design, consequently, the space is unpretentious, simple “very clean and very chic,” as Sfeir put it, service and food always taking precedence over indulgent decor and the often misleading allure of a fancy facade.
The menu is designed for sharing.“We don’t have appetizers, we don’t have entrees, we only have the food that we can present and we always suggest to the guests to have as many dishes as they can on their table so they can share as much food as possible at the same time,” Sfeir said of Miss Aïda’s sharing-forward dining concept.
The point is to be able to eat anything you want, as many times as you like. “The sharing style is very important,” Sfeir told Now.
Guests should be grabbing food from the same large plates and enjoying their meal that way. “It’s like ordering a burger and splitting it in two, everyone has their own piece of it, but we will not bite into the burger at the same time,” Sfeir explained.
Miss Aïda will soon launch its chef’s selection menu, designed to show off as many dishes to guests as possible. The bigger the table, the wider the variation of dishes they suggest. The smaller the table, the more curated the selection should be. A party of four likely won’t receive the same recommended combination of dishes as a group of twelve, for example.
Beyond the rush of the restaurant, lives the “The Salon,” an unsuspecting private dining area and designated spot for intimate gatherings, where we were treated to our first taste of the chef’s selection.
The meal consisted of small but shareable dishes to start, with classics like labneh and hummus, followed by lofty, meaty mains and delicate desserts, such as Baklava, made in house by Chef, Tara Tang.
In its entirety, Miss Aïda presents stylish iterations of Sfeir’s beloved Levantine favourites for an experience punctuated by quality of service, the warmth of an unassuming atmosphere and the charm of tradition.
In recognition of Small Business Month, Now Toronto will be publishing stories throughout October to highlight small business owners across the GTA.
By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
