Last year, large spaces like Collette Grand Café and Montecito introduced a new category of fine dining, acclaimed and inventive places like The Grove, Ursa and Yours Truly said goodbye and Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine got a second wind. And yes,
burgers and bacon still rule. Here are 10 new restaurants that stood out.
1. Fat Pasha
414 Dupont, 647-342-0356, fatpasha.com, @FatPasha
You’re guaranteed three things at Anthony Rose’s restaurants: it’ll be boisterous have a vibe of Canadian lumberjack coolness and portions are so plentiful you’ll want an after-dinner walk. Rose’s take on Mediterranean and Jewish cuisine has won over critics with its simplicity. One of the most popular dishes is a whole splayed, roasted cauliflower with drizzles of tahini, pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and hunks of haloumi: this is a plate to share. The salatim platters (little dishes of tabuleh, tahini and veggies to whet appetites) are also a must-have.
David Laurence
Dailo chef Nick Liu shows off his spectacular whole crispy trout.
2. Dailo
503 College, 647-341-8882, dailoto.com, @DaiLoTO
Chef Nick Liu’s long-awaited solo venture materialized this summer after years of location searches, failed partnerships and a name change. The wait for his fusion (for lack of a better word) take on the Chinese dishes he ate growing up was worth it: crispy whole fried trout with tangy dipping sauces and aromatic truffle-fried rice. Arrive a few minutes before your reservation and head upstairs to the LoPan cocktail and snack bar, where pillowy little Big Mac Baos are eaten with one hand and fruity cocktails sipped with the other.
Byblos’s Middle Eastern dishes were a surprise hit in 2014.
3. Byblos
11 Duncan, 647-660-0909, byblostoronto.com, @ByblosToronto
Would anyone have imagined five years ago that Charles Khabouth’s nightclub company, INK Entertainment, would become one of the city’s most successful restaurant groups? Byblos stands out as the slickest of all the Middle Eastern restaurants that popped up this year. The sunlight-drenched basement boîte, adorned in bright woods and geometric tiles, is a welcoming haunt on the notorious King West strip (before 8 pm anyway). Tuck into hand-rolled couscous, buttery dumplings and beautiful rice bowls of fragrant basmati dressed with carrot and saffron.
R. Jeanette Martin
Semur Java (spiced braised beef) is one of the best offerings at Little Sister Food Bar.
4. Little Sister
2031 Yonge, 416-488-2031, littlesistertoronto.com, @LittleSisterTO
One of our best-kept secrets is midtown restaurant Quince’s semi-regular rijsttafel, an exquisite Indonesian feast that chef and co-owner Michael van den Winkel learned to cook while in the Dutch Navy. Now the little restaurant has branched out with this nearby snack bar specializing in the Indonesian treats so underrepresented in Toronto. Bring a gang to ensure that you get to taste a bit of everything: go for skewers dripping in a rich peanut sauce, pork braised in tamarind until it becomes tender threads, or shrimp and coconut curry with layers of comforting heat.
David Laurence
Insalata Siciliana is a fresh treat at Buca Yorkville.
5. Buca Yorkville
53 Scollard, 416-962-2822, buca.ca, @BucaYorkville
It’s been a big year for the King Street Food Company. In addition to promising the first Canadian location of Jamie Oliver’s Italian franchise in Yorkdale Mall next year, it finally opened the doors to the second Buca, this one inside the Four Seasons Residences. Compared to its King West counterpart, there’s a greater emphasis on seafood, with centrepieces like a whole raw branzino carved tableside, pizza topped with daily seafood, and crispy cod tongues. Reservations are encouraged – at least a week in advance if you want a prime weekend time slot.
6. Yasu
81 Harbord, 416-477-2361, yasu-sushibar.com, @YasuToronto
Yasuhisa Ouchi’s reservations-only spot in Harbord Village is worth a trip for the true omakase experience at a relatively affordable $80 per head: you get about 20 pieces, plus dessert. There are only two seatings each night and just 10 seats at the sushi counter. Walk-ins are not accepted, since the chef needs to know exactly how much fish to order for that night. There’s no menu – just sit back and watch Ouchi freshly grind wasabi root and yuzu zest and slice fish with robot-like precision. Part dinner, part theatre, it’s a place every sushi lover should experience at least once.
David Laurence
Maha’s Cairo Classic features ful, boiled egg, falafel and charred balady bread.
7. Maha’s
226 Greenwood, 416-462-2703, facebook.com/MahasFineEgyptianCuisine, @MahasBrunch
This cozy family-run breakfast, lunch and early dinner spot re-energized T.O.’s love of brunch with Egyptian-inspired dishes like honey date grilled cheese and a new take on the Scotch egg: a boiled egg wrapped in crispy falafel batter. Wash it down with a shot of thick Turkish coffee or the addictive cardamom-and-honey-spiced latte. Hey, if you’re going to get up early on the weekend for brunch, it should be for something you likely can’t whip up at home.
8. Blackbird Baking Co.
172 Baldwin, 416-546-2280, blackbirdbakingco.com, @BBirdCo
Not a restaurant per say, but the bread company has been a favourite among chefs since it was a wholesaler in the back of the Soma chocolate shop on King West. Now a retail venue is perfectly situated on the same food-centric street as Sanagan’s and Hooked, so the rest of the city can catch up to owner Simon Blackwell’s baguettes, the kind that emit that perfect-sounding crunch when cut, as well as golden-brown loaves and beautifully braided challah topped with sesame seeds.
9. Los Colibris
220 King West, 416-979-7717, loscolibris.ca, @LosColibris220
Certain cuisines have a hard time breaking through the cheap-and-cheerful label, and Mexican is one of them. At second-floor Los Colibris across from Roy Thomson Hall, chef Elia Herrera shows a side of her country’s food that’s seldom seen in Toronto: thick slabs of sweet corn cake drizzled with chili sauce and tender shreds of brisket whole poblano peppers stuffed with a complex ground pork mixture with dozens of spices, fruits and nuts and lightly fried. It’s home cooking (right down to the made-to-order tortillas) in an upscale setting.
10. Eastside Social
1008 Queen East, 416-461-5663, eastsidesocial.ca, @Eastside_Social
Leslieville has a flair for intimate, dimly lit dinner spots that instantly feel like they’ve been neighbourhood hangouts for years. This maritime-themed 52-seat restaurant by interior designer Cherie Stinson and long-time restaurant manager Joey Skeir (both helped open the nearby Ruby WatchCo) specializes in comforting dishes like thick slices of molasses toast spread with a woodsy mushroom pâté and served in a skillet of butter-cooked mushrooms, and their version of schnitzel – a big filet of skate dredged in panko crumbs. It’s where you can bring your parents or a casual first date and everyone leaves happy.
