Ossington Village » Restaurants

Neighborhood Closings

Melinda M — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:10:07 +0000

Soon to close Jaiden's Petals Cindiloowho

In sad news (for us), Dani just blogged that she will be closing her flower shop/furniture store, Jaiden’s Petals Cindiloowho, at the end of June. She has been a supporter of new businesses, a purveyor of top-notch goods and services, and a wonderful neighbor, and we will miss her and her store. She is going to expand her career with Jazz FM 91, so it’s good news for Dani. Stop by before she closes to wish her well and get some of her beautiful arrangements while you can!

Dani does note that someone already has dibs on her space, in fact, two someone’s, Teo and Chasen from Union. So, in the “when one door opens, another closes” philosophy, just as Dani is moving on to an exciting new venture, so too is 130 Ossington. We wish Dani and Teo and Chasen the best of luck.

Also closing, actually already closed, is The Port at 1179 Dundas Street West. We wrote about the pinball machines and pool tables, and mostly about the beef on a sword,but it didn’t last. We are not sure what will rise in it’s stead, so if you do, please let us know.

The Port, now closed

Opening Soon: ODDSEOUL

Melinda M — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:42:59 +0000

The word is spreading that the Han brothers are opening a new restaurant on Ossington. They are currently transforming the empty space at 90 Ossington Avenue, just north of Levack Block. The Grid broke the story that Leeto and Leemo Han’s new place will be more bar-like than Swish by Han, and will serve Korean bar food.

A clue to the name of the new place just popped up in a food event release featuring several chefs including Leemo Han, in which he is referenced from Swish by Han and Oddseoul.

With all the new restaurants that have opened recently on the strip, we still don’t have Korean, so that coupled with the good reviews for Swish by Han, makes us eager for the opening, which is planned for August.

Hawker Bar Gets License Go Ahead

Brians — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:16:48 +0000

We are delighted to see (HT to Trinity Bellwoods CA) that Hawker Bar can finally join the breweries, tapas bars, and other fine dining establishments on the street and start serving liquor. If you hadn’t been following along, there were some neighbours who were opposing the license fearing drunken late-night patrons. There were a few conditions to the go-ahead (mostly very minor, and courtesies any sensible bar owner would do anyway), but at least they will be allowed to stay open late. We’d like to give a big thanks to Mike Layton, who, we understand, worked hard to bring the two sides together.

They have already been receiving a lot of press, and the biggest challenge they will face is having a seat for every patron that wants to visit. It’s a small place and there are already lines there from early in the evening to try their Singapore street-food style cuisine.

Where to Take Mom for Brunch on Mother’s Day

Melinda M — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:09:04 +0000

Don’t have a plan yet for Mother’s Day? Brunch is an excellent option, and in our neighborhood you have choices between the tried-and-true or something new.

In the first category, Union is a stalwart in the brunch department, and if the weather is nice this weekend, you may even score a seat on the back patio.

The Cuban brunch at Delux is a reliable choice, and if you go that way, definitely share some donuts and/or fritters!

It doesn’t offer brunch, but Pizzeria Libretto serves lunch starting at 11:30, and may be a good choice if you are bringing kids along. Another child-friendly choice, especially for music lovers, is the bluegrass brunch at Dakota Tavern. It’s not fancy, but it sure is fun!

If you want a casual brunch, take mom to The Lakeview.

Don’t forget the casual ambience and scrumptious food on offer at Goed Eten. Now you can enjoy bloody caesars with your waffles!

The Grove just tweeted they are opening for Sunday brunch for the first time this Mother’s Day, so you can be one of the first to taste their spin on traditional English fare. Another new brunch option is The Saint, where mom can relax in one of their booths.

Let us know what you decide! and, of course, Happy Mother’s Day!

Ossington Restaurant News and Reviews

Melinda M — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 21:42:56 +0000

So much has been happening on Ossington these past few weeks, with lots of new restaurant openings, we thought we’d offer a recap and links to some of the reviews.

In news, Goed Eten now has a liquor license, so you can have a caesar with lunch and a beer with brunch, or vice versa!

In late March, The Grove opened on Dundas Street just west of Ossington. This upscale British restaurant is getting attention for it’s interior and its cuisine.

In the past few weeks, we’ve seen the launch of three very different restos on Ossington, upscale pub The Saint, Singapore street food purveyor Hawker Bar, and brewery with snacks Bellwoods Brewery.

It’s hard to say which of the three is getting the best press, so we won’t even try.

The Saint took years to open, but now that it is here, it’s getting good feedback for its upscale pub style and cuisine.

Hawker Bar opened without a liquor license (still pending) but that is not stopping the crowds or the rave reviews for its unique-to-Toronto Asian food.

Last but not least, Bellwoods Brewery opened its kegs and its kitchen to the public and both are much appreciated.

We are still waiting for Amaya to open, and there a couple of other places that look promising. What is your favorite spot in Ossington Village, old or new? Let us know in the comments.

Mamakas Bakery – A Licensed Greek Bakery?

Brians — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:16:13 +0000

Spotted at 80 Ossington: A liquor license application for Mamakas Bakery. Formerly the home of Ministry of Interior, the space is now covered in drawings offering hints about the new inhabitant. A google search yielded minimal results, so all we know is what we know on the signs which is the application for a license for a Greek Bakery and these clever drawings.

Can anyone give us more hints into this Greek mystery? At this point it really is all Greek to us.

Now Open: Bellwoods Brewery

Melinda M — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:22:24 +0000

Last night we got to try the newly opened Bellwoods Brewery at 124 Ossington, formerly home to Rolly’s Garage and Meta Gallery.

Bellwoods Brewery is a micro-brewery and cafe, serving beers and snacks currently created by Chef Guy Rawlings, already known to the neighborhood from his stint at Brockton General.

The beer list is on a chalkboard over the bar, and features several in-house brewed beers of varying alcohol contents, all detailed on the card. The food menu offers assorted snacks and finger foods, or as they call it, “picnic” foods.

Last night was opening night, and they will be open at night from Monday through Sunday. More details here.

Hawker Bar Opens

Brians — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:46:15 +0000

On top of Monday’s launch of The Saint Tavern, last night we fortuitously happened upon the opening of Hawker Bar at 164 Ossington. Yes, Hawker Bar opened their doors in a soft opening for friends and family to make sure everything worked and try out their creative Singapore “street food” cuisine. They haven’t received their license yet due to some neighborhood teetotalers who have slowed the process. But that hasn’t stopped them from wanting to open their doors and showcase their food.

Don’t worry about the lack of liquor! The ambience, food flavours, and creative “mocktails” the staff served were more than enough! The menu is a work in progress, with a mix of affordable snacks, mains and even a couple of interesting desserts. We tried a couple of snacks, including a light and refreshing cucumber salad and some pork satays, and concluded with a shaved ice dessert with black bean and corn sauce which was a delightful combination of sweet and savoury.

Hawker Bar will officially open for dinner tonight with lunch hours coming soon. According to a recent tweet, their April hours are:

Now Open – The Saint Tavern

Brians — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:18:49 +0000

After many years of building (for them) and waiting (for us), The Saint Tavern is now open. After a few nice articles in Toronto Life, they got another one today announcing their opening. On the night of the Jays home opener we headed over to grab some dinner and were pleasantly surprised that we could keep watching the game on their big screen TVs and try out some food. We were particularly impressed with the diversity of the menu. It’s a place where you can feast on a $70 porterhouse steak, snack on $5 pickles, slurp on fresh oysters, or have a main course at a price point anywhere in between. The drink list includes a range of local beers, creative cocktails and a wide selection of scotches and other whiskey.

We only sampled the bone marrow, pickled vegetables and Nicoise salad but will be heading back soon to try more. Go try it yourself!

The Grove Is Now Open

Melinda M — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 01:08:36 +0000

It’s official – on twitter! The Grove, located at 1214 Dundas Street West of Ossington, at Grove, is now open for dinner.

We’ve been to The Grove for a pre-opening charity dinner they did for First Drop Canada and they are a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Located in a former dentist office, they’ve converted it into a welcoming, cozy space suited to eating the delicious upscale comfort food on their menu. The Grove is the British pub with good food that our neighborhood is missing.

Their menu is posted, they are taking reservations, so go try it out! Let us know what you think!