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THE NEXT 201 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | CBNR Mission Statement & Index | Home  COCA TAPAS AND WINE BAR 783 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-703-0783 Nathan Isberg, the chef behind Czehoski, has another hit here with this tapas-inspired restaurant. The house specialty is also its namesake. A coca is a type of Catalan flatbread with cheese and assorted toppings – choices are listed on a blackboard – that serves as a safe harbour amid the chef’s more outré offerings, such as duck tongues with pickled apricots and involtini of horse with apples and horseradish. (Horse and horseradish – what, no seahorse?) Decor The bar doubles as a display counter, with cheeses and meats stacked cheek by jowl (or hoof by thigh), along with pantry items like sherry vinegar and piquillo peppers.  GLOBE BISTRO 124 Danforth Ave., Toronto, 416-466-2000, globebistro.com You would never know that this used to be a bowling alley – well, unless you looked at the floor. The original aiming arrows are still in evidence. Chef Ben Heaton has embraced local and seasonal cooking insofar as Canada is local. Goat cheese from Quebec (as a foam with beets and orange), Red Fife wheat from Ontario (in blini form with trout tartare, whitefish caviar and lemon crème fraîche) and scallops from Yarmouth (seared and served with a wild mustard foam) all grace his menu. Dessert PB&J, but not the grade school variety. This version features a peanut brownie, candied grapes, peanut butter mousse and cherry “air.”  KAISEKI SAKURA 556 Church St., Toronto, 416-923-1010, kaisekisakura.com This refined restaurant is a haven of tranquility on an otherwise sketchy corner of downtown Toronto. There is an à la carte option, but most people come to experience the tasting menu. Chef Daisuke Izutsu creates tiny, complex courses around seasonal ingredients and presents them like jewels. Squash soup with shrimp sautéed in sake is dense and light. Exquisitely fresh sashimi includes conger eel with umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum) and comes with fresh wasabi, a little sharkskin grater and homemade soya sauce. Ingredient of the Year Sakura means cherry blossom, and they are served here in their sweet preserved form.  KARUCHIE 924 College St., Toronto, 416-850-1729, karuchie.com Karuchie is Japanese in name alone (it means “wise gamble”). Embracing the trend toward small menus, chef Chris Thorn offers just six items “to begin” and six more “to continue” and changes them frequently. Braised calamari with fennel, peppers and greens are tender and buttery, while duck ravioli is paired with a sweet peach salad. The classic desserts – bread pudding, lemon tart, fudge cake – are simply prepared and comforting in their honest familiarity. Decor The simple white room derives colour from contemporary Japanese prints – and a bright fish tank left over from the Portuguese restaurant that once occupied the space.  KULTURA 169 King St. E., Toronto, 416-363-9000, kulturarestaurant.com Hanif Harji, one of Toronto’s most active restaurateurs (Blowfish, Doku 15 and, for a while, Colborne Lane), is the co-owner of one of the most beautiful restaurants in one of the city’s oldest buildings. The sprawling space houses a sleek bar on the ground floor, a vast dining area on the second and an intimate private room on the third. The dizzying array of global tapas touches on India (spiced tandoori beef), the Caribbean (shrimp with banana) and some hard-to-classify mashups (jerk chicken risotto and lemongrass pannacotta). Music Partner – and one-time chef here – Roger Mooking (a.k.a. MC Mystic) is the former rapper of the band Bass Is Base. |
