Toronto Life put this restaurant as one of the best openers last year and I had to try it out to see what the fuss was about. The menu seemed approachable without a hefty chef menu price tag and it suited a nice casual time out. It is an unusual part of Toronto... just on the outskirts of Chinatown East. As you approach it, you can tell much love has gone into the restoration of it as it looks quite out of place from the surrounding areas. I will say that if you're ever in this part of town, enjoy a good meal at this upscale gastro pub. It might not be a destination meal for me but I would return to this every time I'm in the area.
We arrived early to the restaurant and just as it was setting, the amount of light filtering into the restaurant was really nice. The restaurant is nicely done up ... definitely upscale but still quite a comfortable pub. I really enjoyed sitting on the banquette as they were very comfortable. We had lots of room to enjoy our meal without having our neighbouring table too close.
The menu was simple and yet enticing that it was very hard to choose. We ended up choosing several items and nothing disappointed In house spicy pickles (so good), green salad (with again.. pickled veg and shaved crisp vegetables. A solid salad), their daily vegetarian offering (This I loved... as someone who loves vegetables, the variety of textures and flavours was sooo good. Loved the rapini, crisped potato, perfectly cooked egg...), and striploin perfectly cooked to order and very very well priced (8 oz for $24!). We also got a very dull looking but incredibly flavourful peanut and chocolate mousse dessert. It had brownie pieces and PB rice crispy squares inside it... fun dessert.
The prices definitely make it upscale but the service level and also food quality was well worth it. I think they did a great job with the renovations and a great menu. I would recommend to try this place any time you're in the east side!