ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

The new favourite

, 276 Havelock St.

“My new favourite dinner spot is Mhel. It’s a very intimate space serving incredibly delicious food paired with great service and a wonderful sake program. An ever-evolving menu of small plates where all of the ingredients are impeccably sourced and treated with the utmost care and respect. The fact that the menu changes so often is what makes you want to continue going back to see what new delicious things the team has created.�

The place to drink

, 418 College St.

“The Little Jerry has been our neighbour across the street from Quetzal from nearly the beginning and we have been frequent patrons since. A very cosy atmosphere with rotating DJs and one of the best sound systems in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½. Inspired by Japanese kissas or listening bars, for me, The Little Jerry is the perfect place to drink interesting wine and listen to a very eclectic, wide range of music.â€�

The hidden gem

, 397 Roncesvalles Ave.

“I recently went to Stop Restaurant on Roncesvalles and was pleasantly surprised. Upon entering, you are greeted with the wonderful aroma of whatever they are preparing in the open kitchen. The food is delicious and prepared with a great level of finesse. The seared scallops with maitake mushroom and corn was a standout dish as well as the outstanding honey cake for dessert.�

The standout dessert

, 797 College St.

“The iconic Basque cake at Bar Isabel. This has been a staple dessert on their menu for years and there is a reason for that. Its incredibly fluffy, crumb texture perfectly absorbs the hot Sherry cream they pour over tableside. For an even more decadent version, you can ask to have a generous piece of seared foie gras added on top of the cake — diabolically delicious.�

The repeat reso

, 1330 Dundas St. W.

“Imanishi reminds me of some of the flavours that my Japanese mother would cook for us as kids — it’s a restaurant that brings me comfort. I always order the anchovy potato salad, tai carpaccio, corn kakiage and whatever else they are featuring that night. Do not miss the Tokyo toast dessert — one of the best desserts in the city.�

The easy lunch

, 827 Lansdowne Ave.

“I constantly get asked where people should go for lunch in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, and ¶Ù´Ç²Ô²Ô²¹â€™s is always my number one recommendation. For lunch, I like having a sandwich and salad, both of which are executed perfectly there. I often struggle with deciding which sandwich I should order, so I usually order three: the shrimp salad, the fried mushroom and the roast beef sandwich. I also get ¶Ù´Ç²Ô²Ô²¹â€™s leafy salad which comes with perfect soft-boiled eggs, pickled beans and croutons.â€�

The last best dish

, 3328 Yonge St.

“I was fortunate to be recently invited to a special Izakaya night at Shoushin. It was an incredibly fun night filled with great food and sake. The one dish that stood out to me most was the shirako tempura. Shirako is also known as cod milt or cod sperm, a delicacy from Japan that is in its peak during the November and December harvest months. A very unique, obscure and conversation-inducing ingredient, everyone loved this, although a few preferred not to know what it was.�