Story & Photography | Renée S. Suen
Looking for flavourful and engaging dining experiences in Toronto? The following two restaurants, both relatively new additions to the city, inject a bit of flair and flavour to the city’s growing culinary scene.
Kissa
Nightlife-seeking audiophiles listen up. King West’s newest addition takes inspiration from kissatens, Japanese tea house speakeasies of the 1920s where patrons listened to American records at a time when it wasn’t permitted.
Kissa
This swanky multi-level listening bar has both a first-floor vinyl listening lounge that doubles as the dining room, plus an upstairs karaoke room. There is an eye-catching, woodslatted cocktail bar, a custom-built DJ booth staged in front of shelves stocked with more than 2500 vinyl records and a ceiling dripping in glistening, multi-faceted mirror balls.
KISSA main room.
Outfitted with a vintage sound system, the set list volleys between jazz, funk, timeless classics from the likes of the Beatles, Prince and David Bowie and throwbacks to the cool sounds of an earlier era.
After dinner downstairs, go upstairs past a staircase of mirrored walls. There, you’ll find a second bar with plush banquettes lining the roomy dance floor where DJs play house music, plus a small karaoke room that’s available for guests and private bookings.
Kissa DJ booth.
The music-focused theme also extends into Kissa’s extensive list of specialty cocktails. Divided into Albums, (signatures), Compilations, (shareables), and Singles, (highballs), the sophisticated numbers will delight. Coming under a cloche with smoke, the Back in Black, (a nod to the 1980s AC/DC single), that features Johnnie Walker Black Label, black sesame orgeat, madeira, fig, cinnamon and “midnight essence.”
The slightly savoury Beggars Banquet (1968) is made with Woodford Reserve bourbon, Ume Japanese plum liqueur and kokuto, then finished with ponzu pearls, hinoki and toasted sesame.
For the Japanese-inspired food program, the menu stretches from sophisticated nibbles to finessed share plates that are both playful and glam. There are delightful caviartopped oysters served with a yuzu dill mignonette and a coconut ponzu dressed hamachi and chu toro tartare.
Slices of hamachi are served on coconut ponzu and garnished with orange segments, diced jalapeno, nasturtium, daikon cress and puffed rice.
Served on a pool of shiro miso beurre blanc studded with tobiko and ikura, binchotan grilled Sea Bream is butterflied and comes boneless with a crispy blistered golden skin.
The Oysters + Caviar features fresh shucked East Coast bivalves on a bed of river rocks with a mignonette made of rice vinegar, yuzu juice, chopped shallots and dill. It’s christened with sturgeon caviar.
The vegan-friendly Mushroom Forest featured roasted shiitake, king oyster and maitake mushrooms with a crispy deep-fried enoki fan on our visit.
Finger foods take a spin with scallop or spicy salmon temaki and a glorious Japanese A5 Wagyu Sando, where buttery, seared rare cuts of beef are sandwiched between golden toasted homemade milk bread. The Mushroom Forest presents an assortment of roasted and fried mushrooms artfully displayed on a plate, plus not-too-sweet Basque-style Yuzu cheesecake and Hojicha Tiramisu.
The seasonally changing desserts might feature a Basque-style Yuzu Cheesecake or a delightful gold-flake topped Hojicha Tiramisu.
619 King St. W.
416-203-3777,
kissatoronto.com
Adrak Yorkville
This Michelin-recognized dining room on Avenue Road embodies refined flavours and a stunning environment. Here, contemporary opulence defines it, from the regal foyer and its captivating sculpture of the Hindu deity Ganesha to the deep dining room, buffered by golden archways, that’s filled with handcarved furniture and plush, upholstered banquette seating. Upstairs, a private dining room with amber onyx decorative dividers bookending the walls where a black marble dining table for 20 takes centre stage.
Adrak Yorkville
Adrak private room.
Here, diners are greeted with a parade of flavours in a menu that draws from regions around India in both pre-and colonial times. Kitchen chefs are responsible for their areas or style of cooking and bring their own proprietary blend of spices to their dishes.
There are staples from tandoor-cooked meats, including Pista Lamb Chops crusted with pistachios and served with bright mint chutney and red onions, and flavourful Traditional Dal Makhani that’s fantastic with rice or crisp, made-to-order garlic naan.
The opening Papad Ki Tokri features a rainbow of papadams with a trio of chutneys.
The Thecha Paneer Tikka is delightfully squeaky with a sweet dairy-fresh flavour and comes topped with a curry leaf-green chili sauce.
The incredible Thecha Paneer Tikka features the fresh and milky Indian cheese dressed with a scrumptious curry leaf-green chili sauce. Then there is the Oregano Murgh Tikka, which features a succulent chicken breast that has been marinated in a pepper-oregano yogurt base and cooked in the clay tandoor oven, plus biryani and served with a yogurt sauce.
Rampuri Sabz Biryani tucks aged basmati rice with seasonal fresh veggies under a puff pastry cover that’s cut into at the table, then served with garlic yogurt.
The regional focus of the menu is also reflected in the cocktails, The ingredients are the feature of the particular province, like saffron syrup, ginger infused port, turmeric vermouth and pandan-infused Cazadores tequila.
The Chai Biscuit features a biscuit gateaux topped with salted caramel sauce and sided by cinnamon chai latte ice cream garnished with khari.
Other beverage options include non-alcoholic drinks, like the fresh mango, lychee, lime and dragonfruit containing Joker, as well as lighter-bodied wines to pair with the cuisine.
138 Avenue Road,
(416)413-0777,
adrakyorkville.ca
