New Indigo on King W?

Rumour has it that Indigo may be moving into the large commercial space at the corner of King and Brant streets recently vacated by Acton Leather. Stay tuned!

Food News

Looks like Ichiban Sushi is set to open on the corner of Adelaide and Charlotte St. where the old Autogrille restaurant used to be. I'm pretty excited that this great location, with its huge patio and attractive interior, is going to be used for something once again.

In other area food news, Frescos has opened a store at 525 King St. W. selling packaged ready-to-cook meals. The idea is that for around $10 and 10 minutes of work, you can have a fresh restaurant quality meal for two in the comfort of your home. I'll plan to give it a try sometime.

Oh, and the new Bier Markt at King and Portland is now open. Pricey, but any patio is better than no patio, I say.

Bier Markt King West

Saw an ad on the bus shelter in front of the building today so I had to look into it.

Details here:
http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/club-news-822.html

Looks like this will be happening in the old Amsterdam Brewery space. Another potentially great patio to add to the mix around here!

Summer

Summer's back! Well, sorta. We had summer back in May, which probably explains why I didn't write anything that month. Yes, much time was spent consuming delectable treats and refreshing beverages on area patios, biking along our waterfront and our valleys, and simply lying around and catching some rays. June has been a bit of a letdown, but that shouldn't stop us from hoping for a great summer and celebrating its official calendar start.

If you stop by Bar Wellington, my favourite local watering hole, there's a surprisingly reasonable chance you'll find me there.

Salut!

Spring Sneaks

We love strolling about in all seasons, but spring in Toronto, that brief bout of clement weather wedged between the long, harsh freeze of Canadian winter and the sweltering sauna of summer, finds us especially street-happy. All that walking around sure does a number on our sneakers, but fortunately, spring is a time for new beginnings so it's easy to justify a new pair of sneaks as part of the whole spring cleaning package.

Around King/Spadina, there are lots of shops with a decent selection of sneakers, but rather than enumerate all the dozens of places you can pick up a pair of chucks or Nikes, I thought I'd concentrate on slightly harder-to-find casual brands and styles:

C Squared (365 Queen St. W)

This is the place to go for a pair of Campers. This popular Spanish brand is surprisingly difficult to come by in Toronto - there is no Camper store here yet (not for long, hopefully!). C Squared carries the biggest selection of Camper sneaks in the city, as well as other interesting footwear and apparel.

Livestock (116 Spadina Ave.)

Vancouver-based Livestock set up shop in Toronto recently, offering a selection of rarer Vans styles. A selection of streetwear apparel is also available, including some by Pharell's Billionaire Boys Club label.

Goodfoot (431 Richmond St. W)

The mecca for Toronto sneaker freaks, Goodfoot carries the latest rare sneakers as well as hard-to-find vintage styles. Great store design and informative staff make a visit to the store an educational, even cultural, experience - a store, but also a sneaker gallery in a way.

Get Outside (437 Queen St. W)

A Queen Street institution, this is the place to go for Clarks, Tsubo, Ben Sherman and a number of other brands. Even spotted some Evisu chucks there as of late. A good selection of Converse and Vans is also available.

Da Zone (468 Queen St. W)

If all else fails, for a more conventional selection of stylish and affordable sneakers, Da Zone on Queen and Augusta is the place to go. Lots of Converse, Vans, Asics, Adidas, Puma can be found in this large and airy store.

Happy shopping, and happy spring!

FAT '08

So last night I spent the evening down in the Distillery District, checking out the first evening of events around Alternative Fashion Week which included video installations, live music, runways shows and lots of schmoozing and all-around good times. The drink ticket system was the only annoying thing, boo, but it didn't dampen anyone's spirits and the amazing post-industrial venue (the Fermenting Cellar) was buzzing with great energy into the morning hours.

I particuarly liked the collections and presentations of Krane and Babu et Moi, who showed a slightly sci-fi collection with an aquatic theme.

If you missed last night, you still have a chance to make up for it: TAB events are happening tonight and Saturday night as well.

Infestation

Strolling by the lake this afternoon and enjoying the wonderful weather, I used the opportunity to drop by the Power Plant and check out their current exhibit, Cuttings.


Most striking to me was a work titled Infestation Piece, a playful meditation referencing various instances and kinds of foreign invasion and viral spread. The idea behind the work is explained here, and is worth reading even if you don't plan on visiting the gallery.

This particular exhibit is on until May 11.

H2O @ DX

On my stroll with a friend around town on Saturday, I dropped into the Design Exchange to take a look at the exhibit they've set up as part of Digifest 2008. The title of this year's event is "Water's Edge: Catastrophe Trauma Possibility".


I mostly hung around the exhibit titled "H20: New Scenarios for Survival" which consists of posters by a number of Italian artists illustrating various aspects of water as a precious and endangered resource. Some of them were quite creative and thought-provoking. The diverse original and subtle perspectives on water reminded me of the amazing Water exhibit I caught a few months ago in Tokyo, which I still think about occasionally.

H20 will be on until April 27th at the Design Exchange and the admission is free.

Coming Soon

King/Spadina is always changing, and the pace of change has only accelerated in recent years. I won't try to stay on top of every new store opening, development project and art event, but I thought I'd mention a few additions which have grabbed my attention. Most are yet to open, but one must act quickly in the fast-paced world of obscure local blogs.



Stussy Toronto (431 Richmond St. W)

The venerable street fashion complex at 431 Richmond St. W has a new addition: Stussy Toronto. Upstairs from Nomad, this impeccably designed new store offers the latest from the famous streetwear brand. Check out the Stussy X Levis collection of premium denim jeans and jacket.



Urban Outfitters

The new retail/office building nearing completion on a burned out stretch of Queen St. (not related to the latest fire, photo above, south side of Queen St. west of Spadina) will house a new Urban Outfitters store. The mall is definitely moving west of Spadina.


Aji Sai

A couple of doors down from the new building, a new branch of the sushi restaurant Aji Sai is about to open. I've never visited this chain, but I'll be sure to give them a try. More sushi competition in the area can only be a good thing.


Spice Route (499 King St. W)

The failed Touch Lounge, on King St. W, is being transformed as we speak into a more upscale and hopefully more successful venture: Spice Route Asian Bistro, by Liberty Group. Last week I got to see the renovation work, and it is pretty impressive. Looking at the modest exterior, it is hard to believe it can house such a grand space. I'll try to get another peek so I can get some photos. Should open in spring.


Duke's Cycle (452 Richmond St. W)

Duke's, homeless since the latest fire on Queen St. devastated the store, is moving into a new space on Richmond St. W just west of Spadina. It'll be good to have them back.

Special Stogies

There are few things more enjoyable on a hot humid summer's evening than sitting back with a cold drink and slowly puffing on a fragrant Havana cigar. Well, summer is coming (really, it's true!) and hidden in an alley off King St. West is a small bit of Havana transplanted right here for our pleasure.

Frank Correnti Cigars Ltd. (606 King St. W, back alley, follow the signs) is a cigar factory which manufactures hand-made cigars from important Cuban tobacco leaves. It is, in fact, the only such establishment in Canada. The leaves are aged for 10-12 years before being put to use, resulting in a milder and more refined flavour. After aging, they are hand-rolled by Cuban cigar rollers who are trained in the Cuban cigar-making tradition.


A visit to the shop is a must for any cigar lover, or even anyone interested in seeing first-hand an old-style cigar factory, filled with smells, sights and sounds of old Havana, right in the heart of Toronto.

Cigars can be purchased on-site. A Correnti petit corona ($8.50) is a good introduction to the brand.

Swipe Moving

Swipe, the wonderful bookstore specializing in design and marketing, is moving from its old digs at 477 Richmond St. W to a suite in the legendary 401 Richmond building. The new place will be about twice as large and will allow Swipe to expand its inventory. I can't wait to see the new place and new goodies!

The move begins around April 20th, when Swipe will close. The new location should be open May 1st. Unfortunately, there will be no blowout inventory sale to lighten the move, but the news is good enough as it is.

Bar Blurb: Smokeless Joe

If you're like me, no matter where you live, it is very important to you to have a very good local bar. For a random drink with a friend, or your significant other, or even by yourself without feeling awkward, knowing a safe haven you can rely on is very valuable. Friendly, intimate and tasteful atmosphere, and a strong beer selection are a must. For me, such a place is Smokeless Joe (125 John St.)

Not to be confused with Shoeless Joe's, a chain unworthy of mention, Smokeless Joe (named back when it was one of the only non-smoking bars in the city) is a tiny, hidden gem surrounded by much louder and more garish neighbours catering to the club district's less discriminating patrons. The tiny interior is a portal to a vast world of international beer - Smokeless has one of the city's widest selections. When you enter, you will be handed a hefty beer menu with a dizying number of great beers from all over the world to choose from. Several good beers are always available on tap as well, and this selection changes frequently. I personally really like wheat beer, so I'll usually go for one they have on tap, and there's always at least one.

Have a seat at the bar and strike up a chat with the proprietors. They are quite friendly and know their beer. As you sip, consider sampling a few oysters, another Smokeless tradition. Mussels are another food favourite here, as well as the very satisfying clam chowder.

Hanging out at Smokeless (usually with my lady), we are regularly engaged in conversation by other friendly patrons at the bar. We've met a number of people here, both Torontonians and visitors from afar, who were well-advised by their travel guides to visit this secluded oasis. Something about the place just seems to open people up and bring them together. The intimate size and layout, the discreet and friendly staff, the blues slowly oozing from the speakers, and an absolutely incredible beer selection make Smokeless the personal neighbourhood bar of choice.

Jeans!

Jeans are possibly the most enduring and universally loved type of garment there is. I love jeans, and wear them almost exclusively. For me, a good pair of jeans is one that fits well, has a clean and minimal look, is durable, and can be worn in both casual and dressier situations. I have a weakness for dry selvedge denim with a classic fit.

Fortunately, in the King/Spadina area, we are blessed with a number of stores where such jeans can be found. Here's a few of them:


Nomad (431 Richmond St. W)

This wonderfully designed store is a mecca of street style and should be on any serious shopper’s itinerary. Jeans-wise, they carry a good selection of A.P.C., Imperial, Wings+Horns and Nom De Guerre.

Ransom (431 Richmond St. W)

Upstairs from Nomad is its sister store, Ransom, which has a more casual selection of street wear, and vintage reproductions from Levi's, like the LVC 1948 501. They also have their own original line of dry denim jeans which looks promising.

Next Door (433 Queen St. W)

A couple of minutes' walk from Nomad/Ransom is Next Door, which specializes in more formal stuff, and carries a few jeans from Acne and J. Lindeberg.

GotStyle (489 King St. W, 2nd floor)

This menswear store has lots of interesting stuff on hand, including some nice jean brands, like Kicking Mule.


Gotta start saving for that fancy denim!

Resto Writeup: Breakfast at Brassaii

Breakfast, to me, is definitely the most important and intimate meal of the day. Morning is a special, vulnerable time, and it sets the mood for the whole day. I don't have breakfast with just anyone, and I don't just have it anywhere.



For a cozy, relaxing and tasty breakfast with a friend, Brassaii (461 King St. W) is a venue that seldom disappoints. Named after the famous Hungarian-born photographer, the restaurant is elegantly designed in an impressively refurbished brick-and-beam industrial space with white walls providing a clean backdrop for classic and original photography. Large windows give the space a light and airy quality and make it a thoroughly enjoyable place to start your day.

Walking into this impressive yet friendly space, one expects to overpay for food, but breakfast here is surprisingly affordable. The top prize for value goes to the delicious and filling $3 croissant filled with nutella and banana. If you are interested in a healthier option, the $6 granola (with yogourt and honey) is one of the best such dishes I've had. A perennial favourite is also the goat cheese omelette ($7), with a side of toast and potatoes.

Resto Writeup: Fusaro's Kitchen

Following the theme of crowded but delicious and affordable lunch places around King/Spadina, a shining star definitely worthy of some attention is the lively and always satisfying Fusaro's Kitchen (147 Spadina Ave).

This charming cafeteria-style restaurant is a local lunchtime hotspot and it's usually fairly difficult to get a table, but even getting your food to go is worth a bit of a wait in the line. Once at the counter, you can order one of the delicious panini (my favourite is the tuna, $6.25), wraps, pasta, chicken alla parmigiana, or anything else they have laid out in the display. The bottled Brio Chinotto is another personal must-have.

Resto Writeup: Thai Princess

Thai Princess (387 King St. W) is one of the restaurants I most frequently frequent for lunch. It is also probably the best Thai restaurant I know in Toronto.

While lunchtime is often crowded, causing waits of up to 15-20 minutes on bad days, the struggle is well worth it. The dishes are mostly fairly usual fare (pad thai, curries) but they are made to a standard superior to that of most other Thai restaurants. The curry pad thai (with chicken and shrimp, $10 before taxes) is my favourite and it is truly sensational. I sometimes like to wash that down with hot ginger tea ($2.50), which comes in a nice ceramic tea pot and is a delicious remedy on a cold winter day.

Only once has anything in this restaurant disappointed me, and it had to do with the aforementioned ginger tea. In this one instance, another person accompanying me ordered the ginger tea as well, and we were made to share the one tea pot. We had had multiple tea orders before, and each person was always given their own pot previously, but the server assured me there was no mistake in this case. Certainly, it makes no sense to charge us twice for the same thing I normally get a single charge for. Anyway, a minor misunderstanding which was not repeated.

For an inexpensive, lively, laid-back and yet high-quality Thai lunch in the King/Spadina area, you can't go wrong with Thai Princess.

Spaceship Umbra

Last night I had a bit of time to kill before the Brian Auger show at Jeff Healey's Roadhouse so I decided to take a walk up to the new Umbra concept store on John Street.



I was lucky enough to stumble into a special event they were having, with wine and snacks and notable locals including councillor Adam Vaughn. Also on hand was architect Will Alsop, who designed the store and, more famously, the Sharp Centre for Design just up the street. Cameras were flashing, improptu interviews were being given, and I was just walking around sipping my wine and minding my own business.

The building is quite stricking. Its outside is clad in vertical pink panels which are backlit and apparently produce an impressive effect at night. One employee I talked to called it "Spaceship Umbra". The interior is very open and modern, reminiscent of a gallery space but still very functional for retail. The products were mostly the usual Umbra stuff, bathroom accessories and the like, though they did have some specialty items by Karim Rashid, available on special order.

London, Japan

So I spent this past week in London, the grand metropole of this distant dominion. As expected, I had a great time and was blown away by a great many things in the departments of architecture, urban infrastructure, cultural amenities and so on. More apropos for this blog, I also brought back a few impressions pertaining to London's retail scene and how it relates to Toronto's. Of course, those impressions should by no means be taken as an objective evaluation. They are merely the subjective views of one man, received through the prism of his own interests and experiences.

Firstly, I was somewhat struck by the overwhelming domination of chain stores in the main mid-market shopping districts. Regent Street, Oxford Street and Covent Garden are completely saturated with Gaps, Zaras, H&Ms, Aldos and the like. I felt like it would actually be quite a challenge to accomplish any substantial shopping with a strong local flavour - most of the same stuff can be found right here on Queen Street, and usually for less money. I know, complaining about this effect of globalization is a bit tired, but there it is.

On the flip side, one thing I was impressed with was the strong presence of some Japanese chains and department stores that we don't have here. Muji and Uniqlo are well represented and wonderful. Also, as New York has Takashimaya, London has a Mitsukoshi department store. It seems to me that the world of Japan-based global retail may be a good indication of a city's global credentials. By this metric, clearly, and not surprisingly, Toronto is not yet in the same league with the likes of NYC and London. I hope that changes soon. Muji has so many great little things to offer!

Continuing with the Japanese theme (bizarrely, I know), I also discovered a great okonomiyaki place in London. Abeno has two locations: one on Museum Street, just south of the British Museum and another, much more meticulously designed, near Cambridge Circus. Great food! In Toronto we have Okonomi House on Charles Street to satisfy our regular cravings, and it does its job well, but we could certainly use a bit more choice.

Sayonara, and cheers!

Wii!

So I was lucky enough to stumble upon a Nintendo Wii console at the small Microplay on Queen St. just west of Bathurst. After some time trying to find one online and following various wiintelligence boards, I was ready to give up until Nintendo got their supply chain in order. Then, during a random stroll, I happen to find one last one in a store, just like that! No early-morning line-ups, no inside scoops, no connections, no voodoo. I was pretty happy and surprised about that. Hopefully I didn't spend all my good karma on a gaming console, but the thing is so much fun that it would possibly be worth it.

The controller and bundled games are really fun to use. I've also rented a few games since I got the console. The Blockbuster near my place doesn't have much of a selection, but I did manage to find a few decent Wii games.

What impressed me the most about this little device are actually the non-gaming features. The news and forecast channels, constantly updating via wireless, are pretty useful and well thought-out, but the free Opera-based "Internet Channel" really blew my mind. The browser is fully functional and can even play movies off YouTube! Who needs cable? Who needs a computer?! With a $250 Nintendo Wii (and free wireless that we downtowners still enjoy courtesy of Toronto Hydro) you get everything you need to function online! When Nintendo releases the rumoured Wii keyboard, making things like Gmail more usable, we'll really be set to roll.

Yay! These kinds of more-than-you-expected gizmos really make me smile.

Shochu

So my girl and I went for dinner to Ki tonight. It was my first time there, but she had gone there for lunch before and raved about their sashimi. Indeed, I was impressed by the quality and selection of the fish, and the vibe was decent as well. The crowd is mostly standard Bay street types, but the place is nicely designed and generally pleasant.

On the drink menu, I immediately noticed a modest selection of shochu, which I don't remember encountering here in Toronto before. I had tried it in Tokyo some time ago, and it didn't really leave an impression - it was flavourless, like vodka. I must admit though that I'm not a connoisseur of vodka or hard liquour in general, so these are words of a layman. Tonight they had three different kinds and I tried two of them. I rather enjoyed the mild and fragrant Tanaka Moonlight. Makes me wish it was easier to come by around these parts.