The kitchen cooks over oak
Steak, bream, chicken and whole vegetables go on the fire; everything else is finished in the pan or the oven.
Wood fire kitchen, Lahore
The fire is lit before the doors open
Oak, a short menu and twenty plates cooked to order at the pass. Open Tuesday to Sunday, with last orders thirty minutes before close.
The house
One oak fire, twenty plates, a long counter
We burn oak and nothing else, and every plate is finished by hand at the pass. The menu is short on purpose: four courses, five plates each, cooked by one shift.
-
-
The bar pours short
Twelve wines by the glass, three local beers on tap and one cocktail card.
-
The room seats forty
Thirty at tables and ten at the counter facing the pass, with a back room for up to twenty.
The menu
Twenty plates, four courses, one fire
Written the way we cook it: starters, then the fire, then sides and bread, then something sweet. Prices are in Canadian dollars, before tax and gratuity.
-
Starters
Beetroot carpaccio
Roast beets sliced thin, whipped goat cheese, toasted hazelnuts, mint.
V · GF
$15
-
Pork and blackberry terrine
Pressed pork shoulder, blackberries, cultured cream, house pickles.
$17
-
Cured salmon on toasted grain
Salmon cured two days in salt and dill, toasted grains, fried shallot.
$18
-
Charred leeks
Leeks from the coals, romesco, toasted almonds.
VG · GF
$13
-
Oak-smoked mussels
Mussels steamed over oak, white wine, parsley butter.
GF
$19
-
From the fire
Grilled sea bream
Fillet cooked skin-down over oak, charred carrot, shaved fennel, citrus, herb oil.
GF
$34
-
Dry-aged ribeye, 14 oz
Thirty days on the bone, grilled over oak, bone marrow butter, watercress.
GF
$58
-
Half chicken
Brined overnight, grilled over oak, lemon, chilli honey, charred greens.
$29
-
Lamb shoulder for two
Eight hours in the oven, finished on the fire, flatbread, yoghurt, mint.
$72
-
Fire-roasted cauliflower
A whole head, tahini, pomegranate, toasted seeds.
VG · GF
$24
-
Sides and bread
Sourdough and cultured butter
Baked each morning, served warm.
V
$7
-
Embered potatoes
Smashed, roasted in the coals, garlic aioli.
V · GF
$10
-
Charred greens
Broccolini, chilli, lemon, garlic.
VG · GF
$10
-
Fennel and cucumber salad
Shaved fennel, cucumber, dill, sherry vinegar.
VG · GF
$11
-
Bone marrow on toast
Roasted marrow, parsley, pickled shallot, grilled sourdough.
$12
-
To finish
Chocolate ice cream, raspberries
Dark chocolate ice cream, raspberries, oat crumble, burnt-sugar pastry.
V
$13
-
Burnt honey custard
Set custard, honey taken to the edge of burnt, sea salt.
V · GF
$12
-
Ember-baked apple
An apple left in the coals, brown butter, oat crumble, cream.
V
$12
-
Affogato
Vanilla ice cream, double espresso, amaro.
V · GF
$11
-
Three cheeses
Three local cheeses, quince paste, crackers.
V
$18
Allergens: tell your server before you order. The kitchen handles nuts, gluten, dairy, egg, shellfish and sesame, and one shared fire means we cannot promise a plate is free of cross-contact. V is vegetarian, VG vegan, GF made without gluten ingredients.
Hold a table at the pass
We keep every table fifteen minutes past its time.
How we started
One grill, a hand-written menu, 2019
Daniel Okafor opened these doors in 2019 with one grill, a hand-written menu and a dozen tables built from reclaimed oak. The grill is still the centre of the room. Every plate leaves through the same pass, and nothing goes out that Daniel has not looked at first. We buy from nine growers, fishers and butchers, and their names go on the board by the door each week. When an ingredient is out of season, the plate comes off the menu.
Daniel Okafor Chef and owner
-
2019
Year opened
-
900
Covers a week
-
9
Suppliers named on the board
How to eat here
Dine in, pick up, or bring a crowd
Three ways in, all cooked on the same fire.
-
Dine in
Thirty seats at tables and ten at the counter facing the pass. Reserve ahead, or walk in and take the counter.
-
Pick up
Mains and sides travel in vented boxes. Allow thirty minutes from your call to the door; pick up runs until an hour before close.
-
Catering
Set menus for ten to forty guests, cooked on site or delivered hot, and the back room for up to twenty seated.
On now
Three offers running into the new year
-
$65
Winter tasting menu, per guest
Five courses from the fire in one sitting, Tuesday to Thursday.
Until
Book the tasting menu -
$42
Holiday catering, per guest
A set menu for parties of ten or more, with the back room held for you.
Book by
Ask about holiday catering -
$50
Gift card
Any amount from $50, printed or emailed, spent on any plate or pour.
Valid 24 months from purchase
Ask for a gift card
The room
From the empty room to the door at night
-
The dining room, before service -
A table from above, candle lit -
Hands plating at the pass -
Sourdough, under a cloth -
The bar, amber shelves -
A window table at night -
The pass, lights down at close -
The door at night
The people
Three people you will hear before you see
-
Daniel Okafor
Chef and owner
Cooked on lines in three cities before lighting his own fire in 2019. He lays the fire at 2:00 PM and checks every plate at the pass.
-
Priya Raman
Pastry and bread
Bakes the sourdough each morning and builds the sweet course around the best fruit of the week. Her burnt honey custard has not left the menu since we opened.
-
Tomás Ferreira
Floor manager
Runs the room and the reservation book, and holds each table fifteen minutes past its time. Ask about the wine and he will pour you a taste first.
Guests
Notes left on the check, kept as written
-
We sat at the counter and watched every plate go through one pair of hands. The sea bream came off the fire still hissing, the sourdough was gone in a minute, and nobody rushed us out at ten.
5Helen MarchettiGoogle review -
Booked the back room for twelve. The set menu came out in the order Tomás promised, to the minute.
5Jordan PikeOpenTable -
Short menu, honest prices, a proper fire. Parking is the only trick, so come ten minutes early.
4Amara NwosuTripadvisor
Booking rules
Holds, fees and where to park
What we are asked at the door, in one place. We use the details you give us only to hold and confirm your table.
-
How long do you hold a table?
Fifteen minutes past your booking time. After that we offer it to the next party, so call the pass if you are running late.
-
What if I need to cancel?
Cancel up to 24 hours ahead at no charge. Inside 24 hours, parties of nine or more lose their deposit of $25 per guest.
-
Do you charge corkage?
$30 per 750 ml bottle, one bottle for every two guests. We cannot open a bottle that is already on our list.
-
Can you seat a large party?
Parties of nine to twenty book the back room with a set menu and a $25 per guest deposit. Up to eight guests sit in the main room.
-
Where do we park?
There is metered street parking along the avenue, free after 9:00 PM, and a pay lot a two-minute walk away. We do not offer valet.
-
How do you handle allergies?
Tell us when you book and again at the table. We cook on one shared oak fire, so we can adapt most plates but cannot guarantee a dish free of cross-contact.
Hours and address
Look for the carved wooden door
Walk-ins take the counter from opening. The kitchen takes last orders thirty minutes before close.
-
Tue to Thu
–
-
Friday
–
-
Saturday
–
-
Sunday
–
-
Monday
Closed
123 Example Avenue, Toronto, ON M5V 0A1
Reservations
Pick a night, we hold the table
Choose a date, a time and a party size and we will confirm by email within one working day. We hold your table for fifteen minutes past the time you choose, and the back room for parties of nine to twenty.