Home and Family

Evaluated by Eye Magazine as ‘outstanding’, but receiving mixed reviews from Toronto Life who ultimately rated it one of Toronto’s Best New Restaurants in 2007, Quince falls into the group of a must-try – a Mediterranean-inspired place with reasonable prices and a reputation for fresh, innovative flavours. The founders of Quince are Jennifer Gittins and Michael van den Winkel, a husband and wife once known from the high-valued Stork on the Roof. Their new place, opened in fall of 2006, is located just a few blocks south of the busy intersection at Yonge and Eglinton.

Enclosed by a pretty patio graced with teak furniture and plenty of cushions in bright, primary colours, Quince is directly across the street from the abandoned hulk that was once Cheaters, an infamous nudie bar. Two doors down, next to the famous restaurant Coquine, a neon sign proclaims “Adult Video & Novelties”, a bit of a shocker in a neighbourhood touted for its blossoming business district and family-friendly parks. But if you can remember, at least in the recent 25 years, this stretch of Yonge Street between Eglinton and Davisville has always offered a wide selection of shops. You may find pretty much anything, starting from clothing boutiques to bead and paper shops, home decor to adult venues.

We are kindly greeted at Quince’s door by the hostess, who offers us a spot near the bar on low, cushioned banquettes. Pleading excessive height, we’re offered a selection of tables, which is a nice surprise for a Saturday night in this lively neighbourhood. I ask: “What’s downstairs?” “Oh, that’s our private dining room,” our hostess replies. Open for lunch and dinner and boasting its own bar and lounge, the cozy space is elegantly decorated (though the tile floor is a tell that you’re in the basement). Tonight it’s off limits to couples, being available for corporate or private groups of maximum 40 people or cocktail receptions of 70 people at most. For these occassions, the staff suggests you a menu together with matching wines, so that you don’t have to care about all the details yourself.

We pick our table and almost instantly, our waiter comes with a short list of specials. A short list of specials is supplemented with a detailed description of ingredients and how the meals are prepared and how they are going to work together. We can see that the waiter is obviously an expert, he doesn’t even need to refer to his notebook as he describes us what is garnish vs. a side dish. He’s personable, friendly and efficient. Left alone to ponder whether a whole sea bream (“Most people choose a side with it, it’s just the fish,” our waiter cautions apologetically) is a good idea, we take a look around. I notice the smartly designed lighting that enhances the whole space of the dining room and adds pleasant warmth to it. The space seems to be quite large but still somewhat intimate at the same time. The volume level is very comfortable too – despite nearly all the tables around us being full, we can easily hear each other and the background music (think D’Angelo and Stevie Wonder). The interior is decorated with modern art in earthy colours, gracing the loft-style brick walls and bringing balance to the exposed ductwork, painted in chocolate brown to remove all traces of sterility. Voyeurs will like the semi-open kitchen, offering a glimpse of the wood-fired oven behind the bar. If you are interested to read the rest of our review, see the full Quince restaurant review.