Drake One Fifty
inTernaTional It’s been four years since the Drake brought its particular brand of Queen West cool to the Financial District. Considered a gamble at the time, based on the sheer scale of the massive, intricately designed
space, Drake One Fifty has been embraced by the Bay Street suits who keep it packed from lunch to late for client meetings, afterwork drinks and dinner with colleagues. As it’s been since opening, the menu is a hodgepodge of salads, pastas, pizzas, snacks and mains. However, unlike the consistently solid west-end Drake Hotel, much of Drake One Fifty’s overly complicated food is missing something: an albacore crudo is made bitter by slices of charred avocado, the signature burger comes with great fries but lacks seasoning, and a chicken schnitzel is neither crisp nor tender. Everything is beautifully plated, of course, and the room is still a great place to enjoy a good boozy cocktail. 150 York St., 416-363- 6150. WOVE
Kiin As their restaurant empire expands, owners Nuit and Jeff Regular have turned their talents to the complex and intricate craft of Royal Thai cuisine. To do this, they eschew strong flavours, heat and funk in favour of a more demure approach. Simple rice crackers are gilded with a creamy tamarind, crab and peanut dressing, and an excellent salad of blanched, star-shaped winged beans derives complexity from the subtle application of chili shrimp paste, fried shallots, toasted coconut and boiled duck egg. Larger dishes include slices of grilled pork jowl, deliciously fatty and flavoured with tamarind, mint, shallots and a sprinkle of crunchy toasted rice, and a whole saltcrusted sea bream, presented as an offering and then taken away to be deboned. It returns alongside carefully constructed kale cups filled with herbs and rhizomes. 326 Adelaide St. W., 647-490- 5040. V
Planta Burger
Chef David Lee and the Chase Hospitality Group are behind this sleekest of veggie burger joints, a quick-service spinoff of Yorkville’s Planta. Vegan and vegetarian versions of fast-food favourites include burgers and fries, shakes and floats. Standouts are deep-fried cauliflower florets slathered in Frank’s and coconut butter for a meatless take on Buffalo wings, and fat onion rings drizzled with a sauce that tastes like sour cream and onion chips in the best way. A patty of shredded celeriac and hearts of palm called a “crab cake” tastes nothing like crab, but it’s plenty tasty, and the bacon cheeseburger is satisfying, but there’s nothing bacony or cheesy about it—though as far as vegans are concerned, that’s probably a good thing. 4 Temperance St., 647-348-7000. V