Introducing: Cleo, a new spot for Middle Eastern cuisine near Yonge and Lawrence
Introducing: Cleo, a new spot for Middle Eastern cuisine near Yonge and Lawrence
By Gizelle Lau | April 7, 2014
By Gizelle Lau | 04/07/2014
Name: Cleo
Contact Info: 3471 Yonge St., 416-440-0700, cleorestaurant.ca
Neighbourhood: Hoggs Hollow
Owner and chef: Sam Girgis, the former executive chef of Oro on Elm Street
The Food: Cleo is uptown’s answer to the Middle Eastern trend that’s been inundating Toronto diners with za’atar-dusted flatbreads and oil-drizzled dips. Girgis’s background is Egyptian, and his mission is to showcase the kind of food he grew up eating. His menu lists contemporary takes on traditional Mediterranean dishes—things like stuffed grape leaves, warm barrel-aged feta and grilled chicken and beef kebabs flavoured with sumac and harissa.
The Place: The simple room is adorned with lots of dark wood and a pair of elaborate chandeliers festooned with golden vines.
The Numbers:
• 30 seats
• $28 for the priciest dish on the menu: lamb three ways (sirloin, shoulder and Merguez sausage) with eggplant, figs and pomegranate couscous
• 3 dips: artichoke hummus, pickled eggplant “caviar” and taramasalata with lobster oil and nori
269301 <strong>Cleo</strong> took over the space at 3471 Yonge Street, which formerly housed an Italian restaurant called Gente (Image: Gizelle Lau) Introducing: Cleo https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-3jpg-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-3jpg.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-3jpg.jpg 944 629 {"aperture":3.5,"camera":"NIKON D800","created_timestamp":1396193530,"focal_length":"14","iso":"1000","shutter_speed":"0.01"} https://torontolife.com/food/cleo-toronto-restaurants/slide/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-3jpg/ cleo_toronto_gizellelau-3jpg 0 0
(Image: Gizelle Lau)
269302 The simple room is decorated with red accent walls and a pair of elaborate chandeliers (Image: Gizelle Lau) Introducing: Cleo https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-2jpg-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-2jpg.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-2jpg.jpg 944 629 {"aperture":3.5,"camera":"NIKON D800","created_timestamp":1396193482,"focal_length":"14","iso":"1000","shutter_speed":"0.033333333333333"} https://torontolife.com/food/cleo-toronto-restaurants/slide/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-2jpg/ cleo_toronto_gizellelau-2jpg 0 0
(Image: Gizelle Lau)
269303 (Image: Gizelle Lau) Introducing: Cleo https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-1jpg-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-1jpg.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-1jpg.jpg 944 629 {"aperture":3.5,"camera":"NIKON D800","created_timestamp":1396193459,"focal_length":"14","iso":"1000","shutter_speed":"0.00125"} https://torontolife.com/food/cleo-toronto-restaurants/slide/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-1jpg/ cleo_toronto_gizellelau-1jpg 0 0
(Image: Gizelle Lau)
269300 (Image: Gizelle Lau) Introducing: Cleo https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-4jpg-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-4jpg.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-4jpg.jpg 944 629 {"aperture":3.5,"camera":"NIKON D800","created_timestamp":1396193596,"focal_length":"24","iso":"1000","shutter_speed":"0.003125"} https://torontolife.com/food/cleo-toronto-restaurants/slide/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-4jpg/ cleo_toronto_gizellelau-4jpg 0 0
(Image: Gizelle Lau)
269299 Trio of dips: artichoke hummus with fava beans and goat cheese; tarama with lobster oil, salmon roe and nori; and pickled eggplant with tahini, lentils and roasted tomatoes ($5 each or 3 for $12) (Image: Gizelle Lau) Introducing: Cleo https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-5jpg-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-5jpg.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-5jpg.jpg 944 629 {"aperture":5.6,"camera":"NIKON D800","created_timestamp":1396463040,"focal_length":"60","iso":"1250","shutter_speed":"0.025"} https://torontolife.com/food/cleo-toronto-restaurants/slide/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-5jpg/ cleo_toronto_gizellelau-5jpg 0 0
(Image: Gizelle Lau)
269298 Fattoush salad with pancetta, celery root, avocado and feta ($12) (Image: Gizelle Lau) Introducing: Cleo https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-6jpg-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-6jpg.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-6jpg.jpg 944 629 {"aperture":5,"camera":"NIKON D800","created_timestamp":1396463580,"focal_length":"60","iso":"1250","shutter_speed":"0.02"} https://torontolife.com/food/cleo-toronto-restaurants/slide/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-6jpg/ cleo_toronto_gizellelau-6jpg 0 0
(Image: Gizelle Lau)
269297 Fattoush salad with pancetta, celery root, avocado and feta ($12) (Image: Gizelle Lau) Introducing: Cleo https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-7jpg-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-7jpg.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-7jpg.jpg 944 629 {"aperture":4,"camera":"NIKON D800","created_timestamp":1396463810,"focal_length":"60","iso":"1250","shutter_speed":"0.00625"} https://torontolife.com/food/cleo-toronto-restaurants/slide/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-7jpg/ cleo_toronto_gizellelau-7jpg 0 0
(Image: Gizelle Lau)
269295 Brown butter and semolina dumplings with artichoke, peas, braised okra, goat cheese and pistachios ($19) (Image: Gizelle Lau) Introducing: Cleo https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-9jpg-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-9jpg.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-9jpg.jpg 944 629 {"aperture":4,"camera":"NIKON D800","created_timestamp":1396464210,"focal_length":"60","iso":"1250","shutter_speed":"0.008"} https://torontolife.com/food/cleo-toronto-restaurants/slide/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-9jpg/ cleo_toronto_gizellelau-9jpg 0 0
(Image: Gizelle Lau)
269296 Brown butter and semolina dumplings with artichoke, peas, braised okra, goat cheese and pistachios ($19) (Image: Gizelle Lau) Introducing: Cleo https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-8jpg-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-8jpg.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-8jpg.jpg 944 629 {"aperture":4,"camera":"NIKON D800","created_timestamp":1396464145,"focal_length":"60","iso":"1250","shutter_speed":"0.008"} https://torontolife.com/food/cleo-toronto-restaurants/slide/cleo_toronto_gizellelau-8jpg/ cleo_toronto_gizellelau-8jpg 0 0
(Image: Gizelle Lau)