Blowfish on King unveils BarFish, a next-door cocktail bar and lounge
Blowfish on King unveils BarFish, a next-door cocktail bar and lounge
BarFish is a new cocktail lounge that’s joined at the hip with Blowfish, the schmoozy Japanese restaurant on King West. Housed in a modern new addition to the historic Bank of Montreal building at King and Bathurst, the narrow room has an onyx-topped bar, velvet banquettes and a DJ booth for nightly spinning sessions. Bartender Nishan Nepulongoda serves up complex drinks, like a cognac-based concoction flavoured with yuzu and figs, and a tiki-inspired cocktail served in a mug shaped like an Easter Island moai. (It’s spiked with jallab, a Middle Eastern fruit syrup made with dates and rose water.) Japanese snacks, like deep-fried rock shrimp and miso-marinated black cod, can be ordered from the Blowfish kitchen. But there’s more in store for the new extension: come spring, two new floors above the bar will house a pair of private dining rooms and a rooftop terrace.
668 King St. W., 416-860-0606, blowfishrestaurant.com, @BlowfishResto
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- BarFish is housed in a modern new addition to the historic Bank of Montreal building at King and Bathurst. (The entrance is inside Blowfish.)
- (Image: Renée Suen)
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- The narrow room has a long onyx bar, velvet banquettes and a DJ booth.
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- Bartender Nishan Nepulongoda, working his magic.
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- The Flamboyant Green packs a punch with rum <em>and</em> green chartreuse. It's flavoured with calamansi and shiso leaves, and finished with a flaming chartreuse-soaked sugar cube ($15).
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- The Luxury Burgundy is a cognac-based cocktail spiked with yuzu and pineapple ($18).
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- The citrusy Caribou Crossing is a mix of vodka, lime, grapefruit, yuzu and jalapeño ($16).
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- The Tiki Jallab is laced with a Middle Eastern fruit syrup made with dates and rose water ($18). Also: fun cup!
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- Japanese snacks can be ordered from the Blowfish kitchen. The spicy rock shrimp are tempura-battered, deep-fried and tossed in hot garlic kewpie sauce ($10).
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- Spicy tuna is served over fried sushi rice and topped with jalapeño ($17).
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- This soy-paper cone contains tiger prawns, mango, avocado, cucumber, lettuce, tempura bits, tobiko and spicy kewpie sauce ($14).
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![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/&title=Blowfish on King unveils BarFish, a next-door cocktail bar and lounge&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-intro-624x395.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_302336" align="aligncenter" width="656"] (Image: Renée Suen)[/caption]
BarFish is a new cocktail lounge that's joined at the hip with Blowfish, the schmoozy Japanese restaurant on King West. Housed in a modern new addition to the historic Bank of Montreal building at King and Bathurst, the narrow room has an onyx-topped bar, velvet banquettes and a DJ booth for nightly spinning sessions. Bartender Nishan Nepulongoda serves up complex drinks, like a cognac-based concoction flavoured with yuzu and figs, and a tiki-inspired cocktail served in a mug shaped like an Easter Island moai. (It's spiked with jallab, a Middle Eastern fruit syrup made with dates and rose water.) Japanese snacks, like deep-fried rock shrimp and miso-marinated black cod, can be ordered from the Blowfish kitchen. But there's more in store for the new extension: come spring, two new floors above the bar will house a pair of private dining rooms and a rooftop terrace.
668 King St. W., 416-860-0606, blowfishrestaurant.com, @BlowfishResto
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