Blowfish on King unveils BarFish, a next-door cocktail bar and lounge
Blowfish on King unveils BarFish, a next-door cocktail bar and lounge
By Renée Suen | December 15, 2014
By Renée Suen | 12/15/2014
(Image: Renée Suen)
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
302350 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) https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-10-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-10.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-10/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-10 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
302349 The narrow room has a long onyx bar, velvet banquettes and a DJ booth. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-11-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-11.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-11/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-11 0 0
302351 Bartender Nishan Nepulongoda, working his magic. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-09-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-09.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-09/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-09 0 0
302359 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). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-01-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-01.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-01/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-01 0 0
302352 The Luxury Burgundy is a cognac-based cocktail spiked with yuzu and pineapple ($18). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-08-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-08.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-08/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-08 0 0
302355 The citrusy Caribou Crossing is a mix of vodka, lime, grapefruit, yuzu and jalapeño ($16). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-05-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-05.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-05.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-05/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-05 0 0
302358 The Tiki Jallab is laced with a Middle Eastern fruit syrup made with dates and rose water ($18). Also: fun cup! https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-02-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-02.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-02/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-02 0 0
302354 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). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-06-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-06.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-06/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-06 0 0
302356 Spicy tuna is served over fried sushi rice and topped with jalapeño ($17). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-04-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-04.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-04/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-04 0 0
302357 This soy-paper cone contains tiger prawns, mango, avocado, cucumber, lettuce, tempura bits, tobiko and spicy kewpie sauce ($14). https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-03-200x200.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/barfish-toronto-restaurants-03.jpg 1000 667 [] https://torontolife.com/food/blowfish-king-unveils-barfish-next-door-cocktail-bar-lounge/slide/barfish-toronto-restaurants-03/ barfish-toronto-restaurants-03 0 0