(Image: Natalie Swiercz)
“Would you like to enjoy an oyster while you browse?” De la Mer co-owner David Owen asks a tot-toting Roncesvalles mom, while his partner, Blake Edwards, tends to the queue of customers that stretches to the end of the narrow shop shortly after opening. De la Mer is the second outpost of the duo’s Leaside location. The fishmonger has become a fast favourite in the quickly gentrifying neighbourhood, due in large part to the highly knowledgeable staff, who are more than happy to offer tips on cooking their wares. The complimentary perks, such as free citrus, fresh horseradish and dill, don’t hurt either.
Like Kirstin and Dan Donovan of Hooked, both Owen and Edwards come from culinary backgrounds. Owen spent time cooking at the King Edward and is a co-owner of The Feathers Pub, while Edwards honed his skills at venerable institutions such as George. Both trained at George Brown, but they didn’t meet until years later, thanks to serendipitous adjacent parking spots. Edwards was managing the Leaside De la Mer, which happened to be located just behind Owen’s house. When the business went up for sale, the two decided to try their hands at fishmongering, and never looked back.
The bright shop, with its bubbling window display, hosts a fish counter that runs the length of the store, complete with a rainbow of fresh fillets, including halibut, black cod, red snapper, yellow perch, swordfish, grouper and steelhead trout (although there’s a sustainable and ethical bent, De la Mer is not as strict as, say, Hooked). There’s a healthy selection of oysters (five varieties on our visit), and should you order a dozen, you get a bonus cockle on the house. Also on display are house-made goodies such as ready-to-bake panko-crusted crab cakes ($4 each), prosciutto-wrapped tilapia ($13 a pound) perfect for the grill, and crab- and scallop-stuffed salmon roulade ($20 a pound). There’s also a selection of sustainably caught frozen fish for those who prefer to stock up. On the opposite wall, running parallel to the fish counter, is a shelf of fish marinades, sauces, dips and other accoutrements. Perhaps the most sought-after item: the never-frozen Gulf Coast shrimp from the Florida Panhandle, which arrives on Fridays and sells out in a flash.
143309 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer27-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer27.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer27.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer27/ june12delamer27 0 0
143307 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) De la Mer co-owners Blake Edwards and David Owen Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer25-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer25.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer25.jpg 300 420 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer25/ june12delamer25 0 0
De la Mer co-owners Blake Edwards and David Owen
143306 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer24-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer24.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer24.jpg 300 420 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer24/ june12delamer24 0 0
143304 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer22-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer22.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer22.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer22/ june12delamer22 0 0
143302 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer20-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer20.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer20.jpg 300 420 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer20/ june12delamer20 0 0
143299 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Feta-and-spinach-stuffed salmon Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer17-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer17.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer17.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer17/ june12delamer17 0 0
Feta-and-spinach-stuffed salmon
143298 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Ready-to-go salmon skewers Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer16-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer16.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer16.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer16/ june12delamer16 0 0
Ready-to-go salmon skewers
143297 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer15-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer15.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer15.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer15/ june12delamer15 0 0
143296 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer14-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer14.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer14/ june12delamer14 0 0
143295 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Behind the counter Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer13-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer13.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer13.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer13/ june12delamer13 0 0
Behind the counter
143294 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer12-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer12.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer12.jpg 300 420 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer12/ june12delamer12 0 0
143293 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer11.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer11/ june12delamer11 0 0
143292 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer10.jpg 300 420 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer10/ june12delamer10 0 0
143291 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer09-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer09.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer09.jpg 300 420 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer09/ june12delamer09 0 0
143290 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer08-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer08.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer08.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer08/ june12delamer08 0 0
143303 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Kusshi oysters Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer21-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer21.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer21.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer21/ june12delamer21 0 0
Kusshi oysters
143289 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Raspberry Point oysters Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer07-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer07.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer07.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer07/ june12delamer07 0 0
Raspberry Point oysters
143288 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Complimentary citrus with purchase Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer06.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer06/ june12delamer06 0 0
Complimentary citrus with purchase
143286 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer04-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer04.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer04.jpg 300 420 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer04/ june12delamer04 0 0
143285 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) “Honest Weight” Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer03-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer03.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer03.jpg 300 420 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer03/ june12delamer03 0 0
“Honest Weight”
143283 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Looking through the bubbled-glass window onto Roncesvalles Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer01.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer01/ june12delamer01 0 0
Looking through the bubbled-glass window onto Roncesvalles
143282 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer_intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer_intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer_intro.jpg 656 438 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer_intro/ june12delamer_intro 0 0
143308 (Image: Natalie Swiercz) One of the many new businesses that popped on Roncesvalles post-construction Introducing: De la Mer on Roncesvalles https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer26-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer26.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/june12DeLaMer26.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-de-la-mer/slide/june12delamer26/ june12delamer26 0 0
One of the many new businesses that popped on Roncesvalles post-construction
De la Mer, 291 Roncesvalles Ave., 647-748-3474, delamer.ca, @DeLaMerFFM