Introducing: Honest Weight, a new seafood shop and lunch counter from one of Canada’s top fishmongers

Name: Honest Weight
Neighbourhood: The Junction
Contact Info: 2776A Dundas Street West, 416-604-9992, www.honestweight.ca
Owners: John Bil and Victoria Bazan

The Food: Three-time oyster-shucking national champion and seafood expert John Bil has been busy over the last decade running a seafood import company and helping others open their restaurants (including Montreal’s legendary Joe Beef). Now he has a place of his own. Honest Weight’s lunch counter offers alternative takes on typical fish-shop menu items—like okonomiyaki, a savoury Japanese pancake, instead of fish and chips; a rabbit and clam soup; and a fish curry with South Indian flair. Bil says he wants to introduce his customers to lesser-known seafood, “like mahogany clams, stout razor clams and monkfish cheeks.” Oceanic offerings are also available to go—a display case is stocked with scallops, oysters, snapper and cod, all on ice.

The Drinks: Before the liquor license comes in, customers can order an old-fashioned soda made with house-made syrup. The soda water is delivered daily from Magda, the oldest maker of the stuff in the city.

The Place: Beechwood counters, a white-washed swinging door that leads to the kitchen and shelves stacked with decorative dishes all give the space an East Coast feel—and disguise its past life as a denture clinic.

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The former denture clinic is now less about chompers, and more about snapper.

(Image: Jackie Pal)

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Two glass display cases are stocked with fresh fish and seafood.

(Image: Jackie Pal)

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Oysters are sold for $2.50 a piece, while clams go for $1.25 each.

(Image: Jackie Pal)

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Instead of fish and chips, Bil serves okonomiyaki. His version of the savoury pancake is stuffed with seafood and shaved vegetables (cabbage, mountain yam and leek), then topped with shaved bonito and beet-cured salmon. ($12)

(Image: Jackie Pal)

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The "seated fish" dish lets customers choose any fish from the display case, which is then grilled to order and served with a side of clams or veggies. ($20)

(Image: Jackie Pal)

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The "ham and clams" plate will change daily, based on what's available. This one includes pickled daikon and fennel, beet-cured gravlax, apple compote, pickled mussels and clams, an Acadian sturgeon bake, beet relish and three types of cured meat. ($20)

(Image: Jackie Pal)

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For the stew, chunks of braised rabbit and chopped root vegetables are cooked in clam juice. ($9)

(Image: Jackie Pal)

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Forno Cultura custom-makes a multigrain sourdough for Honest Weight. One whole loaf currently weighs in at 10 pounds, but Bill says the goal is to get it up to 20.

(Image: Jackie Pal)

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Soda is delivered daily by Magda, and customers can flavour theirs with one of the house-made syrups. ($3)

(Image: Jackie Pal)

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