Introducing: Le Ti Colibri, Kensington Market’s first French-Caribbean joint (complete with tiki hut)
(Image: Megan Leahy)
Le Ti Colibri is the latest little restaurant to make a go of it at 291 Augusta Avenue, the little nook that previously held Spicy Grill Indo Pak Cuisine. The French Caribbean restaurant is the first venture of Kristel Procida, who came from a marketing background and Mattias Laurin (Urban Herbivore, Fressen), a chef with over 15 years of experience. After meeting in France, the couple reunited in Toronto, a city they have come to love and call home. They told us they admire the cultural curiosity of Torontonians, which was part of the reason they chose Kensington Market to open their restaurant.
After some round-the-clock renovations, the small counter-service restaurant now has a fresh new tropical feel inside and out (the small backyard patio even has a tiki hut, which Laurin built, to complete the look). With zouk (a rhythmic music originating in the French Caribbean) playing in the background, Procida explained the menu as a riff on the couple’s experiences growing up in the French Caribbean; she was born in Guadeloupe, while he’s from Martinique, and while the differences are subtle, she assures us each does have its own culinary specialties.
Those dishes include saltfish fritters (made of cod) served with homemade hot sauce and a side salad, in a house cantaloupe dressing ($4.25). The bun for the popular bokit sandwich ($7–$9) is made with freshly rolled dough that’s then deep fried. Inside, there’s a choice of fillings like saltfish and avocado (known as f éroce in Martinique), tuna, egg or cheese. For drinks, there’s an exotic virgin punch ($3.50) and for dessert, a coconut flan ($5). The food is served take-out style, and there are plans to expand into delivery as well. With any luck, it’ll stick around longer than the previous occupants of its space.
156174 Coconut flan ($5) (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri10.jpg 624 414 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri10/ aug12leticolibri10 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156173 Bokit sandwich stuffed with saltfish ($7) (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri9-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri9.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri9.jpg 624 414 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri9/ aug12leticolibri9 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156172 Saltfish fritters ($4.25) and saltfish patty ($2.25); each come with salad in house cantaloupe dressing and homemade hot sauce (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri8-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri8.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri8.jpg 624 414 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri8/ aug12leticolibri8 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156171 Laurin built this tiki hut for the back patio (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri7-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri7.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri7.jpg 624 414 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri7/ aug12leticolibri7 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156170 (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri6-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri6.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri6.jpg 414 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri6/ aug12leticolibri6 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156169 Co-owners Kristel Procida and Mattias Laurin (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri5-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri5.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri5.jpg 414 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri5/ aug12leticolibri5 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156168 Co-owner Kristel Procida (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri4-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri4.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri4.jpg 624 414 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri4/ aug12leticolibri4 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156167 (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri3-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri3.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri3.jpg 624 414 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri3/ aug12leticolibri3 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156166 (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri2-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri2.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri2.jpg 624 414 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri2/ aug12leticolibri2 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156165 (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri1-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri1.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri1.jpg 414 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri1/ aug12leticolibri1 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
156164 Le Ti Colibri takes over from Spicy Grill Indo Pak Cuisine (Image: Megan Leahy) Introducing: Le Ti Colibri Introducing: Le Ti Colibri https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri_intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri_intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/aug12leticolibri_intro.jpg 656 454 [] https://torontolife.com/food/introducing-le-ti-colibri/slide/aug12leticolibri_intro/ aug12leticolibri_intro 0 0
(Image: Megan Leahy)
Le Ti Colibri, 291 Augusta Ave., 416-925-2223, Facebook page, @leticolibri
Hope someone check this and review it and let me know. I am curious about that salt fish fatty as Patty King in Kensington market have goat patty, lobster patty etc etc. Patties should stick to BEEF!!!
Horrible food, very unsanitary, definitely a miss amongst a wide array of other good quality restaurants in the market.
I just ate here yesterday and had a great experience. Didn’t notice the back patio but my friend and I ate out front. We both had bokit sandwiches and the food was tasty and fresh. The place looked spotless when we went inside to order, although they didn’t have any of the housemade beverages (lemonade, virgin punch OR ginger-sorrel) available. The bread reminded me a lot of Native Canadian frybread (no surprise but still delicious).