Review: At the Junction’s Honest Weight, John Bil lets seafood shine

Honest Weight ★★★½ 2776 Dundas St. W., 416-604-9992

Fishmonger extraordinaire John Bil puts his encyclopedic knowledge of seafood to good use in the tightly edited menu of his small Junction shop. Plump B.C. clams and lush mussels are cooked in a bit of fish stock and served in their own rich juice with only a few batons of bacon and minced shallots to set them off. Dark, coriander seed–crusted bread, custom-made for the restaurant by Forno Cultura, ensures no drop is wasted. Fish crudo—great slabs of whatever’s in season: bonito, line-caught bluefin, mackerel—gets all it needs from a splash of fruity olive oil, a few citrus segments and a sprinkle of chili. Okonomiyaki (pictured above), the savoury, seafood-stuffed Japanese pancake made with cabbage and yam, is topped with smoked fish and bonito. There’s no fish and chips, but purists will find plenty to admire in the creamy, shellfish-packed chowder or simply grilled prawns. For dessert, honest, home-style flavours inform the bright, citrusy lemon curd and saucy fruit crumble. Closed Monday.