Ten reservations worth making during Summerlicious

Summerlicious—which kicks off July 3 and runs through July 19—offers a chance to explore the city’s dining scene at approachable price points. But, with more than 240 restaurants participating in this seasonal prix fixe extravaganza, choosing where to book is almost as challenging as securing a reservation—so we did the work for you.

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Here, 10 reservations that are worth making, including a kitchen serving Cantonese fusion, an Italian restaurant that uses five flours to make its pizza dough and a dining room that sits 31 storeys above the city.

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Chon Modern Thai Cuisine

1677 Bayview Ave., chonthai.ca

This first-time Summerlicious participant is the sister spot to Pii Nong, a three-in-one Thai concept that’s a restaurant, a market and a massage parlour. While Chong claims to serve modern Thai cuisine, the menu is rooted in traditional recipes, many of which are hard to find elsewhere in Toronto. $34 for lunch, $45 for dinner

Highlights: Start with the crispy herb chicken wings, tossed with fried garlic and lemongrass. Follow it up with the rich and spicy Angry Seafood Curry. For dessert, the tropical mango sticky rice is the obvious choice—it’s designed to look like a seaside landscape, with mango “rocks,” butter cookie “sand” and butterfly pea coconut sauce “sea,” all supported by sticky rice underneath.

R&D

241 Spadina Ave., rdspadina.com

Michelin-decorated chefs Eric Chong and Alvin Leung have created a Summerlicious menu that reimagines familiar dim sum and small plates with French, Chinese and Korean influences. $65 for dinner

Highlights: The longaniza bao, which pairs rich Ibérico pork with the bright acidity of traditional Filipino atchara, is a strong opener. For mains, it’s a toss-up: both the chili crab fried rice and the yellow curry rigatoni (think pasta with braised short rib and a rich Malaysian Thai sauce) are excellent and interesting choices. End the meal with the bánh bò nướng, a pandan honeycomb cake paired with ube ice cream.

Honey Chinese

600 King St. W., honeychineseto.com

Honey is entering a new chapter of its short life with the arrival of a new chef, who has introduced a fresh menu for the restaurant’s inaugural Summerlicious. While the kitchen’s original focus was rooted in modern Chinese cuisine, the new direction expands into a broader pan-Asian menu. $55 for dinner

Highlights: Move from the red oil dumplings (a Honey hit) to the cashew chicken, which is wok-fried and finished in a savoury soy glaze with just a touch of heat. Cap things off with the jujube sticky toffee pudding, made with red dates sourced from China.

The Chase

10 Temperance St., thechasetoronto.com

This swanky spot at the top of the historic Dineen Building continues to be a Financial District favourite for its seafood-focused menu, its extensive wine list and—the real selling feature—a rooftop patio with views for days. $55 for lunch, $75 for dinner

Highlights: Since seafood is a specialty here, start with the hamachi crudo, a bright and refreshing dish that balances the delicate fish with citrusy calamansi. Follow it up with something richer, like the truffle sweet pea agnolotti, pillowy pasta pockets swimming in a white wine butter sauce with shavings of black truffle. For dessert, try the simple-is-best chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream.

Little Sister Portland

102 Portland St., littlesisterto.com/ls-portland

Each dish at this long-standing Dutch Indonesian restaurant and bar incorporates a house-made mix of bumbu, Indonesia’s foundational spice blends, bringing a taste of Bali to Portland Street. $45 for dinner

Highlights: Begin with the crunchy, salty and tangy Balinese pork slaw. Then move on to the babi panggang (pictured above), grilled smoked pork belly served with pineapple slaw, nasi goreng and crispy brussels sprouts. Finish with the klepon custard tart, which layers pandan custard over a buttery cookie crust and toasted coconut.

Living Room

90 Bloor St. E., wtorontoevents.com/w-living-room

As part of W Toronto’s recent renovation, the hotel’s signature lounge has been refreshed with a new look and menu. The redesigned lounge rethinks the ground-floor arrival experience with a relaxed feel that blurs the line between hotel lobby and contemporary living room. Adding to the atmosphere are daily live performances beginning at 5 p.m. $41 for lunch, $55 for dinner

Highlights: The W Salad—mixed greens with sweet pear, crunchy chickpeas, blue cheese and candied walnuts—makes for a fresh start. As for the mains, the W Burger is the best bet, stacking a six-ounce Ontario AAA beef patty with luxe toppings like smoked gouda and truffle mac sauce. Keep things classic with a slice of New York–style cheesecake to finish.

Notte Ristorante

9 Church St., notteristorante.ca

Formerly Amano Trattoria, Notte now specializes in fresh pasta and Roman-style pizza whose dough is made with a blend of five flours and fermented for 72 hours. $55 for dinner

Highlights: Kick things off with the beef carpaccio and follow it up with either the rigatoni alla bolognese or the Queen Margherita pizza, which highlights Notte’s crisp and airy Roman-style crust. End with Nonna’s Tiramisu, chef Michael Angeloni’s take on the Italian classic, made with marsala zabaglione folded into mascarpone.

Ayla

794 Dundas St. W., aylaupstairs.com

Patois’s sister spot upstairs focuses on modern takes on dishes from Hong Kong, with a deliberately tight lineup of just 13 items on its regular menu. $65 for dinner

Highlights: Ayla’s signature dish, the chrysanthemum caesar, reworks the familiar salad with sesame, miso, buckwheat and red watercress for a nutty, savoury and crunchy starter. For your main, order the drunken wild sablefish, marinated in sake and miso for three days before being pan-fried and placed in a brown butter sauce. For dessert, the HK-style egg custard is a fun contrast in textures with silky custard, sesame brittle and fresh strawberries.

Oji Seichi

354 Broadview Ave., ojiseichi.com

This excellent East Chinatown ramen shop specializes in classic chintan (clear stock), which allows the quality of the ingredients (house-made noodles, local produce and proteins) to shine through. $20 for lunch, $25 for dinner

Highlights: Start with the veg korokke, a classic Japanese snack that wraps a soft potato-and-vegetable filling in a crispy Panko crumb coating. Since ramen is the star here, the chicken shio ramen—built around a clear chicken broth—is an easy choice. For dessert, a light and layered strawberry shortcake with matcha custard cream.

Louix Louis

325 Bay St., louixlouis.com

The menu at this restaurant on the 31st floor of the St. Regis Toronto is classically French (read: meat, meat and more meat), but there’s a surprising selection of plant-based options for vegans and vegetarians to choose from. $55 for lunch, $75 for dinner

Highlights: We’re going all-meat for these selections, though. Start with the tartare de bœuf and caviar, which is exactly the kind of starter you’d expect from a place like this. Follow it up with the roasted Chateaubriand filet, served with silky potato mousseline and (yes, more) caviar. For dessert, the chocolate walnut torte offers a more restrained alternative to the restaurant’s towering King’s Cake. And for those who lean savoury over sweet, there’s a chef-selected cheese plate accompanied with fruit preserves, nuts and honey.