Name: Sara Contact: 98 Portland St., 416-985-5721, sara.restaurant, @fooddudes Neighbourhood: King West Owners: Adrian Niman, Brent McClenahan and Adam Minster Chefs: Executive chef Davin Shearer (also Rasa’s executive chef) and chef de cuisine Mary Dinh
The food
Globally inspired small plates like truffle crullers, yellowtail sashimi and an interesting twist on fries; a selection of dumplings, including stuffed chicken wings; and mains (black cod, pork belly, rib eye) cooked over a Japanese robata grill. As at Rasa, the flavours at Sara are punchy, but the execution of each dish is a bit more refined.
The chopped salad is made with a mix of kale, cabbage, fennel, celery, mint, Thai basil and champagne grapes. It’s garnished with a cashew-poblano cheese, roasted cashews and wasabi peas. $16.
Sara’s fries are made with grated russet potatoes that have been confited in schmaltz before being deep-fried. They’re then topped with house-made napa kimchi, house-made kewpie mayo and bonito flakes. $14.
The yellowtail sashimi is thick slices of sustainable hamachi bathed in a shio dashi stock, garnished with yuzu gel, crisp quinoa togarashi and shiso sprouts. $20.
The wonton soup is a bowl of dumplings (filled with spinach, ricotta and shiitake mushrooms) topped with hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and tatsoi (an Asian green) and finished tableside with a parmesan-miso broth. $16.
The siu mai-inspired chicken wings are deboned, then filled with a spicy shrimp filling, glazed with hoisin mustard and dusted with quinoa crunch. $16
The scallop and crab dumpling features scallop mousse in a house-made squid ink dumpling skin. It’s served with Alaskan king crab, crab hollandaise, fermented green Anaheim chilies, toasted panko and nori powder. $20.
The miso-marinated black cod is robata-grilled, then served on top of sautéed snow pea tips, hakurei turnips and mostarda. $34.
Here’s the whole team.
The drinks
Interesting consignment wines, bottled craft beers and a tight list of cocktails made with all-natural and organic ingredients, like the the Haru, made with Willibald Farms gin (or Zubrowka vodka), fresh grapefruit, rosemary, house-made tonic and a grapefruit-rosemary infused honey.
The Haru cocktail is made with Willibald Farms gin (or Zubrowka vodka), fresh grapefruit, rosemary, house-made tonic and a grapefruit-rosemary infused honey. $16.
The Dirty Martini is made with Legend of Kremlin vodka, a blend of Dolin Dry and Guerra Dry vermouth, house-made brine and a pinch of salt. Each one comes with a garnish tray. $18.
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The space
The two-storey space inside a Victorian row house was designed by ODAMI, who preserved the building’s original brickwork. The main floor is outfitted with leather banquettes, and the lofty second-floor dining room has custom-designed modular dining tables, each with a hidden compartment to store cell phones, so guests can enjoy their dinner and company without distraction. The restaurant even has its own bespoke scent, created with essential oils by Toronto-based Murphy & Jo. Coming next summer: three patios.
