What’s on the menu at Amber Kitchen and Coffee, Leslieville’s new brunch spot from a former Parallel chef

Name: Amber Kitchen and Coffee Contact: 4 Boulton Ave., amberkitchen.ca, @amberkitchento
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
Owners: George Grabsky and Abraham Tesfazghi Chef: George Grabsky (Parallel) Previously: Boxcar Social Accessibility: Fully accessible

Ukraine-born George Grabsky was living in Tel Aviv when the Ozery brothers, Toronto’s tahini kings, discovered his talents. At the time, Grabsky was working under Erez Komarovsky, the man credited for bringing artisanal bread to Israel in the ’90s. “In 2017, the Ozerys offered me a job in Toronto—a city that already intrigued me—at a restaurant they were opening,” Grabsky says.

Grabsky took them up on their offer and, up until a few months ago, worked at Parallel, serving up some of the city’s best Middle Eastern food. But, about a year ago, he started feeling pigeonholed into being the hummus guy. “I was born in Ukraine and trained under a world-class chef in Israel, so I wanted the freedom to show Toronto more of what I’m capable of from a culinary standpoint,” he says.

Related: Toronto’s 10 best, most bountiful hummus bowls, ranked

Amber’s lunch and brunch dishes are influenced by Grabsky’s background as well as that of his business partner, Abraham Tesfazghi, who was born in Eritrea. Take the pulled-beef sandwich, made with beef rubbed in berbere (an intense chili-based Ethiopian spice blend), then slow-roasted before being stuffed into a house-baked baguette and topped with thinly sliced roasted parsnips and onion. “I use potato in my baguette recipe because I’m Ukrainian and potatoes were central to my diet—and the addition feels right to me,” says Grabsky. “The idea at Amber is not to get too tied into tradition. I want to be guided by instinct and not convention.”

The plan is to continue running lunch and brunch services while adding an evening menu of small plates to pair with wine. As for those dishes, Grabsky’s freedom-to-cook mandate will remain the same. “If I want to make a refined red tuna tataki on the same night as a rustic plate of chopped liver with challah, I’m going to do just that,” he says.

The Food

A selection of hearty, zhuzhed-up comfort-food classics that leans European and savoury. There’s a mezze-style plate of freshly baked bread accompanied by a dip of roasted red peppers, garlic and parmesan anointed with a glug of olive oil. The house’s signature dish, the Amber Eggs, is Grabsky’s homage to shakshuka. It features two poached eggs on a toasted potato baguette, plated in a pool of tomato sauce, piled with sautéed spinach and capers, then drizzled with clarified butter.

The Drinks

A tight roster of caffeinated beverages (think flat whites and matcha lattes, not Frappucinos), all made with beans from Ethica Roasters. There’s also a bottle shop featuring a selection of wines hand-picked by Grabsky. “I have no ties to any region,” he says. “I go with what I like—if it happens to be from Italy or Niagara or Spain, and it’s approachable in price, then I will carry it.”

The Space

The light-filled, roomy (read: stroller-friendly) and lofty space leans on amber accents to bring a warm glow to an otherwise industrial aesthetic. Reclaimed wood, exposed brick and filters over the massive windows balance out the intentional harshness of the concrete bar and metal fixtures.