Where Proper chef Julien Cawagas eats breakfast, lunch and dinner in Roncesvalles

Following stints working various positions at Eataly, Bar Buca and Giulietta, chef Julien Cawagas is now in charge of the kitchen at Proper, a new Italian-American red sauce spot in Roncesvalles.

Related: La Cubana has been replaced with a New York–style Italian restaurant

“I’m discovering that the walk-in crowd here is insane. Roncesvalles is a very family friendly area—people are out all the time, and they really support local businesses,” says Cawagas. “We’re fortunate to join a great group of restaurants, like Barque, Alimentari, Defina and the Ace. Taking over the space from La Cubana, which had a loyal following, I thought we might be perceived as the bad guys on the block, but instead we’ve been received with open arms. We’re so busy now that I had to turn down a reservation request from Cory Vitiello. That marked a turning point for me.”

Right now, Cawagas is busy juggling a growing team, coming up with rotating specials, launching a new spring menu and preparing for the patio’s debut. But he always makes time to support his favourite businesses in the neighbourhood.

Related: Where Maven chef Shauna Godfrey eats in Dovercourt Village

“When I go out to eat, once I find something I like, I stick to it,” he says. “I don’t want to change anything. It’s like a safe space for me. My life is full of change, so some things need to stay the same!”

Here are Cawagas’s favourite stops for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Roncesvalles.

Easy Restaurant

1645 Queen St. W., easyrestaurant.net

“Proper’s owner, Michael Edwards, and I would meet here for breakfast before going into the restaurant as we were building it out. Michael usually gets the fancy stuff because he’s more of a fancy guy. I’m a basic guy. When it comes to breakfast items, wherever I go, I just get the basic breakfast plate. Just like with ice cream, I’ll always order one scoop of vanilla—that’s it. Anyone can make a basic breakfast, but the question is, can they make it well? Here, I get the Easy Rider breakfast with chorizo sausage, sunny-side-up eggs and a caesar. These are the only things I ever get—I don’t even look at anything else.”

Go-to dish: Easy Rider breakfast with two eggs, chorizo sausage, grilled tomato, toasted baguette, salad and home fries

“The tell of a good breakfast restaurant is their sunny-side-up eggs. A perfect one has no uncooked white on top. Non-stick pan, get your butter warm, crack the egg in, and as soon as the base starts to form, put the lid on. Once you start to see it form, cut off the heat, let it sit and let the steam do the work. When you hear the crackling noises, take it off and you’re ready to go. I also love the chorizo sausage. When I went to Spain, it was chorizo and Ibérico on everything. I’m a big fan of Spanish meats. They’re a lot more pronounced and paprika heavy, where Italian flavours are more balanced and neutral. Then there’s the grilled tomato, which gives smokiness, beefiness and acidity. A good tomato is a thing of beauty.”

Go-to drink: Caesar

“Speaking of tomatoes, I’m a big caesar guy. That balance of alcohol, the sweetness and acidity of the tomato, and then the salty rim—everything works so well together. Tomatoes are so versatile: sun-dried, cooked down into sauce, roasted, blistered. You can get so many flavours from just one ingredient. Tomatoes for us at Proper are one of the most important ingredients. Once heirlooms come into season, we’ll do a special with them. I’ve got seven different dishes in mind already.”

Osprey

1714 Queen St. W., @osprey.to

“The owner, Gus, is a friend of mine—we used to play ultimate frisbee together. He opened Osprey a couple of summers ago. When we were building out Proper this past October, this was my go-to spot for brunch, lunch and dinner. I’d bring my chef friends too. If I needed to get into a better headspace during the construction, this is where I’d come. Osprey is such a vibe. All the tables and chairs are mix and match, just whatever they could get their hands on to make it work. And Gus’s wife runs a salon in the back. It’s such a cool concept.”

Go-to dish: Cuban sandwich with mortadella, gruyère, pickles, grainy mustard and mayo on grilled focaccia

“Lo and behold, they put a Cubano on the menu just as I was taking over a Cuban restaurant. I don’t want to offend anyone, but I might like this one better than La Cubana’s—and they don’t even have a proper kitchen here, it’s literally a Black and Decker panini press. I’ll often order a Cubano and a High Life: it’s a classic combo. The trick is to ask for extra mustard and extra pickle. This sandwich is so underrated. It’s so simple and just done well. No frills, just a good sandwich.”

Tutto Panino

100 Sorauren Ave., tuttopanino.com

“Tutto is an Italian-American-style sandwich spot. When I first came here, I didn’t know that Charlotte Day Wilson was behind it. I just thought the vibe was good. There was a line out the door, and it had amazing sandwiches. You know when you walk into an Italian spot and the smells just hit you? It’s really nice in the summer when the awning is out and the patio is open. We actually took some inspiration from Tutto’s use of wood to create a warm vibe at Proper.”

Related: Charlotte Day Wilson is ready to take your order at her new Italian sandwich shop

Go-to dish: Calabrese sandwich

“When I come here, I only get one thing. What first caught my eye with the Calabrese sandwich was the ’nduja aïoli. Anything with ’nduja captures my heart—I’m addicted to that flavour. That’s why Proper’s clams on toast has ’nduja. I also did a torched albacore tuna crudo special with ’nduja vinaigrette recently. I love the spiciness, the meatiness and the texture. The acidity from the pickled red onion in here really pops.”

Restaurant Stop

397 Roncesvalles Ave., restaurantstop.ca

“As soon as we knew we’d be taking over the La Cubana space, Stop was top of my list to visit to get a feel for the area. I’m such a big fan of this place and of chef Denis. Look at the tin ceiling, the copper pots—when you see copper pots, you know you’re in for a good time. It’s such a great space. You come to a place like this because you can’t make these dishes at home. It’s the kind of restaurant where you throw yourself into the experience. It’s very intimate and warm, like you’re at someone’s home. This place needs a star. Honestly.”

Related: “I guarantee no grandmother is going to do that for you”—How Stop Restaurant rose from the ashes and became a destination for elevated eastern European home cooking

Go-to dish #1: “Bouquet Garni” with braised and charred leeks, garlic celery sauce, parsley paté and crispy sage

“It’s leek season. The Bouquet Garni is a new leek-based dish on the menu that honours the bundle of herbs used to flavour stocks. You know a leek is good when it holds together when you braise it perfectly like this. Then there’s a parsley pâté in here—you don’t see that anywhere. How the hell does he make a parsley pâté? We just did a leek cappelletti five ways at Proper. I thought I was crazy about leeks, but this is next level. The technique in this dish is outstanding.”

Go-to dish #2: Duck with a red wine reduction, roasted shallots, winter carrots and truffles

“You know what’s funny? The one thing I like the most about this dish is the carrot. It’s a simple vegetable cooked perfectly. The sweetness of the carrot and the tartness of the apple tie everything together with the flavour of the duck. It hits every single note. This is how diverse Roncesvalles is. There are all different levels of dining experiences, and everyone’s doing something different—different food, different service, different style. You can go from eating a Cubano at a coffee shop to enjoying a refined French-meets-eastern-European dinner. Roncesvalles has turned into a cultural melting pot for food.”