Where to thaw out with the city’s best seafood soups

Secret no. 9 to making the most of the city this chilly season

By Renée Suen

| December 28, 2015

Where to thaw out with the city's best seafood soups — (Image: Dave Gillespie)

1 Buca Yorkville’s zuppa di pesce teems with succulent lobster claws, Manila clams, sidestripe shrimp, scallops, octopus and silky black cod. The celebration of seafood is finished with a rich lobster- and shrimp-shell-fortified tomato broth, garnished with cherry tomato orbs and artichoke hearts, and crowned with sea urchin butter–slicked crostini. $49. 53 Scollard St., 416-962-2822.

Winter Guide 2015: Chabrol — (Image: Dave Gillespie)

2 At Yorkville’s petite new bistro Chabrol, French-trained chef Doug Penfold serves the rib-sticking rustic Basque stew ttoro: lightly poached mussels, shrimp and whitefish combined with tender boiled potatoes in a peppery seafood stock. It’s so good that the French add a splash of wine to the final drops to make it last longer. Market price. 90 Yorkville Ave., 416-928-6641.

Winter Guide 2015: Dragon Boat Fusion — (Image: Dave Gillespie)

3 For Dragon Boat Fusion’s winter melon soup, the gourd is hollowed out; filled with diced conch, intense Jinhua ham, shrimp, scallops, chicken, conpoy, delicate Dungeness crabmeat, lotus seeds and broth; then double-boiled for four hours until the melon flesh is velvety-smooth. $40 (serves four to six; order a day ahead). 160 E. Beaver Creek Rd., Richmond Hill, 905-731-3718.

Winter Guide 2015: Honest Weight — (Image: Dave Gillespie)

4 At Honest Weight, bivalves are the stars in the deceptively light yet hearty seafood chowder. Aromatic mirepoix and cubes of potato swirl harmoniously with creamy-plump Salt Spring mussels and Savoury Island clams in a shellfish broth boosted with organic cream from Quebec. $10. 2766 Dundas St. W., 416-604-9992.

Winter Guide 2015: Yunaghi — (Image: Dave Gillespie)

5 Yunaghi chef Tetsuya Shimizu’s opening volley for his seven-course tasting menu is tai chazuke. He pours a roasted green tea dashi over buttery-sweet hamachi sashimi that’s wrapped around sesame-miso paste. It’s garnished with grated wasabi root, yuzukoshō (a seasoning made with chili, yuzu peel and salt) and crispy rice pearls. Tasting menu, $77. 538 Manning Ave., 416-588-7862.