A healthy strike of the taiko drum greets each customer (Image: Gizelle Lau)

When we first told you about DonDon Izakaya last summer, it was slated for an October opening, but as such things go, it wasn’t until early January that the Japanese restaurant opened quietly after nearly 10 months of renovation. Located on the second storey of an unassuming building at Bay and Dundas, DonDon took over the space once occupied by One Up Restaurant & Lounge. Despite the slightly inauspicious upstairs location, it’s already drawing customers (the big wooden entranceway probably helps), but not quite the mad lineups of its izakaya forbear, Guu—a least not yet.

The team behind DonDon includes Tony Wong, Kazu Maruyama, Mitsuaki Nagasawa and head chef Daisuke Izutsu, previously chef and owner of Kaiseki Sakura. The predominantly Japanese ownership and staff aim to offer a truly authentic izakaya experience: a haven where local office workers and residents can unload after a long day. When each guest enters the bar, the hostess strikes a traditional taiko drum, which sets off a chorus of greeting in Japanese (the staff have a warm-up before each service to get their voices going). Inside, the walls are made of long interconnected bamboo stalks, while Japanese murals adorn private zashiki-style rooms for larger parties of eight to 20. Behind the bar, you’ll find dozens of giant sake barrels as well as bottles displaying DonDon’s long list of 60-plus sakes, shochus and plum wines. Hard-to-find sakes like Nanbu Bijin Ginjo are offered by the bottle, and nearly 20 types are offered by the flask. The bar also offers traditional Chu-Hi shochu cocktails like honey lemon sour, grape fruit or aloe ($5.50).

The menu offers typical izakaya foods like skewers of grilled chicken, quail’s egg or asparagus and bacon ($3 for two skewers). There’s also a range of Japanese food you’d more commonly find at home, like a black croquette with potato, shrimp and cod ($7) or the DonDon-style Caesar salad with pie crusts instead of croutons and runny egg yolk ($7.50). The sashimi and sushi are made warayaki-style, i.e., smoked over the flames of burning hay (from $11.90). Shabu-shabu ($7.20) and homestyle hot pot ($25) round out the menu, along with Tokyo-style hot dogs ($5.20) for west-coasters looking for a Japadog fix. Oh, and perhaps in anticipation of Momofuku’s arrival, there are pork buns too ($8).

DonDon Izakaya, 130 Dundas St. W., 416-492-5292, www.dondonizakaya.com

DonDon’s logo, which says “DonDon” in Japanese

The runaway success of Guu, first on Church Street and then in the Annex, highlighted a demand in Toronto for Japanese food that went beyond the ubiquitous cheap (and not-so-cheap) sushi joints. When DonDon Izakaya, a new restaurant at Dundas and Bay, opens in late October or so, it will attempt to meet some of that demand, albeit without Guu’s general boisterousness and no reservations policy. Instead, owners Tony Wong and Anthony Phang, of Sushi Time on Queen, and Kazu Maruyama, editor of the Toronto Japanese website Bits, hope to provide a quieter atmosphere and a lower price point.

The 150-seat restaurant will be open for both lunch and dinner, and the open kitchen will pump out izakaya-style dishes, specializing in yakitori (Japanese skewered chicken) but also serving sashimi and vegetarian dishes. Like any good izakaya, DonDon—which is apparently slang for “more” in Japanese—will boast a large selection of sake and several Japanese beers. It’s reassuring, then, that the restaurant will offer something that might be a first in the city, even if it is “a common feature of izakayas in Japan,” as we’ve been assured—a chauffeur service for patrons who’ve had too much to drink.

DonDon Izakaya, 130 Dundas St. W.

(Image: Liam Mogan)

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The city is in a fried-chicken swoon lately, as nostalgia-stoking chefs strive to perfect the juicy, salty, crackling classic. By Eric Vellend

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Soignée Catering’s deconstructed BLT features a perfect 64-degree egg

Nutrient-dense, endlessly versatile, yet Platonically simple, eggs are truly one of nature’s perfect foods. While many chefs consign the simple orbs to breakfast servitude, others in Toronto bring them front and centre, whether in traditional dishes or more innovative concoctions. Here, 10 of the city’s most beautiful and delicious egg dishes.

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Guu Sakabar’s open kitchen (Image: Gizelle Lau)

Despite rumours last week that the opening of Guu Sakabar (a.k.a. Guu 2) would be delayed due to the lack of a liquor licence, we’re happy to report that Toronto’s second Guu location opened this weekend. (Sakabar was originally set to open a couple weeks back, but was delayed due to a broken water tank). After almost a year of renovations, owner James Hyun-Soo Kim and Sakabar manager Natsuhiko Sugimoto, an eight-year veteran of Guu in Vancouver, are both eager to begin serving the Annex clientele.

Inside, the restaurant that was once a Burger King has been completely redesigned by Bennett Lo of Dialogue 38 (Guu Izakaya, Spring Rolls). The low-key exterior and main entrance of the Sakabar feature slate, barnwood and tiny boxed windows, just like the Church Street location. Inside, bare Edison light bulbs hang from the ceiling in the main dining room over six large wooden communal tables, complete with bench seating. Bar seating is also available for those who don’t mind the famous yelled greetings that the kitchen staff offer to patrons as they enter and exit. Unlike the original Guu, Sakabar also features a zashiki room, with a raised pine floor and tatami mats imported from Japan. The tables are lowered into the floor, providing ample space for your legs. Guests are required to remove their shoes and are offered a pair of indoor slippers.

Also setting itself apart from its sister restaurant, Sakabar is helmed by Japanese chef Ippei Iwata, who offers new dishes like the kushiage, Japanese-style deep-fried kebabs that come in seven variations—ham, bacon, quail egg, lotus root, potato, onion and mushroom ($1.90 each, $7.80 for five choices). A handful of new udon styles are available, including the unlikely carbonara udon, featuring bacon, onion and a half-boiled egg ($8.30). Another new dish straight out of Japan is the rice burger: a pair of rice patties sandwiching ginger pork, cabbage and garlic mayo ($5.80). To finish things off, the menu includes more extensive dessert selections, including sake tiramisù ($5).

In true Izakaya fashion, the drinks menu is extensive, including a house Gekkeikan sake ($5 small, $8.50 large), as well as a more extensive classic sake menu by the glass ($9.50–$10) or bottle (from $22 for 375 mL).  Other offerings include shochu, Guu original vodka soda, cocktails (like a sake mojito), plum wine and Sapporo on tap. Beers like Asahi, Kirin and even Mill Street Tankhouse Ale are also available.

The thing we love the most about Sakabar? There’s now an indoor corridor at the entrance so you don’t have to wait in the rain, sleet or snow for a table at Guu. And, in case you’re wondering, “Yes, there’s still a no reservation policy,” says Natsu, adding cheekily, “for now.”

Guu Sakabar, 559 Bloor St. W. (east of Bathurst St.), 647-343-1101, guu-izakaya.com

Outside the Bloor Street location of Guu last night

UPDATE: Eye Weekly is reporting that the launch has been delayed until next week due to a problem with the restaurant’s water tank.

Pending the good graces of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the hotly anticipated Bloor Street location of Guu may be opening as soon as this Friday. We’ve been eagerly awaiting the opening ever since we caught wind of rumblings about a potential Bloor and Spadina venture back in the summer. (Owner James Kim told us last July that the new edition of the notoriously popular izakaya-style restaurant would inhabit a former Burger King location.) Earlier today, we got a hold of Masaru Ogasawara, the chef at the Church Street location, who confirmed that Guu Number Two should be open by Friday, pending the arrival of a liquor licence (expected sometime today). Friday’s only two days away, which means the lineups will probably start about now.

A few bucks won’t fulfill your caviar dreams—if it does, you need to dream bigger—but it’s possible to taste the best of the city’s food for next to nothing

Inventively flavoured macaroons are perfectly pillowy treats worthy of a patisserie in Saint-Germain-des-Près. $2.10 each. Nadege, 780 Queen St. W., 416-368-2009.

(Image: My Yen Trung)

The always-packed Church Street location (Image: snowpea&bokchoi)

For some time now, we’ve been crossing our fingers that a second iteration of the absurdly popular Guu would make its way to the Annex. Finally, we’ve got some solid news. James Kim, general manager of the Church Street restaurant, confirmed for us that a new Guu will indeed be taking over the former Burger King at Bloor and Bathurst. Ever-vigilant Chowhounders recently speculated that the new location would open later this month, but Kim says construction has been slower than expected. A more realistic opening date would be late February or early March. He also dished a little on what customers can expect: a bigger space (albeit without a patio), a different menu (with “some more interesting fish dishes”) and a traditional Tatami room with low tables, mats and no shoes. We’d like to think the new location might help out with the restaurant’s legendary queues, but who are we kidding?

The King is dead: this Annex property may be the next Guu (Image: Google)

Torontonians have been salivating over the possibility of a new location of Guu, rumoured to be located in the Annex. Well, word got out via the Compendium Daily’s Twitter feed last week that the second iteration will likely be at 559 Bloor Street West, former home of a Burger King. A quick call to Guu owner James Kim confirms it. Well, sort of: “It’s coming, but we’re still working on the paperwork for the lease and going over things with the head office. For it to be 100 per cent confirmed, it’ll take some time,” he said, to be on the safe side.

• Guu’d news? The jam-packed izakaya may be opening second location in Toronto [Toronto Life]

Toronto the Guu'd: the Church Street izakaya may be expanding (Image: Gabriel Li, from the torontolife.com Flickr pool)

Our appetite for Japanese food spiked today after hearing the rumour, via Chowhound, that Church Street’s Guu Izakaya is planning on opening a second location at Bloor and Spadina in the fall. Since the Vancouver import opened up in Toronto last December, it’s been packed to the rafters (a two-hour wait for a table is not uncommon). A new Annex counterpart would suit Guu’ casual-yet-authentic Japanese offerings, but Vancouver office manager Yoshi Negishi says they haven’t officially decided where they’re going to open a second location. “The first one is pretty good,” Negishi says. “In the future, if it’s possible, we would like to open up a second.”

This time last year, the future looked awfully grim. We braced for restaurant closures and recessionary menus, but 2009 was surprising. Though we lost some good places (Perigee, Truffles, Alice’s and Gamelle, in particular), and mac-and-cheese quickly wore out its welcome, it was an exciting time to dine out. Anxious restaurateurs dropped corkage fees and slashed wine markups, while chefs cooked up imaginative prix fixe menus. It suited our mood as well as our wallets: these days, Torontonians want informality. We’re still hungry for local produce and nose-to-tail dining, chefs are once again finding inspiration in Italy and Japan, and the city is finally beginning to develop a serious cocktail culture. Most encouraging of all is the number of new restaurants opening. Here, the best of the vintage.

By James Chatto, Photographs by Brendan Meadows and Ryan Szulc, Illustrations by Jack Dylan

Hosting an Oscars party is going to be tough this year. With 10 nominations for best picture, instead of the usual five, making movie-themed munchies will be twice as hard. To help Toronto hosts get their bearings, we suggest the following dishes from across the city, each inspired by the films hoping for the ultimate Academy prize.

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
The soul food at newly re-branded Harlem Underground mixes Cajun influences into hearty southern dishes. Or, for a DIY approach, may we suggest pig’s feet from the Healthy Butcher? Whatever is served, though, we suggest appending the film’s tongue-tripping suffix (i.e., artichoke dip: based on the novel Push by Sapphire).

Guu's salmon natto yukke (Photo by Jen Chan)

Corey Mintz thinks Torontonians need to get a grip—at least on our obsession with Guu, the city’s offshoot of the Vancouver-based izakaya chain that has everyone from Ryerson students to West Coast defectees lining up for hours to get a seat.

Although the Toronto Star food writer is a fan of Guu’s Japanese pub grub (fried, salty fare that’s perfect with beer), he laments that we have not been “cool” about Guu’s arrival. “We have lined up, kvetch-blogged and snapped iPhone pictures, capturing all the lustre of Nick Nolte’s mug shot… In short, we have spazzed out over Guu.”

Pointing to comments on this blog by one unhappy customer who, after being forced out by management for not adhering to Guu’s strict two-hour seating policy, got into a fight with another customer, Mintz writes, “Japanese people should be laughing at us. Imagine queuing for hours and punting a stranger in the schnutz because a Finn McCool’s opened in Tokyo.”

While we hope Mintz isn’t suggesting Toronto’s best pub export is Finn McCool’s, we think the problem with Guu isn’t so much our lack of cool but rather a lack of supply. Maybe if more watering holes in Toronto offered delicious salmon natto yukke and reasonably priced Sapporo (instead of bland shepherd’s pie and overpriced Guinness), we wouldn’t all be jamming Guu’s door.

• Japanese comic ode to food deserves a suitable farewell [Toronto Star]

My friend Guu's got a new review (Photo by Jen Chan)

Toronto Life’s March issue hits newsstands on Thursday, but we’ve got a preview of the nine new restaurant reviews contained therein, including ones for Guu and Hoof Café. Click on the links below to read the reviews and see how many stars the establishments earned.

• Read the Toronto Life review of Hoof Café »

• Read the Toronto Life review of Agostino Ristorante »

• Read the Toronto Life review of Earth »

• Read the Toronto Life review of Etsu »

• Read the Toronto Life review of Guu Izakaya »

• Read the Toronto Life review of Miga on Bloor »

• Read the Toronto Life review of the Roosevelt Room »

• Read the Toronto Life review of Swish by Han »

• Read the Toronto Life review of the Wine Bar »