Those who remember Tom Thai’s seductively avant-garde Japanese-Vietnamese-Thai dishes from Tempo and Youki are rejoicing in the chef’s return after a year of travel. Thai finally has a place of his own, a 40-seat neighbourhood bistro (207 Ossington Ave., 416-534-8520) that he’s calling Foxley, after its cross street. He’s promising small, inexpensive dishes, Asian-based but with a Latin touch. “And I’ve got a bigger kitchen than at Tempo, so I can do grills and slow-cooked dishes,” he says. Another link with his past: the servers are all Tempo veterans. It’s almost as if he was never away.

ALSO OPENING:
Brad Clark, ex of Le Sélect, searched as far afield as Prince Edward County for a restaurant to call his own. Score one for the Big Smoke; Clark’s Fare Bistro (1097 Queen St. E., 416-645‑0914), which replaces the late, once-great Verveine, will feature twists on French bistro classics. With big help from Queen West design and furniture firm Commute Home, Marben (488 Wellington St. W., 416-979-1990) rises from the onyx rubble of Nectar. Perigee alum Craig Alley gives the new resto-lounge a menu of internationally inspired dishes. Colborne Lane’s Claudio Aprile and Hanif Harji are hard at work on Bar Crudo (1096 Queen St. W., phone TBA). Expected to open mid-summer, it will show a simpler, more domestic side of Aprile’s talent, with a wood-burning grill and plenty of raw fish and ceviches.