Swish by Han is closed; a new restaurant from the owners of Woods is moving in

Swish by Han is closed; a new restaurant from the owners of Woods is moving in

(Image: Caroline Youdan)

Swish by Han was the upright Dr. Jekyll to Ossington snack bar Oddseoul’s Mr. Hyde. The two Korean-fusion restaurants, both owned by brothers Leemo and Leeto Han, attracted different crowds, with Swish luring a straighter-laced kind of diner (the kind, probably, who’d frown upon a food business that doesn’t have a website, a telephone number or obvious business hours). Unfortunately for those people, Swish is no more. A few weeks back, telltale brown paper appeared in the windows at 38 Wellington Street East, along with the less-than-informative message, “Coming Soon.”

We weren’t able to reach the Han brothers for comment, but we’ve got some intel from another source: Carlos De Veyra, the chef at nearby restaurant Woods, told us that he’ll soon be running the kitchen at a new casual Italian restaurant in the former Swish space. (The business, it turns out, was sold earlier this year to Woods owners Robin Singh and Byron Messier, who also own Pravda Vodka Bar a few doors down on Wellington.) “It’ll be pizza and pasta,” said De Veyra. “We’re putting in marble bar tops and a mobsters’ booth in the corner.” (A mobsters’ booth, apparently, is a big circular booth with a really tall back.) The restaurant doesn’t currently have a name, but it likely will have one soon enough. De Veyra says it’s scheduled to open in just six weeks.