Colborne Lane
Though executive chef and owner Claudio Aprile is following Fernand Adria's experiments with molecular gastronomy, Colborne Lane has its own sui generis Toronto style. Commute Home was given pretty much free rein to design Colborne Lane's upstairs dining room and took full advantage by having almost everything made from scratch (only the chairs were ordered in, from Kiosk). Commute's designers Hamid Samad and Sara Parisotto anchored the whole project in the building's history, stripping the walls and exposing the wooden columns and pillars. A chandelier consists of 40 or so separate vases cut specially for the installation, and behind the bar, there is an impressive backlit photographic motif that looks like wood-grained concrete. Downstairs, Stroudfoot saw to the private dining room seats 10 diners. With such dishes as organic salmon with hot and sour mushroom broth, citrus marmalade, tofu, soy foam and turnips, and such desserts as the chocolate bar served with green tea sorbet, frozen chocolate powder and banana brulee the food is clearly as thoughtfully composed as the design. $$-$$$
Colborne Lane
45 Colborne St (Map It)
416 368 9009
MON-SUN 5-11
