Lake Inez
Address: 1471 Gerrard St. E. (at Coxwell Ave.), 416-792-1590, lakeinezto.com
Chef: Robbie Hojilla
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 5 p.m.
Reservations: Yes
Wheelchair access: No
Price: Dinner with beer, tax and tip: $75
Lake Inez represents big changes in Little India.
Pubs, art galleries, pizzerias and burger joints catering to new area residents are replacing the curry houses and sari stores on Gerrard St. E.
Among them is Lake Inez, open since Dec. 16, with its inconsistent pan-Asian food and excellent craft beer. Caucasian diners fill what used to be an Indian restaurant. It is run by locals for locals.
“We’re not forecasting coming trends. Two of the three of us owners live in Little India,” explains general manager Zac Schwartz, who with Dennis Kimeda (the Wren) and Patrick Ciappara named the restaurant after a childhood Michigan vacation spot.
The vibe
The room sports both Old World herringbone parquet floors and Asian touches like carved wall panels and ceramic dishware.
From Schwartz’s back wall glass mosaic of magpie, Virginia Woolf and Kate Bush — “my own personal high priestesses” — emerge 24 tap heads for local beers; staff agreeably recommend pints by such breweries as Muddy York and Left Field. The same crew change cutlery (no chopsticks) and refill water glasses with alacrity.
But my goodness, the noise. As the decibels creep towards 100 on a week night, or blender level, our throats hurt from making ourselves heard.
“That’s not what we’re angling for,” Schwartz says.
The highs
Running the kitchen is Robbie Hojilla (ex-the Harbord Room), who draws from across Asia for his sharing plates.
Hojilla, 34, represents his Filipino background well with kinilaw ($15), a creamy ceviche made from pristine snapper, coconut and avocado. Another success is arroz caldo ($24), a darker, stiffer sticky rice congee laced with fish sauce and topped with subtle barbecued duck and a poached egg.
He fries the flakiest Malaysian roti ($4, but no curry sauce) and builds the heat deliciously in a Thai curry ($25) of spaghetti squash and snapper. Yet these high points are sporadic.
The lows
Messy visuals are one problem. Fried shallots obscure most plates. Or food is unappetizingly brown, as in charred Brussels sprouts ($13).
Flavours go missing, like that of the pickled banana blossoms in an order of greasy lumpia ($8). At least the banana ketchup lights the fires.
And prices seem high. Charging $22 for meatless pasta is hard to justify — even if the egg noodles are made on site. Instead, thick mushroom sauce overpowers the wavy noodles, another dark and ugly dish. And why pay $28 for short ribs when a Korean barbecue restaurant does it better?
The finale
Desserts ($9) leave a better final impression. Kalamansi lime curd adds verve to chiffon cake and cleanses the palate. And Hojilla showcases the good side of pungent durian. His coconut sorbet — three scoops with chocolate sauce, chopped peanuts, caramelized bananas and tamed durian cubes — is like a tropical Schrafft’s sundae.
It’s a big difference from the dosa restaurant that previously occupied the space.
“This isn’t as much of a cultural nucleus for the South Asian community as it once was,” says Schwartz of the neighbourhood.
So what if Lake Inez is more Indian Pale Ale than Little India? Change is inevitable.
apataki@thestar.ca , Twitter @amypataki
apataki@thestar.ca , Twitter @amypataki
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