Eatdrink: The Buzz Culinary Community Notes

The story of modern Italian dining in Ontario is a study in lineage, an interconnected web of kitchens, dining rooms and personalities that transformed a conservative mid-century city into a world-class culinary capital. To understand this landscape, one must trace its roots back to the primary visionaries who redefined specific traditions, none more influential to Ontario’s upscale Italian food culture than Franco Prevedello. Widely revered as the Godfather of Italian Cuisine in Toronto, Prevedello managed or owned more than 25 restaurants over a six-decade career. While other legendary figures pioneered French and continental dining, Prevedello modernized the fine-dining landscape, replacing mid-century stiffness with theatrical flair, architectural grandeur and a fresh European sensibility. After his recent passing at the age of 80, the Canadian hospitality community united to celebrate a man whose impact on the nation’s restaurant culture remains unmatched.

Stratford Chefs School, considered one of the best culinary schools in North America, has announced Ivy Knight as its 2026 writer-in-residence. “We’re very excited to have Ivy at the School this fall as our Joseph Hoare Gastronomic Writer-in-Residence,” said Randi Rudner, Program Manager and Chef Instructor at Stratford Chefs School. “I have long admired her writing, and am thrilled that she can carve out some time to work with our students. Ivy’s talent is multi-faceted, and I think every student will get something different out of working with her.” A former back-of-house line cook, Knight transitioned into writing full-time and has contributed to major publications like The New York Times, The New Yorker, Food & Wine, The Globe and Mail, and Vice.

Bryan’s Tasting Notes

Stepping into London Bicycle Café at 320 Thames Street offers an immediate lesson in urban spatial design. Directly across from Ivey Park, the café acts as a conduit between the active-transportation artery of the Thames Valley Parkway and the landscape of downtown London. This southwest quadrant, known as the emerging River District, serves as a prominent hub where culture, commerce and community converge along the water. Historically, hybrid establishments of this genre have struggled to balance an immaculate hospitality setting with a functional mechanical workshop. The café solved this puzzle by strategically bisecting its operations within the district. While the retail showroom, patio and espresso bar thrive in a light-filled waterfront space on Thames Street, heavy maintenance, storage and mechanical repairs are housed separately at 24 York Street. This deliberate separation allows the main café to maintain a pristine, sophisticated environment while serving as a trusted community waypoint for daily commuters and utility cyclists.

At the counter, this structural design transitions into an intentional culinary philosophy backed by an official Feast On certification. Through an annual program fee and rigorous sourcing audit, the designation formalized a mission statement already deeply rooted in the business: balancing environmental mindfulness with direct support for regional agriculture.

Executive chef Alicia Berkelmans has crafted a fluid hyper-local menu that shifts with the rhythms of the southwestern Ontario harvest. The selection shifts adaptively throughout the year, meaning the vibrant culinary landscape of summer looks remarkably different from the hearty offerings of winter. The seasonal nachos, for instance, swing from a fresh summer strawberry bruschetta topping to a rich, warm preparation depending on what regional fields are yielding at that exact moment.

This commitment to ecological preservation actively dictates what makes it onto the plate. The kitchen has omitted beef entirely because of its carbon footprint. In its place, the kitchen features sustainably raised water buffalo sourced directly from Kampkreek Dairies. This ethos translates into comfort items like the classic uitsmijter, which pairs raw buffalo Gouda with local ham and free-range eggs over marble rye, as well as deep-fried pickerel wings. Caught fresh in the Great Lakes and brought in through an independent distributor in nearby St. Thomas, the pickerel is delicately battered, fried and paired with a sharp ravigote sauce.

The beverage program is curated with equal geographic pride, anchored by cleanly extracted, ethically traded espresso beans from Pilot Coffee Roasters. The cold cases showcase regional staples like London’s own Booch Kombucha alongside a rotating list of Ontario craft beer from independent brewers like Fairweather and Blood Brothers.

The café shifts gears from traditional hospitality with a hyper-conscious approach to sustainability. For a business built on lowering its carbon footprint, modern to-go commuter culture presents a major operational challenge. Rather than banning single-use items outright, the café tackles waste through pricing transparency. A user-pay packaging model separates the cup’s structural cost from the drink, encouraging patrons to bring a reusable travel mug.

The final layer of the café’s framework is its commitment to human infrastructure: operating as a certified Living Wage Employer, the business pays staff wages well above the provincial minimum. To complement this, they implement a strict no-tipping policy, meaning that the final menu prices explicitly incorporate the true cost of labour. This structure eliminates the performative anxiety of point-of-sale tipping screens for consumers, while providing financial stability, reliable compensation packages, and predictable incomes for both kitchen staff and bicycle technicians. Ultimately, London Bicycle Café is far more than a restaurant. It is a successful experiment in conscious consumerism. By celebrating regional food systems, investing directly in staff welfare and engineering clever solutions to packaging waste, it serves as a vibrant blueprint for how independent businesses can actively shape the cultural and ecological landscape of the cities they inhabit.

londonbicyclecafe.com

District Ice Cream is a highly rated, locally owned shop in downtown London, celebrated for its small-batch, super-premium handmade ice cream. Located next door to London Bicycle Café, it has quickly become a local favourite and earned the title of “Best of London” in both 2025 and 2026. districticecream.ca

Lanoa is an upscale, intimate, Asian-inspired tasting restaurant located in London. Opened by Shauna Versloot and chef Joseph Tran, who are the team behind London’s popular restaurant Cintro, it is built inside a fully overhauled former Beer Store location. The venue shares its space with Lotus & Lime, a daytime café that transitions into a dessert and cocktail bar at night. Chef Matt Rice joined the restaurant team as Culinary Director after leaving his previous role at Growing Chefs! Ontario.

instagram.com/lanoa.london

“Lanoa is an upscale and intimate Asian-inspired tasting restaurant located in the fully overhauled former Beer Store at 250 Piccadilly St.”

I recently discovered Voula’s Diner, an Argyle neighbourhood institution in East London with a distinct allure, offering pure, unadulterated comfort food. Stepping through the doors is like experiencing nostalgic hospitality at its finest; the space is immaculately kept, soundtracked by the steady hum of 50s hits, and famously transformed into a glorious, over-the-top winter wonderland when the Holiday season rolls around. The morning menu is a definitive triumph, treating classic breakfast staples with the utmost care. The griddle-cooked potatoes are a revelation, crispy on the outside without ever touching a deep fryer, paired beautifully with exceptionally savoury, perfectly rendered bacon. Later in the day the kitchen delivers an excellent clubhouse sandwich, a precisely structured layered sandwich flanked by crisp fries and a remarkably bright, delicious coleslaw. Overseen by Voula Lerikos, the dining room operates with a warmth that makes newcomers feel like long-lost regulars. It remains a budget-friendly sanctuary of the highest order, as long as you respect the house rules: leave your tableside card expectations at the door and settle your tab at the cash register on the way out.

voulasdiner.com

Vietnamese Cuisine

The genius of Vietnamese cooking lies in adapting foreign influences to develop a distinctly unique and subtle cuisine with contrasting flavours and textures. Salty balances sour flavours, and the heat of chillies and ground pepper tempers sweet notes. Rice is central; noodles feature prominently, along with a profusion of fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables, with minimal oil. As in China and East Asia, Vietnamese diners serve rice in bowls with chopsticks. Meat is an accompaniment, not the main event.

Quyhn Nhi

Speaking of great Vietnamese cuisine, Quyhn Nhi has returned to Downtown London in the space formerly occupied by Tamarine by Quyhn Nhi. The family who operated the original iteration on Wharncliffe Road for 23 years recently announced the second generation is taking over the legacy, bringing Quynh Nhi back to London’s brick-and-mortar food scene.

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Vietnam Restaurant

Ever since my first bowl 20 years ago, Vietnam Restaurant, fondly known as The Vietnam, has been my go-to for pho, thanks to its signature sweet-tinged broth and delicate slices of rare beef. Long Duc Ngo has been warmly greeting guests at this staple spot across from 100 Kellogg since 1994. The kitchen keeps things affordable with an expansive menu of noodles and sizzling hot pots. You can’t go wrong with the pho dac biet — a loaded herb-and-beef offering — or their classic goi cuon, which wraps shrimp, pork, and fresh Thai basil into a perfect vehicle for their thick peanut dipping sauce.

vietnamrestaurant.ca

Phozilla

If you are looking for a middlebrow Vietnamese dining experience that elevates classic comfort food, Phozilla on Adelaide Street North is an absolute gem. This family-run restaurant brings high-level technique and balanced traditional flavours to the forefront, making it clear why it has become a popular hangout spot for many local chefs.

We kicked off our meal with a couple of appetizers. First was their mango salad with grilled shrimp, which offered a balance of texture and contrast. The mango is shredded incredibly thinly, maintaining a crisp, refreshing snap that cuts cleanly through the dish. It is tossed with fresh herbs and a brilliantly balanced nuoc cham dressing, striking that elusive sweet, sour and savoury trifecta. The highlight was scooping the vibrant salad and smoky grilled shrimp onto crispy shrimp crackers. The airy, satisfying crunch of the crackers paired with the juicy shrimp makes for a pleasing bite.

Alongside the salad, we ordered the rolls tray, which is a showstopper for groups. It comes beautifully arranged with a variety of fresh rolls filled with shrimp, grilled chicken and grilled pork. Plump, tightly wrapped in delicate rice paper and packed with fresh herbs, they come with a rich, savoury peanut sauce and a perfectly seasoned dipping sauce to mix and match the flavour profiles for each meat. For the mains, we tried their traditional pho, and the broth is easily the star of the show. You can tell they simmer their bone broth for hours. It is incredibly aromatic, beautifully clear and possesses a complex depth layered with star anise and clove. Served steaming hot with long rice noodles, traditional herbs and bean sprouts, it offers pure comfort in a bowl.

Thinly sliced short ribs were absolute perfection. They were packed with a deep, savoury marinade, beautifully caramelized on the outside and incredibly tender. The meat pulled away from the bone effortlessly and delivered a rich, smoky flavour profile. Paired with a fried egg and a giant mound of fluffy steamed rice, it made for an incredibly satisfying and hearty dish that balanced beautifully with the fresh crunch of our appetizers.

The restaurant’s interior is bright, immaculate and beautifully decorated, matching the food’s vibrant energy. Combined with swift, incredibly hospitable, family-run service, Phozilla has quickly become one of London’s best culinary spots for pho. It is a must-visit for anyone serious about good food.

phozilla.ca

Pho Ngoc Yen

Following its recent recognition by the Michelin Guide, Pho Ngoc Yen has solidified its status as one of the most compelling culinary destinations in the Greater Toronto Area. While the official Michelin Recommended distinction spotlights the original location tucked away in an industrial pocket of Mississauga on Kamato Road, the guide explicitly celebrates how this family-run operation has successfully expanded to three outposts across the region. Today, diners can experience the same meticulous culinary standards at its sister locations in Etobicoke on The Queensway and in downtown Toronto on Adelaide Street West. Stepping inside any of these beautifully designed spaces reveals an atmosphere that feels like a tropical escape, thoughtfully outfitted with lush greenery and traditional thatched bamboo roofs that immediately transport guests far from the urban sprawl outside.

At the heart of the restaurant’s success is executive chef Tri Tran, who brings a deeply personal and refined perspective to the kitchen. Having honed his craft during an impressive eight-year tenure working alongside the late London, Ontario chef Mies Bervoets, Chef Tran masterfully pushes culinary boundaries without ever breaking the core tenets of traditional Vietnamese cooking. During a memorable visit, the highlight of the meal was a stunning dish of perfectly cooked red snapper, listed on the menu as Bún cá Chiên Giòn. Served with an aromatic galangal-and-lemongrass dipping sauce, the fish comes with fresh herbs and crisp green leaf lettuce. Eaten entirely by hand, this interactive style of dining honours a foundational Vietnamese custom of wrapping fresh rolls in lettuce leaves — a beautiful culinary remnant of the region’s original cultures that predates centuries of Chinese influence. Michelin inspectors praise starting a meal with their specialty pho beef rolls or the refreshing goi cu hu dua tôm thit, a vibrant salad crafted from lotus root and coconut core. Regulars also point to the deeply comforting short rib pho, with its rich, layer-heavy broth, and the universally loved fish sauce chicken wings as essential orders.

To close out the dining experience, the traditional Vietnamese coffee is absolute perfection, enriched with condensed milk and featuring distinct notes of crème caramel and chocolate. Across all three beautifully styled locations, Pho Ngoc Yen seamlessly marries heritage with innovation, delivering a masterfully balanced dining experience that more than justifies its prestigious culinary acclaim.

ngocyenrestaurant.com

BRYAN LAVERY is a writer, chef and culinary entrepreneur. He operates Forest City Culinary Experiences. His career is defined by a deep commitment to the farm-to-table movement and to telling authentic stories of Ontario’s culinary landscape. He can be reached @ethicalgourmet@yahoo.com. For more culinary dispatches and essays, visit his Substack: bryanparkerlaveryvery.substack.com or his new website: bryanlavery.ca