ost foodie philosophers will fondly remember the (original) Bloor Street Diner during the bizarre pubescent neon craze of the late eighties. Holt's have overhauled the location – gently tucked in to the Holt Renfrew Centre at Bay and Bloor, and the bright Euro interior (actually, it was office space since the departure of Bloor Street Diner) is now a streamlined, new-millennium resto.

Beginning with the cafe’s dramatic transformation, the restaurant is a study in contradictions: the minimalist interior and the ornate food presentation, the fine dining touches and the fun vibe, the high-end clientèle and the down-to-earth management.

Tall doors open out from both the mall’s mezzanine and Holt Renfrew itself, and diners sit in curvy leather Knoll-type chairs and on banquettes upholstered with the industrial stretchy material that diving suits are made of. There is an imposing plasma-TV screen above the breakfast bar overlooking the open-concept kitchen.

Design firm II BY IV (Rain) made clever use of the space by limiting capacity to a mere 40 diners, creating space for a boutique running the length of the cafe. The entire room is an institutional off-white with Terrazzo flooring, sparkling like a skating rink, acrylic tables, crisp linen napkins, simple white plates and Riedel glassware. Merely dotted with the Prada-red leather seating, the room feels unfussy and neutral, like a minimalist, high-design airport lounge, offering a futuristic setting in a high-end location.

Executive chef, Corbin Tomaszeski is at the helm here, serving up a menu built on Les tartines built on the Poilane bread: Seafood, seared foie gras (caramelized onions and an edgy verjus sauce), Aki Tuna with Wasabi Mayo are fine examples. Breakfast and lunch menus promise unique and colourful salads. Desserts are French-inspired puddings, crumbles, tarts.