he matronly woman at the front desk of the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art warns: if the museum galleries are visited on the way to lunch at Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner then admission - $12 - must be paid on the way out. A quick left, careful to avoid setting foot in the galleries, takes me to the staircase and elevator that leads to the restaurant.

*Scott Vivian has replaced Bruce Leslie as chef de cuisine at Jamie Kennedy at the Gardiner.


I hear the restaurant immediately. It might be the contrast with the monastically quiet displays of exotic pottery or it might be that the restaurant is very loud. Before mounting the first step - two flights below - a steady din of conversation can be heard. It grows louder with every step I climb.

The restaurant itself is surprisingly small and consists of only fifteen to twenty tables arranged in an L-shape around a sleek black bar. The vaulted ceilings are as tall as the floor space is wide, allowing the room to feel more spacious than it actually is. To the right, there is a slightly more expansive, glass-enclosed room, which is opened for larger crowds. On this occasion, the adjacent room is sealed off by sliding wooden panels for a private function. A large window frames the kitchen station, which churns out Sri Lankan hoppers, and even on a grey Toronto day you’ll find the room flooded with light.