very once in a while the truth behind a cliché overtakes its kitsch. This thought comes to mind as I enjoy a vodka tonic at the bar in what used to be the Upmarket Café, and I am reminded: good things do come in small packages. Relaxed and subdued, The Cobourg has been enjoying a very soft opening phase, having unlocked their doors in late August with little to no fanfare. There’s no sign out front, nothing to indicate to passers-by the relaxed atmosphere inside. A quick look in the window had me thinking it was someone’s living room.

That’s precisely what the new space feels like. The décor isn’t at all flashy. A few chandeliers hang over the bar, behind which hangs a large mirror that does a good job of opening up the space. The beauty of this place is in its subtleties. Along one wall are undemanding sconces that support lit candles. Nice touch. There’s something about the warmth of candlelight that can’t be improved upon.

Having caught a lull between the early and late crowds on a Friday night, bartender Lena has just enough time to catch her breath and answer my questions. She tells me a little of her experience at the much larger Il Fornello (214 King Street West) and the perpetually busy Jet Fuel (519 Parliament Street). She tells me she’d just about had her fill of the service industry when the opportunity to tend bar and become manager at The Cobourg presented itself. She couldn’t say no, and her interest in the venue’s success seems genuinely sincere; it’s easy to see why.

First-time owners John and Laila Jay named the bar for a Peter Doig painting they received as a wedding gift some eleven years ago. The painting decorates one wall, presenting a winter scene with figures on a frozen pond; it’s a soothing image and that calm seems to pervade here. The space radiates soft, earthy tones. Jazz and soul music fills the air. Couples are lost in conversation, cozily tucked into the puffy chairs and couches. This is Toronto culture at its least pretentious.

The bar does have its shortcomings, though. The barstools, for example, are best avoided, as the cushions have too much give; I clock in at six-foot-four and even I feel short sitting at the bar. A back room offers a little more privacy. However, the lighting there is brighter and that living room feeling takes on a new dimension; your mother-in-law’s living room?