Passion
Too ephemeral for any nickname (no "brat pack" here, just a revolving door of new budget eateries), the current legacy of Yonge & Bloor might be that it will soon function as a microcosm for the transplants when 1 Bloor opens its big-budget portals. If you were a fan of the old Sister Saigon spot on Yonge Street – or have even heard of it – well, it's resurfaced under another name. That vacated spot has been taken over by a new restaurant: Passion. The food is typical Asian fair, combining flavours from Chinese and Korean cuisine (and if you are like Mr. Burns and don’t eat ethnic food, they also serve Burgers and wraps). The drink menu is also decent but nothing spectacular. You’ll be able to get whatever you’d normally order from this type of restaurant, but you’ll be hard pressed to find anything new to try. Still, as far as moderately priced Asian cuisine goes, you could do far worse

The Spice Route Remember Toby's? There was a time when you couldn’t walk anywhere in this city without stumbling on a Toby’s Famous Eatery. They spread all over this city like a bad case of herpes. Like herpes, they eventually receded, but never died (the Yonge street location willingly died to wake way for a certain condo building). Now Toby’s is popping up like a delicious burger-filled cold sore on College Street, bringing back the pub food and relaxed atmosphere that made the franchise so popular. The fact that it is opening up right around U.F.T. is a good indication of the type of restaurant to expect and the kind of clientele that the management seeks. This is the sort of place where people munch on deep fried appetizers and entrees while sucking back a cold one. Nothing more, nothing less. If you’re seeking a pub, you could do a hell of a lot worse than Toby’s Famous Eatery.

Park Lane (180 Pearle Street, between John and Peter) is an upcoming lounge-club set to take over the space that was Venue, Casino Lounge (and many others) Set to open mid-April, the space is currently under renovations with intentions of luring a high end crowd (A la Brant House, Ki, The Keg).

The Spice Route comes practically gift-wrapped in dollar bills – it’s yet another collaboration of Ink and the Liberty Group, and it is just dripping with big-budget-newss. This time it is with the proposed idea to turn the failed Touch Lounge spot on King into a trendy new restaurant. The Spice Route will be an Asian bistro/bar with interior design by Nadia Didonato. She has her work cut out for her with the space being 11,000 square feet and all, including the patio. The theme will be Asian-inspired drawing on elements of fire and water. Executive Chef Winlai Wong, previously of Monsoon, will be cooking up indo-Chinese cuisine by late Spring. –MBO