ard and crunchy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside. Spadina and Harbord has apparently become Spaha. Oops... sPaHa, a "modern bistro" whose acronym of street names is hip NYC lingo such as SoHo, TriBeCa, and now NoLIta. And though the urban fabric of another world-class city may have inspired its hip name, sPaHa is original in every aspect of design, form and function.

sPaHa opened in the fall 2000 in the repulsive U of T graduate residence at Spadina Ave. and Harbord St., all New York-lounge ambiance, but way more than just eye candy. The all-around cuisine is the real find - and the best part is that you can have any menu item until 2:00am.

The Digs
It is an airy, little cafe and juice bar with distressed hardwood floors and white walls adorned with the handiwork of local artists. A very Toronto concept this, and a very urban concept to put such a high-design café in such an ugly building. Owner Mukhayesh of Precipice Studios, a mechanical engineer, designed this hip interior himself. The idea of the space was to have it an upscale cafeteria feel, but original at the same time.

The Goodies
Among the food offerings here is a huge portion of ripe fruit in granola for $6.75; Poached eggs on croissants with dill hollandaise(7.50); A bowl full of plump steamed mussels ($7) tossed with garlic and herbs; Grilled chicken sandwich with avocado on sourdough; and a perfectly grilled entrecote steak frites.

sPaHa knows what it's doing. Mukhayesh has the guts to offer cheap, chic food east of the Spadina Harbord divide. Even a trip to the fancy toilet uncovers a moody, chocolate brown subterranean lounge complete with a DJ and intimate tables. This little lounge could prove to be a very hip place to be.

Alas
Now, as for dining in that grotesque building: I raise my glass to Emile Zola, The 19th century French author, who once claimed "I like to eat at the Eiffel tower, because it is one of the few places in Paris where I cannot see the damned thing”.



Reader Reviews

FUN!!!!!!
Nov 26, 2002
Sarah Sellers, Toronto, ON
I love SpaHa! I've been there many a time and I am so glad to be able to say that it has been consistently a great time. The food is so good for thee prices, the atmosphere is fun!! and we've always found the waitstaff friendly and funky in a welcome way. Keep doing it your way, Bite, you've got a really good thing going! Oh, and the specials and the lpoungeare highlights.