Mt Fuji Restaurant

Rated this place:

72 Gerrard St W, Toronto, ON, M5G1J5

Sashimi: I’m not usually an absolutist, but anyone who says raw fish is gross is just plain wrong. Well prepared sashimi, especially ruby-red maguro (tuna) and fatty sake (salmon) are the jewels of the sea. At Fuji (Yonge & Gerrard), sashimi combo #11 comes with salad, miso soup, steamed white rice, and a filling selection of fresh fish for just $13. The dining area is small and being one door south of the Attorney General’s office means it’s bustling with lawyers at lunch: take-out is recommended.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• sashimi

Insomnia Internnet Bar Cafe

Rated this place:

563 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M5S1Y6

Brunch (or cocktails): Only open until 2am, Insomnia is a misnomer – folks with sleep disorders should go to 7West at 4am for snacks. But the morning after a wide-awake night, do head to Bloor & Bathurst for the comfort of perfectly poached eggs nestled in hot toasted English muffins, with fruit salad and the most incredibly addictive sauce-slathered potatoes anywhere. They also have great coffee, amazing waffles, dreamy cream-cheese filled French toast and a fully stocked bar, as well as local art on display.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Brunch (or Cocktails)

Lai Wah Heen

Rated this place:

108 Chestnut St, Toronto, ON, M5G1R3

Dim sum restaurant: I’ve eaten dim sum in Hong Kong, and frankly, the Metropolitan Hotel’s ‘Lai Wah Heen’ is superior. The eating area is clean, bright, spacious and elegant. The food is hot and fresh and not deathly expensive. Steamed crab dumplings shaped like crabs and marshmallow desserts like bunnies are part of the fun. Chef Terrance Chan prepares hundreds of tasty Cantonese treats, such as crystal shrimp dumplings and the classic BBQ pork buns. Call ahead for a lunch table (11-3) on Saturdays 416-977-9899.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Dim Sum Restaurant

Everest Cafe & Bar

Rated this place:

232 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M5V1Z6

Cold weather meal: When it's cold outside you want something warming in your belly. Everest delivers with their Tibetan beef bowl; a heavenly dish of noodles, beef strips, veggies and thick, brown, scrumptious gravy. It sticks to your ribs and puts hair on your chest. Also goes nicely with a cosmo, so order one from the shiny granite bar. Open until midnight every day, 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. A pleasant walk along Queen, just west of the opera house (beefy noodles are a great end to an evening of Puccini).

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Cold Weather Meal

Urbane Cyclist

Rated this place:

180 John St, Toronto, ON, M5T1X5

Bicycle parts and repair store: Fast and fabulous, this is where Toronto's bike couriers go for service and parts. Full of fenders, pumps, locks, tires, bells and bikes, all at reasonable prices. All staff are die-hard cyclists and keen on customer care. If they don't know something, they'll admit it and do their best to find out for you. Eye candy alert! Repair room is full of extremely cute guys covered in little grease smudges with tattoos peeking out from their Sugoi technical shirts, some with Russian accents.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Bicycle Parts and Repair Store

Green Mango

Rated this place:

730 Yonge St., Toronto, ON, M4Y2B7

Thai food: Back in the day, the Mango was a hole in the wall on Yonge St near the Brass Rail, serving $5 noodle combos and coconut soups. It was tiny and cramped, with a line of hungry customers stretching out the door. Now there are several locations, including a posh sit-down place across the road from the original (which is still open). Green curry vegetables and basil chicken are personal faves. True story: I once flew a take-out container of their food to Vancouver for my cousin.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Thai Food

John B Aird Gallery

Rated this place:

900 Bay St, Toronto, ON, M7A1Y5

Art gallery: If you’re at Queen’s Park to get your passport or renew your driver’s licence, why not take in some contemporary art at the same time? Open 10am-6pm, Monday to Friday, the John B. Aird Gallery is hidden on the first floor of the government buildings at 900 Bay St, south of Wellesley. Open since 1975, they hold 12 exhibitions a year, showcasing living Canadian artists, and they also hold regular juried shows. I showed a quilt there once and won a prize! http://www.airdgallery.org/index.html

Steam Whistle Brewing

Rated this place:

255 Bremner Blvd, Toronto, ON, M5V3M9

Local brewery: Cute green bottles and sweet retro logo aside, Steam Whistle is a refreshingly tasty pilsner, and it's brewed right downtown at the historic John St. Roundhouse, just south of the CN Tower. While they are upgrading their facilities you can take advantage of half-price ($4) tours - learn about how beer gets made, get a souvenir glass or opener to take home, and drink as much free pilsner as you can throw down your greedy gullet. Ferris Bueller would have put this on his "to-do" list.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Local brewery

Windsor Arms Hotel

Rated this place:

18 St. Thomas St, Toronto, ON, M5S3E7

Poshest place to take your mum: My Mum is British. She knows tea. We’ve tried Epic at the Royal York and the King Eddy, but the Windsor Arms won for taste and presentation. Elegant with comfy seating and a fireplace, the room seats 42. ‘Ladies who lunch’ book it for bridal and baby showers, or Sex and the City style get-togethers. Dainty sandwiches, pastries and sweets meet fresh baked scones, devon cream and hot tea, served daily at 1 and 3:30pm. Reserve seats well in advance. Cream Tea is $24 per person, Full Tea $30.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Poshest Place to Take Your Mum

Crumpler

Rated this place:

831 Queen Street West, Toronto, M6J 1G1

Carrying case store: If you own a digital SLR, go buy a Crumpler 5-Million Dollar Home for it. Life will improve for you instantly. If you have a laptop, ditto. Even if you don't need wicked Aussie-built luggage for your toys or textbooks, look at the hilarious Crumpler website [http://www.crumpler.ca/] Usually Flash animation sucks donkey balls, but this is pant-wetting perfection. Pyromaniac alert: they give out free mini-matches at the store. Watch for the annual June 'Beer for Bags' sale.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Carrying Case Store

Magic Pony

Rated this place:

694 Queen W, Toronto, ON, M4M1G9

Art gallery: Most days, I have to stay the hell away from this place because I could spend my entire paycheck buying things that are neither rent nor groceries. All the Ugly Dolls, Gloomy Bears and Malfis in the world won’t feed me. Unless I ate them, I suppose. Hmm. I digress: occasionally I let myself mosey along Queen West just to see the groovy art exhibits on display in the back of the store. Marvelous art book selection, great place to buy gifts for quirky, creative friends. http://www.magic-pony.com

Nathan Phillips Square

Rated this place:

100 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON, M5H2N1

Farmer's market for local produce: Every Wednesday from June 6 to October 16, I make a habit of using my lunch hour to head south on Bay Street, away from the maddening corporate crowd, to bask in the natural joys of the Nathan Phillips Square Farmer's Market. Open from 8 am to 2:30 pm, 20 vendors sell local honey, potted herbs, venison sausage, cut flowers, and of course, vegetables. As far as I know, this is the only place you can buy broccoli while standing between a Henry Moore sculpture and an ice skating rink.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Farmer's Market for Local Produce

Peter Anan Thai Restaurant

Rated this place:

2049 Weston Rd, York, ON, M9N1X7

Best spring rolls in the universe: My commute is shorter now that I no longer live in Weston, but I truly miss the delicious crunch of biting into the best spring rolls in the universe. Peter Anan is near the 401, at 2049 Weston Road, but it is worth traveling for. Value for money and really incredible Thai food. I’ve eaten nearly everything on the menu: it’s all good. The owners are supremely nice people. The restaurant is in an old diner, with cafeteria-style benches and a bar with stools – get takeout and eat it at home.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Best Spring Rolls in the Universe

Pravda Vodka Bar

Rated this place:

44 Wellington Street East, Toronto, ON, M5E1C7

Place to pretend you’re a russian czar(ina): I visited Russia recently, but I could have just gone to Pravda. Dark wood, burgundy wallpaper, portraits of Lenin, matryoshka dolls, sparkling chandeliers and more than 70 vodkas. Caviar blinis with dill and smetana, salmon and mushrooms... If only they could keep the patrons from having fun, it would be JUST like Russia. At 300 rubles each, martinis are not priced for the proletariat. Arrive early to get a big leather chair, leave before the noise makes you deaf. http://www.pravdavodkabar.com

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Place to Pretend You’re a Russian Czar(ina)

Fire On The East Side

Rated this place:

6 Gloucester Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y1L5

Brunch (or cocktails): How can you not love Cajun? Fire on the East Side has great ambiance and soulful food, and the crowds that swarm there for weekend brunch and after-work martinis all agree with me. Last time I went with a mixed crowd of librarians and opera singers, and everyone enjoyed their brunch. We all blushed as our server flattered and flirted her way to a generous tip. The omelettes are particularly yummy. Feel free to have a mimosa with that. Go on, drink: it's Sunday! http://www.fireontheeastside.ca/

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Brunch (or Cocktails)

Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation

Rated this place:

778 King St W, Toronto, ON, M5V1N6

Art gallery: Don't be fooled. Uniforms Registered is not a manufacturer or distributor of uniforms. It is actually a mysterious art museum. I love Ydessa Hendeles' Art Foundation at King & Bathurst because it's not ashamed to be weird. It keeps weird hours and it houses weird pieces and it's unabashedly contemporary and feminist in the majority of its content. I first saw Shirin Neshat's video art there, and Jenny Holzer's benches. It's only open about 5 hours a week, but is well worth the wait.

Island Foods

Rated this place:

275 Dundas W, Toronto, ON, M5T1G1

Roti restaurant: I once worked near the Village on the Grange, where all the OCAD students go for lunch, and in Toronto's cold winter weather it's hard to beat the warmth of a curried roti. At Island Foods, the line ups are long and the service is excruciatingly slow and crabby, BUT the curry chicken roti is hot and tasty, full of potatoes, cabbage, carrots and cauliflower, wrapped in dahlpouri-two thin layers of flour with ground seasoned split peas between them. Order it wiith Ting! (Caribbean grapefruit soda)

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Roti restaurant

LCBO

Rated this place:

446 Summerhill Av, Toronto, ON, M4W2E4

Lcbo: All my friends in the US and UK mock Ontario's prohibitionist-style provincially regulated liquor stores. That's because they've never been to Summerhill. It's booze Mecca. Scotches that will make your toes curl. Vintages that will make you pee your pants. All housed in a sexy, converted 1916 railway station. Anyone want to join me in one of their cooking classes?

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• LCBO

Rock Oasis

Rated this place:

27 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, M5V2P1

Rock climbing gym: Smelly are the changerooms, crowded are the walls, and costly are the climbing fees. None of this stops me from making Rock Oasis my gym of choice. It's insanely convenient: right downtown, open 365 days a year, until 11pm on weeknights. Also your fellow climbers are beautiful artworks of muscle and the folks behind the desk are kind, mellow and patient with beginners. Don't let the sardine-like atmosphere on weekends or the inferno-like heat in the summer months put your off.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• rock climbing gym