A cheery new restaurant is opening up at Bayview Avenue and Manor Road East, and it’s a family affair. Sophie’s Kitchen is owned by Hayley Edwards and her partner, Robbie Sabato, and is named after their daughter, Sophie. The new breakfast and lunch spot offers classic brunch staples, including eggs, frittatas, ricotta pancakes and juices, in a super-sunny location with a patio out front and an open kitchen in the back (1614 Bayview Ave., 416-485-1614).
Kamasutra Indian Restaurant & Wine Bar has reopened its restaurant space. The April 15 ice storm gutted their kitchen, and the 12-year-old restaurant at Bayview Avenue and Millwood Road had to be closed. In the last few months, they’ve replaced their clay tandoori ovens and reopened their doors. Back and better than ever, the restaurant has returned to serving up the northern Indian cuisine it is locally loved for (1522 Bayview Ave., 416-489-4899).
The Yonge and Shep izakaya and oyster bar Nomé Izakaya has opened a second location at Shops at Don Mills. This opening coincides with its sixth anniversary. The fresh new location features the same rustic decor and unique sharing plates as the original restaurant, with the same extensive oyster menu of east coast and west coast oysters (1090 Don Mills Rd., 647-973-7937).
A new candle boutique has just opened in Yorkville. Kandl Artistique combines a traditional boutique with a Parisian-style café, as well as a “candle lab,” where customers can blend their own fragrances to create a personalized scented candle, ready to take home in 90 minutes (88 Avenue Rd., 416-215-2150).
Celebrating 40 years of teaching tykes, teens and adults to swim, Zodiac Swim School started as a swim school and has grown to encompass four locations across North Toronto and North York, including programs at TFS – Canada's International School, Havergal College, and other locations, as well as overnight camps (various locations, 416-789-1989).
Local independent paint shop Upper Canada Decorating is celebrating a special anniversary this September. The retailer has been in the Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue neighbourhood since it first opened its doors on Sept. 9, 1988. Since then, the shop has become a beloved mainstay, doling out expert advice and premium products for any kind of painting project (3259 Yonge St., 416-322-0437).
18Karat Studio+Gallery, a 57-year-old jewellery shop and gallery, is holding a new exhibition that highlights contemporary Canadian jewellery and metalwork. The works, by Canadian artists Dominique Audette, Claudia Gravel and Caroline Arbour, present exquisitely rendered pieces, exploring the natural world in resin, silver and other precious metals. The exhibition runs until Oct. 31 (1156 Yonge St., 416-593-1648).
