News came today that Quince, the venerable midtown restaurant will be closing next month. According to their press release, the lease on the property will not be renewed after June 2018.

Between March 5, 2016 and then, owners Michael Van Den Winkel and Jennifer Gittins will use the space for a new restaurant concept. They are calling it Noorden Food Bar and their email describes its menu as “a North American take and modern twist to Dutch/Indo cuisine."

Over its nine years in business, Quince built its reputation on the cuisine of chef Van Den Winkel’s northern Dutch heritage. Four years ago they started experimenting with special events featuring the rijsttafel tradition. The word means rice table and the food (many small, shareable plates to accompany rice) is based on the colonial Dutch interpretation of the Indonesian cuisine. 

 

It was the popular success of these pop-ups that convinced Van Den Winkel and Gittins to open Little Sister with an Indonesian food concept. Here again, Van Den Winkel’s personal experience came in handy — most of his fellow cooks during his time in the Dutch Navy were of Indonesian extraction.

Little Sister and Bar Batavia (the attached bar) will remain open and Noorden will offer a version of the rijsttafel menu throughout the year. 

Tickets for the March 2 rijsttafel and farewell party at Quince can be booked by calling 416-488-2110 or by emailing info@quincetoronto.com.

Quince Bistro, 2110 Yonge St., 416-488-2110