At a small, chef-driven restaurant like this culinary oasis in the financial district — the kitchen is open, front and centre, and the cooks often deliver their plates directly to the customer — the arrival of a new executive chef inevitably means a new direction. And in the case of Rafa Covarrubias replacing Julie Hyde, the change has been dramatic. Simple, ingredient-forward Western European cooking has been swapped out for robustly flavoured, ultra-contemporary Mexican cuisine of a very high order. Covarrubias and his team cooked well enough at Oakville’s multi-menu, 70-seat Hexagon for it to earn a Michelin star. Now he and his transplanted team (duck-savant chef de cuisine Jordan Wilkinson and sous-chef Victoria Rinsma) are free to focus on a single tasting menu for a 24-seat dining room — and the results are next-level. Flavours are vivid, bright and distinct and the cooking has great finesse. Get started with an improbably thin, crisp tart mounded with bluefin tuna enlivened with salsa macha and dotted with avocado. Kampachi is sauced with sea-buckthorn-accented leche de tigre, habanada and smoky, fruity pasilla mixe from Oaxaca. The sublime dry-aged, slow-cooked and crisp-skinned crown of Pekin duck is complemented by a robust chilmole negro. Come spring, expect scallops in a rhubarb aguachile, or razor clams with young peas or favas and pipián verde. Meanwhile, the minimalist space has been refreshed, notably in the front lounge, where banquette seating has made way for white tablecloth–draped tables. The experience is polished, sophisticated, but still casual, from the playlist (good ’90s party) to the unfussy service spearheaded by tirelessly affable owner Chris White. Wine pairings are highly recommended.

The signature duck.

Kampachi with sea-buckthorn.

1/2

The signature duck.

Kampachi with sea-buckthorn.

A dream team.” Zach Kolomeir