SUPPORTING PAUL’S PLACE
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the aroma of slow-roasted harvest squash drifting through the grandeur of the candlelit nave of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The plate set before you is crafted with the kind of care that makes you pause. Welcome to the Harvest Dinner, a unique farm-to-table gourmet experience. Our local food scene is quietly extraordinary, and on October 22nd, its finest hands will gather to display this mastery.
I am thrilled to be collaborating with Brian Sua-an of Reverie and Saisha’s Patisserie, alongside an incredible lineup of local chefs who are all volunteering their time and talent for this evening. Together, we are not simply cooking dinner. We are composing a seasonal tasting menu that honours the harvest in every single course. Locally sourced, thoughtfully paired, and presented with the precision of a kitchen at the height of its craft, this evening tells the story of our region’s land, its farmers, and the people who coax beauty out of it.
For me, there is something profoundly moving about gathering over food to fight hunger. You will sit in one of London’s most beautiful spaces and eat one of the finest meals you will have this year, all while knowing that 100 percent of the proceeds will fund the life-changing work happening at Paul’s Place.
Every single day, London residents facing the harsh realities of food insecurity walk through those doors. Paul’s Place operates on a mission of radical hospitality. The organization runs its Daily Bread food bank five mornings a week, providing emergency grocery supplies to over 1,300 individuals and families every single month, nearly half of whom are children. On Thursdays and Fridays, the Fellowship Centre opens to serve hot, fresh drop-in community lunches for adults experiencing poverty. It is a haven where people can access a hot meal, a bag of groceries, and a welcoming seat at the table to combat isolation and build true community.
Great food has always been an act of love. I invite you to join us on October 15 as that generosity extends far beyond the table to the thousands of Londoners who depend on Paul’s Place for nourishment and hope.
DOWNTOWN LONDON
Covent Garden Market has always been the structural anchor of downtown London’s culinary scene. Watching its food spaces evolve over my decades as a chef, restaurateur and food columnist has been like watching the history of our local hospitality industry unfold in real time. When a long-standing corner eatery closes its doors, it leaves a massive atmospheric void in the heart of the market. However, in this industry, a vacant kitchen is merely an invitation for the next great culinary chapter, which has officially arrived in the form of Bear & Frankie’s.
In this column, I regularly document how local eateries survive economic shifts. Success in the modern hospitality landscape does not rely solely on a prestigious address. Instead, it requires a deep, flexible understanding of how people want to gather. Jess Jazey-Spoelstra understands this reality perfectly. Her path to becoming one of London’s most influential restaurateurs began in New York City’s competitive hospitality industry, where she developed her exceptional standard of execution and eye for detail. Upon returning to Southwestern Ontario, she launched North Moore Catering, building it into the region’s premier boutique catering company strictly through word of mouth. Over the years, she expanded her portfolio to include local staples like Craft Farmacy and Riverbend’s Los Olivos.
Her latest venture represents a brilliant downtown evolution following her departure from Museum London, where she operated both The River Room and the Rhino Lounge. Closing those chapters allowed her to pivotally redirect her focus toward a concept the downtown core genuinely needed: upscale, accessible, scratch-made comfort food.
I have had the opportunity to look at this kitchen up close, as Bear and Frankie’s has become a regular stop on my curated Forest City Culinary Experience, Covent Garden Market, and River District Culinary Experience. These guided journeys highlight the absolute best of our independent food ecosystem. Other notable stops on this experience include the aromatic upstairs refuge at The Tea Haus, the comforting flavours at the New Delhi Deli, and the irresistible aroma of Hot Oven. The path winds onward past Jill’s Table, a true downtown epicurean institution; the vibrant Mexican street-food profiles of La Calaka; the innovative global African culinary narratives at Ya Ya’s Kitchen and Cafe; and the uniquely excellent Dutch-inspired specialties and Pilot Coffee beverages at The Bicycle Cafe.
We are also hoping to add the newly relocated downtown staple, Razzle Dazzle Cupcakes and Cakes, and the artisanal touches of Monarch Culinary to our growing tour experience. Monarch Culinary has built a stellar reputation right down the street as a premier culinary studio and provider of full-service culinary experiences. Their hands-on cooking workshops, private executive catering, and popular Thursday boutique market — featuring chef-curated items like fresh-baked sourdough, cultured butter, and house-made sauces — perfectly align with our mission to showcase local gastronomic talent.
The Covent Garden Market momentum is only building. I am also looking forward to the opening of the new Market Kitchen on the main floor, expected this fall. By bringing collaborative, educational food programming right onto the first floor, the market will solidify its position as an interactive focal point for food lovers and culinary students alike.
Bryan’s Tasting Notes
An evening on the patio
BEAR & FRANKIE’S
Stepping into Bear & Frankie’s, you immediately feel a vibrant energy built around shared plates and a lively bar. The menu masterfully balances everyday accessibility with high-calibre culinary technique. The kitchen turns out remarkable classical and Detroit-style pan pizzas. The Napoli crust emerges perfectly blistered and charred from a gold-tiled wood oven, establishing a fantastic balance of a chewy interior and crisp undercarriage. This exceptional dough acts as the foundation for the foldie, a clever, texturally satisfying hybrid sandwich that wraps juicy grilled chicken, house-cured bacon, melted fontina cheese, confit tomato, and a rich herb mayo inside fresh-baked, folded pizza bread.
The menu handles shareable staples and premium proteins with equal finesse. A towering plate of loaded nachos arrives heavily layered with molten cheeses and house-made fixings, making it an immediate favourite. For the main, the double-patty smash burger is an absolute standout, showcasing heavily seared, lacy-edged beef patties blanketed with cheddar, shaved lettuce, fried onions and a tangy special sauce inside a pillowy potato bun. Seafood lovers can pivot to a classic, buttery East Coast lobster roll piled high on a split-top bun, or dig into the lobster affair, an unapologetically indulgent hot dip loaded with rich cheese, baked until bubbling, and served with crispy pita and corn tortillas. Boasting 16 craft beers on tap alongside a thoughtfully curated wine list, the bar is designed to transform the massive outdoor summer patio into a bustling community hub.
What makes Bear & Frankie’s so vital is its placement within London’s core. Our local independent restaurants face continuous logistical hurdles, but culinary entrepreneurs like Jazey-Spoelstra bring the grit and vision required to keep our city centre culturally rich. Bear & Frankie’s is not just another restaurant. It is a calculated masterclass in modern hospitality, honouring the historic market space it inhabits while giving the modern Forest City a relaxed, delicious place to pull up a chair.
RAZZLE DAZZLE CUPCAKES AND CAKES
RAZZLE DAZZLE CUPCAKES AND CAKES
For nearly two decades, independent food vendors have served as the emotional and cultural heartbeat of London. Among these treasured culinary landmarks, Razzle Dazzle Cupcakes and Cakes stands out as a gourmet staple, enriching the community through exceptional artisan baking since 2008. Long-time patrons fondly remember owner Judite Holder’s deep roots in the city’s food scene, tracing back to her storefront on Richmond Row where local bakers frequently sourced premium Callebaut chocolate. Her business presence later expanded to the historic Gammage Flowers building at Oxford and Waterloo streets, where she operated a cluster of beloved family-run shops alongside her daughter, Claudia Ivanisevic. Across every location, the family’s presence has been defined not just by retail, but by a rigorous commitment to elevated baking traditions. At the core of this culinary legacy is an unwavering dedication to premium, foundational ingredients. In an era dominated by fast-paced commercial convenience, Holder and Ivanisevic have maintained a strict ethos of small-batch scratch baking. The family has never compromised on their raw materials, anchoring their recipes in high-grade butter, fresh eggs, real cream cheese and buttermilk. Most notably, the legacy of premium Callebaut chocolate and cocoa, a nod to Holder’s earliest days on Richmond Row, remains the backbone of their rich chocolate confections. This deep understanding of ingredient behaviour translates into their signature offerings, ensuring their cakes are perfectly moist and paired with natural, artfully hand-decorated frostings that are delightfully fluffy without being overly sweet.
The recent transition to the indoor vendor space at the historic Covent Garden Market introduces a dynamic evolution to this traditional operational model. Historically, operating from standalone commercial properties meant that the bakery functioned primarily as a grab-and-go establishment. While the physical environment is entirely new, the bakery’s core culinary identity remains intentionally unchanged. The family has committed to sticking with what works best, which includes a focused, high-quality selection of custom cakes, artisan cookies, French macarons, and their signature gourmet cupcakes. This dedication to consistency ensures that long-time patrons who remember Judite’s earlier chocolate shop continue to receive the premium standards they expect, while introducing downtown foot traffic to a local institution. Ultimately, the story of Razzle Dazzle’s relocation serves as a poignant example of small business resilience. By stepping into a shared community-centric space, the family has safeguarded its legacy, proving that when the financial pressures of commercial real estate rise, the strength of local institutions lies in their ability to adapt and plant deeper roots within the heart of the city.
GARLIC’S OF LONDON
Garlic is a culinary paradox. Raw, it is aggressive and biting, with a sharp chemical defence mechanism triggered when its cells rupture, releasing an enzyme called alliinase. Yet, when you subject that same bulb to the slow, transformative alchemy of heat, those fierce defences break down completely. The clove softens, sweetens and develops a deep, caramelized umami that has anchored culinary civilizations for millennia. For over three decades, Garlic’s of London has operated as a living temple to this exact molecular magic. Over the years writing about Garlic’s, I have watched this restaurant prove that a single ingredient can serve as both a brilliant flavour foundation and a philosophical compass for an entire region.
GARLIC’S OF LONDON: A dining room view
Bone-in Pork Chop with braised red cabbage, fresh greens and pea shoots over potato mash with pan jus reduction
When I look at what owner Edin “Edo” Pehilj and his kitchen team are doing with their current seasonal menu offerings, they still treat their namesake bulb with immense intelligence. Garlic here is never used as a blunt instrument to mask culinary flaws or overwhelm the palate. Instead, it is treated as a vital bridge connecting the rich agricultural soil of Southwestern Ontario to contemporary Canadian gastronomy. They understand that garlic is a team player meant to harmonize disparate flavours.
Recent lunch and dinner visits elegantly illuminated this ethos, balancing fresh innovations with the fundamental elements that made this room famous. Our meal opened with the Adriatic-style calamari, a refreshing departure from typical, heavily battered rings: tender, grilled squid infused with lemon, herbs and garlic, presented over a bed of sautéed Swiss chard with crisp crostini. For those looking to see how the kitchen bridges tradition and creativity, the appetizers also featured an exceptional Caesar salad. It is an excellent, garlic-forward plate built from crisp romaine hearts, crunchy focaccia crisps, and smoky Metzger bacon lardons, all bound together by a velvety roasted-garlic dressing and a generous snowfall of Grana Padano. Beside it sat a remarkably executed beef tartare; tender, hand-cut local beef was perfectly seasoned with capers, shallots, and a touch of mustard, providing a clean, rich contrast to the roasted aromatics on the table. Sticky Chilli and Garlic Braised Pork Belly is an absolute triumph of texture and temperature. The rich, slow-braised meat, glazed in a sweet, pungent reduction of ginger, soy and garlic, then balanced by a silky cauliflower purée, sautéed baby bok choy and the bright crunch of pickled daikon radish, is a knockout.
For those seeking pure comfort, the hot smoked garlic fettuccine delivered house-made noodles tossed with chicken breast, smoked garlic, spicy chilli oil, red bell pepper, sweet corn and baby spinach, capped with a sophisticated dusting of shaved Grana Padano that demonstrated masterful restraint while showcasing robust, aromatic garlic profiles.
The evening concluded with the hand-churned Famous Garlic Ice Cream, a dessert that sounds dangerously like a novelty but behaves like a classic. The kitchen carefully infuses the cream to coax out the roasted bulb’s natural sugars, creating a velvety, vanilla-adjacent finish that leaves the diner entirely surprised. Ultimately Garlic’s of London succeeds because it stays fiercely loyal to local agriculture, sourcing from the finest regional purveyors to showcase Ontario terroir. Thirty years in, they continue to prove that thoughtful, sustainable dining can be deeply comforting, sophisticated, and endlessly delicious.
WALDO’S ON KING
In the volatile landscape of the restaurant business, success is measured in razor-thin margins. It is that three-to-five per cent that separates a thriving dining room from a shuttered one. It is measured by the loyalty of customers who return season after season, and by the resilience of independent institutions that anchor a downtown core. For over two decades, Waldo’s on King has been exactly that anchor for London. Nestled inside the Covent Garden Market, it remains a vital crossroads where food culture, local agriculture and community connection meet.
The local culinary scene held its breath when the business began transitioning ownership two years ago. In hospitality, a change at the top can often signal a slow drift away from the core identity that built a brand’s legacy. But this transition has been less of a disruption and more of an exemplary lesson in stewardship.
Kathy McLaughlin from Downtown London and I recently sat down with Bala — the new owner at Waldo’s — to discuss the restaurant business. The conversation revealed a new proprietor who has chosen a path of deep continuity over unnecessary reinvention. Bala understands that the secret to a seamless handoff lies in preserving the restaurant’s operational core. Founders and long-time patrons will be relieved to know that former owner chef Mark Kitching remains right there every single day, anchoring the line. Crucially, the culinary soul of the establishment remains intact because the seasoned kitchen staff has largely remained the same. This preserves the precise techniques, kitchen rhythm and institutional memory that take years to build. Under this unique operational symbiosis, Waldo’s continues to safeguard its heritage while ensuring its signature dining experience remains accessible to a wider audience. In a testament to his entrepreneurial drive, Bala is also expanding his culinary footprint, partnering with a business associate to open a second restaurant in Ottawa.
WALDO’S ON KING: Rack of Lamb with roasted potatoes, asparagus, a rich reduction and sage leaf garnish
Step inside today, and the comforting trajectory of this reliable kitchen brigade is as sharp as ever. The menu still balances high-quality, accessible bistro classics with distinct, locally sourced ingredients that define Southwestern Ontario’s agricultural bounty. For years, I have written extensively about the standout execution of this kitchen, championing specific creations that define its brilliance. Their beef burger remains a lesson in textbook execution. It is juicy, generously garnished, and still arguably the best hamburger I have eaten in the city, hands down.
But the burger is only one chapter of the story. I have long celebrated the kitchen’s ability to elevate comfort food to high art, most notably through their rich, velvety wild mushroom and Havarti soup, a classic lobster and shrimp bisque, and their delicately balanced butternut squash ravioli. Joining these standard-bearers is their outstanding calamari, prepared to absolute perfection with a precise texture and seasoning that mirror those of the best coastal bistros. For those seeking more robust fare, their fork-tender braised short ribs and beautifully rendered duck confit remain legendary fixtures that continue to satisfy discerning palates exactly as they always have.
New owner Bala (left) and former owner Mark Kitching, who still leads the kitchen team.
Waldo’s remains a prime destination for an elegant, affordable escape, rolling out seasonal promotions such as its crowd-pleasing 3-course dinner features and popular Sunday brunch specials.
Through ownership shifts, geographic expansions and economic cycles, the core narrative of Waldo’s on King has not changed. It is a story of continuity. Waldo’s remains a definitive piece of London’s culinary identity: approachable, refined and entirely indispensable. waldos.on.ca
BRYAN LAVERY is a writer, chef and culinary entrepreneur. He operates Forest City Culinary Experiences. His career is defined by a deep commitment to the farm-to-table movement and to telling authentic stories of Ontario’s culinary landscape. He can be reached @ ethicalgourmet@yahoo.com. For more culinary dispatches and essays, visit his Substack bryanparkerlaveryvery.substack.com or his new website bryanlavery.ca.
