(^106) Food & Design Bert Archer dishes on the latest restaurant design
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Bar Vendetta is all about wine, pasta and...
wallpaper. Wallcoverings have become
a real focus of interior creativity after
decades of niche status, with contemporary
companies devising radical new ways to
decorate walls. Bar Vendetta’s wallpaper is
not that.
The wallpaper swatches backing the bar
shelves and filling in the wainscotting of
Jennifer Agg’s latest spot feel DIY, in line
with Leemo Han’s Seoul Shakers down
the street, which is another self-designed
space. Agg’s own design for Bar Vendetta
– in the same location as her now-shuttered
Black Hoof – is meant to have “sort of a
post-’70s, dad-basement vibe,” she says,
BAR VENDETTA
sharing that most of the finishing touches
were found while scouring the internet and
her favourite vintage stores.
Thanks in part to a consult with Agg’s
Grey Gardens collaborator, Wayback
Architects, the bar is less time capsule
than stylish homage. Built by Boylan &
Barlow Contracting, the curving light wood
canopy over the bar (which Agg calls “the
monolith”) anchors the space firmly in 2019.
Eclectic pendant lighting and an orange,
brown and off-white basket-weave pattern
on the floor complement the wallpaper
swatches, creating a space that’s at once
homey and fresh. Which brings us back to
the wine and pasta.
Chef James Stanton’s menu features
made-in-house noodles and nachos after
midnight, while Jake Skakun’s wine list pulls
from a cellar stocked with many privately
imported bottles. As for why it’s called Bar
Vendetta, Agg – the author of I Hear She’s a
Real Bitch – says that while people may see
it as a reference to her being not particularly
conflict-averse, she just really likes how it
sounds. BARVENDETTA.COMRebel Without a Kitchen host and food
truck owner Matt Basile and his partner,
Kyla Zanardi, live to nosh. The duo’s late
Queen West restaurant Lisa Marie dished
out legendary midday chow (RIP s’mores
pancakes). Luckily, Brunch Life has 70-plus
recipes – including this one – to yummify
your weekend. CHAPTERS.INDIGO.CAIn a city of gourmet tea lovers – and expert
sommeliers – Viva Scandinavia’s online
boutique feels right at home. Founded in
Denmark in 2010, and now headquartered
in downtown Toronto, it features a
pleasing brew of teapots, infusers, cups,
saucers and – appropriately – a selection
of gourmet teas. CA.SHOPVIVA.COMBRUNCH LIFE $30 ALEXANDER TEA SET $100