Alma

Chef Anna Chen dazzles in Bloordale Village from this minimally adorned shoebox of a restaurant. Scallion bread with stracciatella cheese and eggplant dip. Parmesan tapioca fritters. Is this Chinese or fusion? Red lanterns dangling from the ceiling and a ceramic lucky cat waving from the corner hint at the menu's intentions but the chef needn’t be bothered with labels.
The menu is at once comforting and imaginative. Start with pan-fried radish cakes dotted with an assertive garlic-chive paste. A wide bowl of addictively chewy noodles with pork wontons is pure comfort. An unlisted rhubarb trifle with coconut makes for a lovingly sweet send-off. All the while, servers roam about pouring natural wines with abandon.