TORONTO: Swish by Han

Finding a spot in Toronto to catch up with some girls from work turned out to be a bit harder than we thought. We didn’t want to go to a pub so that ruled out a lot of places downtown. A bistro/bar was way too noisy and crowded. We finally ended up at Swish by Han, run by two brothers who cook up Korean-inspired dishes.

It’s a pretty spot with varnished wooden tables mixed with Korean details and pretty chandeliers. Best of all, it comfortably seated a group of us where we could all hear each other.

I think Swish does drinks and small plates best. Their infused soju ($20/carafe) — a distilled rice liquor — is a fabulous sipping drink. Choose from refreshing infusions including citrus, cucumber, ginger and apple pie.

For teetotallers, the yuzu tea is a great twist on iced tea with the sweet, citrus addition.

Purple yam frites ($5) come with a red chili aioli. The bi bim bap rolls ($7) are crunchy mixed vegetables wrapped in rice paper.

The house dumplings ($9) are quite yummy stuffed with Berkshire pork and chives, and the seafood crepe ($10) is a nice play on boring green onion pancakes.

These all work well to share among a big group, or you can order a few to make up a dinner.

Swish also has larger entree plates but they’re not as memorable as the smaller dishes. I had the 48-hour braised beef shank ($14) served with lettuce wraps, called ssäm here. Finely sliced and served cold, the shank had little taste and too much cartilage and tendon.

Cheryl gave her soy-chili braised short ribs ($15) a thumbs-up, while Jessica said a previous hot pot (called “swish” here, and offered with beef, seafood or mushroom) was decent.

Swish by Han, 38 Wellington St. E., Toronto, (647) 343-0268. Open for lunch weekdays noon to 2 p.m., for dinner Monday to Saturday 5-10:30 p.m.