Bryan on 
Melody on 
Deanne on 
Paul Dicken on 
Madeleine Boivin on 
Brian on 
Naomi Wilton on 
Michael on 
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.
Yay! M & I hit up Swish again on the weekend for a late dinner on Saturday night — devoured a plate of the short-rib, carrots and potato and washed it down with a Yuza tea. Fantastic!
DINER BEWARE …. eat here at your own risk!
I am a regular at Swish by Han – the wait staff know me and greet me. What happened on Friday night when I went to dine with my adult daughter was inexcusable. To be clear – the food is palatable and the music is ear shattering. The wait staff do not like customers, in fact they think being rude and out and out lying is good customer service.
My daughter cannot have spice and there is spice in some of the food. She inquired about the potstickers from a ‘new’ waitress – the lady who always wears a white top (she is related to the chef and the owner) did not take our order. She was assured there is no spice. This is not something I have ever ordered so I didn’t know.
The dish arrives in a sea of soy sauce and chili oil. We call the waitress over – this time we get the ‘lady in white’ – the one who is always there – the one related to the owner. My daughter explains the problem – she can’t have spice, she asked before ordering, this has spice, she cannot eat it – what can be done. Here the comes the unbelievable part – and I am paraphrasing but very close to what is actually said -
1. Oh! – the other waitress should have told you – I will go let her know that she made a mistake. She is new here and doesn’t know the menu I guess.
2. It isn’t that spicy – you can eat it anyway – NOTE: at this point we told her that chili oil makes my daughter ill –
3. The chef is particular about his food and he makes no allowances for guest allergies, you get it the way he wants it and if it isn’t what you can eat that is your problem.
We ate quickly and got the bill. I live next door to this place and am fond of it, so I went back to see this was just some sort of misunderstanding. I get ‘lady in white’ – I am just a waitress I just work here it isn’t my job to deal with upset customers’ I ask where is the manager, there is nobody here to talk to. Shortly afterwards another lady appears claiming to be ‘the manager’. She listens to me. I ask her isn’t the ‘lady in white’ part of the ownership – yes she assures me she is. She will pass on my comments.
No the bill was not adjusted – yes it was $7 and I paid for the dish, but that wasn’t the point.
No-one apologized – the final suggestion as we were leaving – we should ‘order’ more carefully in the future. If we can’t eat something don’t order it.
Okay folks – this is not acceptable by any means at any class of restaurant.