Typical Ossington resto. Nothing really stands out but good to try...(I didn't have everything on menu) I love toronto and its cute little spots like this. read more

After reading all the rave reviews, I have to say I was disappointed. The food is unique (chickpea tofu, water with flowers and jelly cubes, locally foraged greens such as burdock and moss, to name a few) but nothing wowed me. The service was excellent, which almost makes me want to rate this 4 stars but the food just wasn't that spectacular, especially considering the price. We paid $95 each for the chef's menu. For that price, I can think of so many other restaurants in Toronto that would have been far better. read more

Came here with my parents, boyfriend and brother on Saturday - lots of wine, lots of laughs. Hats off to the impeccably cheerful service and the good vibes. This isn't a great place to go with a tight budget and an empty stomach, but it's interesting and elegant plates throughout. The apps were all fresh and wonderful ingredients - little radishes, a gently smoked ham on sugar snap peas, a light herb soup - all a bit precious, but I get the fresh local ingredient worship and they really are good. We had the Domaine de Lanes white which is fairly dry, mineral and clean - a perfect balance with almost everything. A borgogne was the other choice I believe - went well with my boyfriend's steak (which was small but extremely good) nice and earthy but stands up well. I had the smoked mackerel which was simple, not too smoked and warm(!) then the mushrooms, which were a huge highlight for me. Chanterelles are the steak of the mushroom world for those who question getting mushrooms as a whole course. I loved it it deeply. A blend of regional mushers in a light butter sauce with sea buckthorn thrown into the flavouring. Hot damn, fungi deluxe! The dessert, "a deconstructed cheesecake" was ricotta and..I forget. To be honest we were all drunk and full at that point, but I remember finding it a bit salty, which was weird. So I guess I don't recommend it, but taste is taste. Ultimately, this is a perfect place to take visitors - a true blue modern Toronto resto doing it right. Makes me love my neighbourhood just a little bit more, too. read more

Service was very good, ambience was nice, but food, sadly, was B+ -- they really should have done better for this price range. It's a shame, we had been to Actinolite under its old bistro formula and the food was significantly better and less expensive. The new format is a tasting menu, obviously designed to up the bill (you walk out paying at least $150 for 2 instead of $90), and to take advantage of the latest foodie trends. Don't get me wrong -- I like foodie trends, but here, it's all form over substance. Despite having interesting-sounding ingredients, nothing was a stand-out dish. For example, dessert (mushroom something with chocolate fudge) sounded interesting, but didn't pan out. read more

Had a great dinner here! Some very interesting plates, the two duck courses were exquisite. The highlight was definitely the wine pairing, I felt this was very well executed - the various delectable wines perfectly complimented each course. Excellent attention to detail! read more

I was a first time diner at Acinolite last night. We had an incredible experience from start to finish. The service was excellent and very personal. We had several table side visits from owner and chef Justin. The food was not only very pleasing to the eye but was delicious and different. The wine pairings were excellent with some great hidden gems and an outstanding signature wine as well. I would strongly recommend Actinolite if you are looking for a unique flavorful and personal dining experience. read more

Actinolite is excellent - had a great Negoni cocktail here... as well as great food - amazing thought to the food - re taste, texture, presentation. Had amazing panna cotta there with strawberries with amazing toasted coriander seed and peppercorns - added so much to the experience! Great environment too! read more

Just finished dinner there and it was such a let down. The waitress was visibly contemptuous. The shrimp and mussels in our starters were not properly cleaned. Whiskers and sand anyone?! The mains? Not much better, I'm afraid. The steak was ordered rare but arrived well done with a charred carrot as a side. The gnocchi were rubbery and bland; the cauliflower was promising in principle but uninspiring in the delivery. Desserts? We opted to skip the joint and head to Bakerbots around the corner on Delaware for some genuinely delicious cookies instead. Verdict: $60 is a bit much for two poorly executed, not to mention miserly, courses. read more

I'd like to describe my first and only visit to Actinolite and you can judge for yourself. Actinolite was suggested as a good restaurant to take my girlfriend for her birthday. I called to speak to the restaurant to inform them it was for a birthday and that I would like something special for the dessert. For example; for my birthday we went to Ici Bistro and my girlfriend mentioned it was my birthday and dessert came out with candles and "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate. Chef Justin called me back quickly and we spoke about the possibility of a candle. He told me that he has worked really hard to create the textures and food experience and that he doesn't really like the idea of putting a candle in it. I was open to any sort of special birthday acknowledgement. Chef Justin was friendly and said that they have candles and that he would do that for us. I was happy, excited for dinner, and looking forward to the surprise at the end of the meal. * Arrival - Friendly greeting and told we can sit anywhere * Seated and selected the 7 course meal ($75/pp) and a glass of red (server appeared knowledgeable) * Staff member came over and introduced himself ("Cal") welcoming experience. (servers alternated) * Dishes arrived quickly and the server introduced each item. * Some portions of the menu are served without silverware for patrons to eat with fingers. * Towards the end of the meal a glass or cup fell off the bar counter and struck my girlfriends chair and broke. Accidents happen. However, at no point did any staff member acknowledge or apologize. * As each meal came I was impressed with the effort that went into it but left underwhelmed. The most substantial dish was the carrot dish (served three ways), served without silverware. * Dessert arrived. Plenty of delicious sauce that could have been used to write "Happy Birthday." Unfortunately all I can say is that it arrived. No birthday candle was in the dessert as agreed upon, and my girlfriend did not have any birthday acknowledgement at all. * Dessert was finished and then we were asked if we wanted tea or coffee AFTER dessert was finished (odd). We declined the coffee/tea. I paid over $200 including the 15% tip and left. * It is important to note: we returned home and had to eat pizza because we left hungry. The bottom line is that Chef Justin has created very different and unique tasting dishes. However, the portions are small. In my experience it is not normal to spend over $200, eat 7 courses, and leave a restaurant hungry. read more

Have you ever heard of Actinolite on Ossington in the undeveloped strip south of DuPont. Ellen and I thought it was one of the best tasting menus and best meals we've ever had in TO. @chrisnutsmith was 100% on target in his Globe review: http://tinyurl.com/pv5zwkb. Lamb sweetbreads, a first for me, were a revelation. Foraged ingredients and a measured confident pace. Chef Justin Cournoyer has perfect pitch: unusual combinations that work--pictured here is fresher than fresh asparagus wrapped in seaweed with egg foam. Excellent progression and not overly large portions, also a veal carpaccio, and two fish courses, with an ending halibut that left the palate clean and pure, ready for the rhubarb and vanilla ice cream dessert. Able and friendly server Teddy and unusual wine maven Marin rounded out this excellent experience. There were wines I'd never seen--orange instead of rosé--and it just added greatly to the experience. We just loved it, read more

Surprisingly nice restaurant in kind of an out of the way spot. We just happened upon it, but I was impressed. A bit expensive, but the food is prepared with a lot of care. Started with the calamari which was nice and plated beautifully. I got the veal t-bone. They didn't ask how I wanted it cooked weirdly, but it came perfectly medium/medium-rare. A nice hearty piece of meat. On the other hand, my girlfriend got the steamed fish, which was nice, but not all that filling. read more

Actinolite was recommended to me by a co-worker which can mean anything from greasy late night eats to a 9 course odyssey. Actinolite was much closer to the latter rather than the former! Its menu advertises a seven course tasting menu which when in practice ends up being much more when you account that the "snack" course actually included 5 different plates. My girlfriend and I are pretty adventurous eaters so I really didn't take too much time to read the menu - I mean it's not like we had a choice what we were getting! This ended up not being an issue because the chef was kind enough to come out and explain some the dishes himself as they were served, and the remaining ones were brought out and explained by his lovely and competent entourage of staff. It seems like the menu changes frequently as a premium is put on local produce and seasonal vegetables so I wouldn't necessarily think my menu would be the same as the one served next week, but suffice it to say we were both very impressed and completely stuffed by our visit. When we were there our menu included a couple different types of meat and I would be interested to know whether vegetarians could be accommodated. I would highly recommend Actinolite to anyone looking for a venu for a special occasion. read more

The Emperor Has No Clothes Just finished dinner at Actinolite. First, some qualifiers. 1. I have eaten at the best Canada has to offer. 2. I've spent well more then what I spent on todays dinner. 3. I'm not a massive eater. So, with that said... The issue with this restaurant is not the philosophy, nor competence of the chef. The issue is the staggering mismatch between the artistry of the meal, and the price of their dinner. The owner of the restaurant has come up with a brilliant marketing approach - which I actually do accept as his genuine philosophy - which is 'eating the Canadian landscape'. Canadian ingredients, seasonal, locally sourced, and frequently foraged by the staff. That marketing spin has a shocking number of people hailing it as 'one of the most important dining experiences in Canada' - including the Globe and Mail, which hood winked me into this choice tonight. This is suppose to be Canadian food -- but rather is just Canadian ingredients, cooked in distinctly non-canadian ways. Some of the cooking is genuine artistry -- the chef cooked in Susur after all. But there is simply not enough substance here to command $400 for 2 (with the driver abstaining from wine pairing). First: The wine pairings were rarely well paired, and frequently, the wine was disappointing, Second: While the quality of the local/foraged ingredients were spectacular -- the asparagus was outstanding and down right photogenic -- too many dishes in the 7 course tasting menu were overly simple, miniscule and repetitive. Had the meal been $140, it would have been perfectly acceptable. But this is a breakdown of our meal 1. Chef Snacks. Two (beautiful) asparagus. Followed by very high quality crudite: Raw turnip and carot - two pieces of each per person, with a dip. Two amuse bouche bites of Crab (tasty). Some dehydrated cucumber, interesting, but not wow. 2. Smoked fish with foraged greens. The 1oz serving of fish had nice flavour but was crazy dry. The foraged greens were the best mescaline mix I've ever had -- which is to say, not very remarkable. There's only so tasty mixed greens can be. A piece of lovely site made bread with butter. 3. Two white asparagus with sour cream and brown butter. Very very tasty. Charred leaves quite interesting. This is dish two with mixed greens. Hmmm - ok. 4. Enoki mushrooms with toasted hemp seeds in a oily vinaigrette. Also very tasty. Very simple. But very tasty. Perhaps 1/2 oz -- a nice little accent dish. 5. Winter greens in yeast butter. Little more then moderately interesting. More mixed greens -seriousely?... 3 out of 7 courses? You know, there are rules about not repeating flavours, or textures, or colours too much - to say nothing of highly similar flavours. Yes, the edible plants are not the same as the greens in other dishes, but it's still not a massive departure. This dish might have even a bit of brown butter again. 6-7 individual pieces leafy veg. 6. Halibut. Absolutely delish. mint and watercress and kelp oil. Great flavour, beautifully cooked, Still quite simple though. Nothing wrong with simple and tasty - but this is a $400 dinner, and there hasn't been a lot of 'god, I could never make something like this' moments. In fact, I'm not sure there have been any - though granted, I can cook relatively well. Serving size - perhaps 2-3oz. 7. Rubarb gelato with edible plants, goat cheese, dandelion syrup and something crisp. Very interesting -- again, it's not like the man can't cook. Out of 7 courses, the wine pairings for 4 of them were rubbish. Not only did they not pair well, some of the wines were far from memorable. This restaurant is the same price as ALO, 2x the price of Bar Isabel, almost 4 times the price of the black hoof -- and all of these are dramatically better choices. When you eat at ALO, you know exactly why you paid the money -- the artistry is impossible to miss. When you eat at bar isabel, you know why it changed cooking in the city. When you eat at the black hoof, you wonder how the can do so much with so little -- with a single old beat up house hold stove and no fridge -- and the meal is completely memorable. After Actinolite, I actually left very hungry -- the first time I have ever experienced that problem. I also left just completely insulted. I read many good reviews of this restaurant. I can only believe that once the mystique of the marketing spin wears off, people will read enough bad reviews, and wonder how they never had the good sense to say 'the emperor has no clothes'. Clearly, I will not be going back, and cannot recommend strongly enough that people steer clear. There are too many amazing restaurants in Toronto to waste your time and money on this one. read more

Literally as good as it gets. I was in the middle of a stressful contract and went here to have a meal with my boyfriend. We sat down and he immediately said something that would have caused a really bad fight between us. We slowly started to talk things through until the food came. As the plates started coming, my mood completely changed and we left the restaurant feeling like we'd had a profound dining experience, and all issues worked out between us. It's rare that something can so profoundly change my mood during such a stressful time - that's how incredible the meal here is. The chef comes to every table and explains the philosophy of the restaurant. Each thing you eat is a story. A very special place, you must go. read more

Last night was my bf's first time at Actinolite, it was my second. We both agreed that it was one of the best meals we have ever had in Toronto. The flavours, textures and use of ingredients left us "WOW"-ing after every bite. The chef, in my opinion, is a creative genius' when it comes to food...and it's a nice touch for him to come to the table and explain what you're about to eat. Highly recommended A+ food experience. We will definitely be back! read more

I've eaten at Actinolite many times. The food is awesome and the service is excellent. The food is sophisticated (in a good way) and often daring, but always very tasty. read more

i really wanted to like this place. i'd been staring at it for months and had my reservation planned since July. I was completely disappointed. while the ambiance was breathtaking, the food and service were not. as i waited for my friend to arrive i was greeted by the server and given a drinks and food menu. after my friend arrived we both ordered wine - delicious. i then ordered the "scallops" appetizer, which ended up being ONE. MINUSCULE scallop with a small spoonful of unseasoned puree. my friend had the mushroom soup which she enjoyed but i found to be OD'd with truffle oil. the mains came... with some table bread .. ( which i would have preferred while i was waiting or as we were drinking our wine or with the apps... anything but with the mains!) i ordered the "ontario lamb rack" $28. may i emphasize the word RACK. it was TWO tiny tiny lamb chops.. literally about 2cm wide.. with some soffrito and some quenelles of again unseasoned puree of something... my friend ordered the pork dish which she enjoyed and seemed to be in better portion. i personally was completely disappointed. as i payed my share of the $185 bill my stomach grumbled and i felt completely robbed and disappointed! the service , although our server was very friendly and smiley... was extremely extremely slow. even when we asked for our bill i watched her folding napkins for next day's service at an empty table... sorry but i expected more for the prices they are charging. the dessert was also terrible. an apple upsidedown cake..tasted burnt. and my friend ordered an americano which was filled so full it spilled all over the saucer while the server carried it over to which she mentioned " sorry its a little full" but then spilled all over the table and my friend's blouse as she tried to sip it. why not just pour a new one??? major points off. siiigh..... good luck actinolite. i really wanted to like you! read more

The cold tomato soup was very good. The mains - veal T-bone and chicken leg less so. Deserts very good. Service was oddly off-putting - slow, disinterested, and utterly disorganized read more

Just remind one thing: Bugey wine is not a "vin d'Alsace" but a wine from the french Alps. Otherwise: great food, stylish atmosphere. A bit expensive. read more

So amazing. So refreshing to have great service finally. The food was delicious and so intelligently put together. Loved that they foraged the herbs the day before! Must try and try again. read more

Simply amazing! Great staff, exquisite food. Love it. Great addition to anyone's restaurant list!!!!

Actinolite is a place I won't ever visit again and I recommend you don't waste your time and money either. Two words to describe the menu are overpriced and pretentious. Really nothing special at all and for the prices they charge I am expecting at least a little special. I will say the dishes are superbly plated, but since this is a restaurant and not an art gallery,that doesn't really matter. I'm there to eat the food, not stare at it. The place itself is often full which after sampling their fare I believe is because of the lack of alternatives in the area. Service is terrible - disorganized and uninterested. Complete waste of time. Don't believe the hype - skip it. There are better options. read more

DON'T GO THERE HUNGRY, YOU WILL LEAVE HUNGRY!! My spouse and I frequent a lot of different restaurants in the city and we drove by Actinolite one evening and thought it looked hip and nice. We went for dinner there last night and were excited to sample the menu. We ordered a Salad to split for an app, which was mediocore and then for our mains I ordered the butternut squash Ravioli and my hubby ordered the Lamb. When our meals came we were in shock to say the least. The Ravioli consisted of 3 small raviolis, not even the size of an appetizer and my hubby's lamb consisted of 2 very small lambchops and a small portion of vegetables. I though it was a joke at first and totally unacceptable to say the least. Sadly it was not and needless to say $100 later, we left just as hungry as we had arrived at the restaurant. One drive-thru later on the way home to curb our appetite we will not set foot in that restaurant again and do not recommend it to anyone who enjoys food and likes to eat. Overpriced and the portions are a joke! read more

The service was fantastic from the greeter to the wait staff. It had a very fancy feel to it. The food was excellent and my steak cooked perfectly. read more

How can I put this...I will NOT return. The good: nicely decorated, the food was good (not great, but good), the staff seemed to care. The bad: it took 2 hours and 20 minutes to eat (and we have the smaller fixed menu); yes, it's a fixed menu and we waited 20 to 25 minutes between servings! Now if we were served a great deal of food and we needed time to digest, no problem. But seriously, the 3 courses could have been put on one plate and my wife and I would have been finished in 20 minutes. Again, the food was good. But not for $220. If we had spent $100, served on one plate (or much quicker please), and we were out of there in one hour, I'd be saying "what a great place". But for $220, 2 hours and 20 minutes, and I left hungry, sorry, this place is not for me. read more