Just over a year since shutting its doors, Fish & Loaf is making its return to Toronto — this time in Richmond Hill. The Asian fusion restaurant will be opening at 115 East Beaver Creek Road, Unit 22 in early April.
When Fish & Loaf opened in a Scarborough plaza in 2023, it quickly earned acclaim for its diverse menu, which draws on Japanese, Chinese, and European influences. After two years of positive reviews and a loyal customer base, owner and chef John Situ shut down the restaurant with the goal of relocating closer to his valued regular clientele in Markham or Richmond Hill.
“We’ve been looking for a new location nonstop since we closed down,” he says, noting that he would also have been open to relocating downtown. “If everything went according to plan, we should have been reopened in June of last year. I was only planning for a three-month gap before opening the next location, but we were dealing with a landlord, and midway through discussions, we found out something that really impacted our decision.”
Though it took longer than expected to find, the new location is not the only upgrade Fish & Loaf will see when it reopens. This time, it will seat double the number of guests, with space for 40 people to dine in. Despite the expanded dining room, Situ says it will still feel intimate and comfortable, brightened with earthy tones and marble accents that elevate the perception of strip-mall dining.
“It’s similar to the old Fish & Loaf restaurant, but at the same time, there are enough differences to make it something fresh for customers,” Situ says about the design. “We’re keeping everything cozy, and we’re not going for a big, grand-looking restaurant — it will be comfortable and inviting.”
Similarly, the menu will pick up where Fish & Loaf left off, spotlighting the signature clay pot rice as well as the go-to grilled fish — including a Mediterranean sea bass or the more expensive and hard-to-find kinki fish from Hokkaido.
With the expanded storage and workspace at the new location, Situ says they will be able to prepare more dry-aged steak, something he was not able to do as often in the previous location due to the months of preparation it requires.
“We’ll add more so I can do several at the same time,” he says. “It’s a popular item, but it always ran out, so most customers never got the chance to try it even after a few visits. Hopefully, I’ve solved that problem.”
Since many dishes sold out during the final months at the old location due to high demand, Situ says he will use the soft opening period to determine which items customers are most drawn to before finalizing the menu.
In the meantime, he’s looking forward to welcoming guests back to Fish & Loaf and, if the response to the social media announcement of its reopening is any indication, customers are eager to have them back in a new neighbourhood.
“We actually have a lot of people responding to that post,” he says. “Many customers are reaching out, asking when it will open. I’m surprised that people haven’t forgotten about us since last year. I’m very grateful.”
