Hooked - Kensington Market

About the Restaurant

Kristin and Dan Donovanโ€™s Leslieville seafood shop, Hooked, has been keeping east-enders up to their ears in sustainable fish since March of last year. Tapping into Torontoโ€™s desire for ethically-sourced products ensured the duoโ€™s runaway success, and theyโ€™ve already embarked on the next step, opening up a โ€œwee shopโ€ in Kensington Market.

Taking over the former Sanaganโ€™s Meat Locker (which has moved just down the road), the new shop has been open for only a few days, but itโ€™s already getting the response that the Donovans hoped for.

โ€œKensington felt right for us,โ€ Kristen says, โ€œand we knew we could offer something different.โ€

The Donovans make an effort to put a face to their fisherman; over the summer, the two of them made their way out west, where they met up with one of their suppliers: a 69-year-old fisherman who hits the ocean solo.

โ€œWe fished with him for a few hours,โ€ she says. โ€œIt was really cool.โ€

Weโ€™re assured that the wares here are identical to those from the other Hooked location โ€” just done on a smaller scale.

The Hooked front window houses a selection of fresh whole fish, while the counter is reserved for various fillets.

โ€œRight now, weโ€™ve got lots of awesome lake fish: pickerel, whitefish, white bass and more,โ€ Kristin says.

Additionally, theyโ€™ve been beer-brining and cold-smoking harpooned swordfish from Nova Scotia โ€” a catch thatโ€™s fished by only six boats.

Other seasonal picks at Hooked include B.C. sardines and plenty of P.E.I. oysters. When we were there, eager customers were buying up slices of fresh octopus. To one side, accouterments like maple Dijon marinade and tartar sauce sit alongside pickled Ontario asparagus.

โ€œItโ€™s tiny and perfect โ€” exactly what we wanted!โ€ Kristin says. โ€œWeโ€™ve got more up our sleeve. Just stay tuned.โ€

Published on: Oct 18, 2012