Although inflation has caused the cost of dining out to soar, there are many standout restaurants in the city with quality food at reasonable prices. And when it comes to restaurant recommendations, who better to trust than a chef — and a Michelin chef to boot!

Chef Jackie Lin, recently awarded a Michelin star for his restaurant Shoushin — a Japanese restaurant specializing  in Edomae style sushi— recently shared his favourite affordable restaurant in Toronto where two can dine with wine for under $100. Read on to find out which spot he selected.

Chef Jackie Lin wants to eat at: Milou

“It’s simple, bistro-style food and I really enjoy it,” Lin told us. As for a favourite dish, it’s all about the classics. “My go-to dish would have to be the French onion soup, although it’s seasonal and not always on the menu,” he said. And when it comes to the vibe, Lin is all about the eatery’s laid-back dining approach. “There’s nothing fancy about it, it’s a very down-to-earth place.”

Milou

French-inspired fare is all the rage at Milou, a quaint café-bistro located in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood. Chef and owner Mikey Kim has created four versatile menus: brunch, daytime, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and dinner. On the brunch menu, in true Parisian style, you’ll find the croque madame sandwich — a fried egg, béchamel sauce, Dijon mustard, ham and swiss cheese. The daytime menu has an assortment of things to nibble on, like escargot served with herb salad and toast, as well as heavier lunch options like the Milou burger or the steak frites. Those in search of a quick bite before dinner will find it on the 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. menu, which offers snacks like the shrimp cocktail, oyster, warm marinated olives or the Marcona almonds. The dinner menu incorporates much of the lighter daytime menus but includes mains like the duck confit, served with watercress, sour cherry glaze and duck fat potatoes, desserts and sweet wines. Milou also has a pantry and retail component stocked with everything from restaurant-branded totes to a fridge full of excellent cheeses. 1375 Dundas St. W.

If you want to know where celebrity chef Ryusuke Nakagawa of Aburi Hana eats cheap, click here, for Rob Rossi of Osteria Guilia click here.  And to find out where chef Masaki Saito gets an affordable meal, click here.