
5

"I learned that Café Denise, a Park-Ex viet-café that opened in December 2017, served Park-Ex third-wave and Vietnamese coffee, banh mi, and light Vietnamese fare and quickly became a local favourite, earning praise such as Lesley Chesterman calling it a “hot ticket” in 2018. The owners, Khoa Le and Menaic Raoul, are holding the restaurant’s last service on Saturday, January 25, and are shuttering the spot after head chef Anita Feng—who took over the kitchen in May 2019 and pivoted the menu toward Sichuan offerings—left to spend six months in China learning Chinese cuisine. With Feng’s departure the owners decided to convert the space into a natural wine bar, aiming for an April 1 opening, reorienting the layout around a U-shaped bar, taking on several new (yet-unannounced) partners, and spending the coming months renovating; prior to closing they also offered OpenTable reservations and free parking." - Audrey Carleton