Fonda Lola

"The word 'Fonda,' we have no literal translation for it in English; the closest one we have would be 'bistro,'” explains Howard Dubrovsky, chef and partner at Fonda Lola Mexican Bistro. “It's a type of restaurant that's owner-operated and where the owner's actively involved, that serves seasonal, simple and chic dishes. That's our approach to dining." Howard opened his seasonal, simple and chic Mexican eatery in the Trinity Bellwoods area in 2013 with friends Andres Marquez and Ernesto Rodriguez.

"We keep the cuisine as authentic as possible, with flavours in line with what you'll find in modern Mexico City restaurants,” says Howard. “We actually toured the Mexican capital's best restaurants to get a grasp of what was happening there, and brought that back and applied it to what's seasonal and fresh in Toronto."

A modernist cook by trade, Howard finds great pleasure in Fonda Lola's Mexican cuisine, a culinary heritage where flavour and simplicity converge, forming a delicious meal. "I enjoy it a lot; the food is all about simplicity and comfort," says Howard. "I do love modernist cooking and always will, but there's something so convivial and unpretentious about Mexican cuisine. There are very rewarding things in preparing just great, comforting and simple dishes.”