Foxley At Ossington

The restaurant Foxley on Ossington just south of Dundas St. W does Asian fusion tapas-style dishes quite well. However, chef Tom Thai has a much defter hand with fish than meat. The meat dishes, though substantial and delicious, are all relatively heavy sauce wise. More than one meat dish will start to feel similar. However, the fish dishes, especially the ceviche offerings, are wonderful. For a dinner for two, with a total of 5 dishes on average, I would recommend no more than 1 meat.

Ossington between Dundas and Queen West is gentrifying. There are now numerous restaurants and trendy bars for hipsters of all stripes. I was here when this strip was mostly Vietnamese restaurants and karaoke. Certainly, this gentrification benefits the newer folks who now frequent this area as well as the landlords of these new establishments. However, are the remaining stores on this strip as well as the surrounding Little Portugal benefitting too? Are the new employees local to the area (i.e., there has been an employment boost)? Are the people going to these places also moving to the area (i.e., providing an economic boost to the area in terms of municipal taxes for schools, etc.)? Are the locals going to the new bars, restaurants, and galleries?

If I had to guess I would say that the gentrification of Ossington has provided little economic benefit or cultural/social relevance to the working-class people who still make up the bulk of this neighbourhood.