Maru Bistro: A casual restaurant with upscale food and top-notch hospitality in Leslieville

Maru Bistro is a local gem in the Leslieville neighbourhood of Toronto. The menu blends traditional Japanese flavours and dishes with modern French techniques. The restaurant creates an upscale, but casual experience, perfect for special occasions or a nice Friday night dinner.

Popular dishes include delightful crispy nori canapés, chirashi don with a variety of ingredients, flavourful miso soup and more. They also curate a delicious drink menu, including sake and craft cocktails.

Maru Bistro not only focuses on great food but also on an excellent dining experience. The staff is friendly and attentive, while soft music plays in the background, giving you a cozy atmosphere to eat and talk comfortably.

Salmon nori canapé

Salmon nori canapé

Seafood tempura

Scallop nori canapé

Chirashi don

Tuna tartare on crispy rice

Narrow galley kitchen (Christine Roberts Design)

Christine Roberts Design was tasked with designing a narrow L-shaped galley kitchen with colour, contrast, and pattern. She accomplished that by choosing a blush colour for the upper cabinets that continue up to the ceiling. This soft and subtle colour drenching gave the kitchen a unique look without overwhelming the space.

To balance out the light colours, she incorporated dark countertops and lower cabinets and added pattern in the hexagonal terrazzo floor tile.

Open main floor (part 2): Living room with vaulted ceiling and new skylights (Studio ALC)

Continuing this main floor remodel series, Studio ALC added skylights and opened up the ceiling to create a taller, vaulted ceiling. This allows natural light to stream in from both the existing bay window and the skylights. The home didn’t get much light before, but now it’s bright and open throughout the day.

Open main floor (part 1): Kitchen with vaulted ceiling (Studio ALC)

You won’t believe what this kitchen used to look like before this big renovation. Studio ALC helped the homeowners open up the main floor by extending the ceiling into a vaulted ceiling and removing walls that kept the space enclosed to create a bright, open and spacious kitchen, dining, and family room.

To top it off, skylights were added to bring in natural light. The space is great for moving from one area to another and entertaining large groups.

See what the kitchen and dining area looked like before the remodel.

Product: Mim Concept (Lewis bed and Sophie dining chair)

Every piece from Mim Concept has a story behind it. Their latest products, the Lewis Teddy Bear Storage Bed was inspired by the founder’s new journey into motherhood. And as with all of their beds, there’s built-in storage and in this case, it’s seamless and hidden.

We photographed the bed from different angles to give you an idea of what it looks like, relative to the space. We also show the storage drawer closed and open so you can see how it works.

Mim Concept also released a new dining chair, Sophie. We show each product as a whole, then we move in and highlight its features.

Take a look at some of the photos below: