The Cooks are Coming

The Cooks stumbled across a new exciting neighbourhood pub. Located in Korea Town Annex, it is a trendy pub us just steps north of Bloor on Manning. It can’t be missed with the large mural painted on the outside walls, of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan – the artists, local kids from the area…. It has a cozy atmosphere that instantly made us feel welcome. We sat in the street level bar area looking out over the patio through open sliding windows giving you an open air feel, which was great as we enjoy out extended summer temps.

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The street level bar section is filled with an eclectic collection of tables on a terra cotta floor, surrounded by reclaimed brick walls, and lit by a collection of carefully selected vintage lighting. Very cool. Pour Boy Pub offers free Wi-Fi and this is the perfect area to sit with a beverage of choice and your laptop, on a hot afternoon. Upstairs, we are met with another very unique look, with a full bar, open doors to the outside with French balconies. It has a warm look with a European flavour. The menu offered at Pour Boy Pub is most impressive. Not only is it expansive, it is freshly homemade, authentic, and every item is priced under $7.00. The mixed selection will please anyone, with appetizers like fries, hummus, spring rolls, wings and nachos, salads, followed by soup, brunch and sandwiches. In addition to this, there are burgers, pasta, and several entrees. The choices are many. As we are looking the menu over, a patron offers her favorite sandwich – Avocado and Brie. We will have to return for that, as we were swayed to try a selection of dishes recommend by the chef. Each dish served with meat, has an option to substitute shrimp or tofu, making it the perfect choice for vegetarian fare. We began our lunch with fresh rolls which are rice paper rolls filled with shrimp, mint, noodles and vegetables, dipped in hoisen sauce. A very light, nice start to a meal or a perfect snack. Next came the entrees. I have to say we had the best Pad Thai we have ever tasted! We selected to have it with shrimp, and it was absolutely wonderful. Served with a side of # soy sauce to turn on the heat a little, the noodles were cooked to perfection, the shrimp crispy and the # right on. This dish will surely bring us back. The chef, Tinh certainly displayed authentic culinary skills. We also tried the Grilled Beef Skewers which are marinated beef with a very generous serving of grilled veggies with a little garlic served with steamed rice. Another hit. The full menu with pictures can be seen at PourBoy.ca. The Pour Boy Pub offers a full selection of Beers on tap – 10 of them in all, with unique choices including the ‘Pour Boy Choice’ which changes periodically. Owner and hands on operator Le LE has put together the best combination of location, food and atmosphere. She offers very affordable prices catering to both the neighbourhood business and student crowd. Business hours are from 10:30 am until 2 am with a late night kitchen until 1:30 am. The pub seating capacity is large, - with seating on the front patio, main floor bar area, 2nd floor and an outdoor 2nd floor patio--which upon request are available for private functions. Dinner for two, including a couple of draught beers is less than $30.00 – great value for the money. See you there – tell them the Cooks sent you. Pour Boy Pub, 666 Manning Ave., Toronto 647-343-7969, PourBoy.ca