#FOOD: FAVOURITES THAI LAUNCH NEW MENU FEBRUARY 10, 2026

As East Asia continues to shape travel trends among Canadians, four-time MICHELIN Bib Gourmand–recognized Favorites Thai has unveiled a newly refined menu at its Ossington location, inspired by head chef Ronnie Xu’s recent travels through the region. Tucked behind Sam James Coffee Bar, the restaurant’s latest update reflects how global travel is increasingly informing Toronto’s most thoughtful kitchens—bringing technique, perspective, and restraint back home. The new menu will debut on February 10, 2026. Favorites Thai is open Tuesday through Saturday from 6:00 PM until late. Reservations are available via OpenTable HERE.

Rather than reinventing the menu, Xu sharpens Favorites Thai’s contemporary approach by leaning into charcoal cooking, fire-driven technique, and foundational Thai flavours. The refinement strips away excess in favour of clarity and balance, allowing ingredients to take centre stage. A key element of the update is the use of Japanese binchotan charcoal, prized for its exceptionally high, clean heat. Unlike conventional charcoal, binchotan burns without imparting smoke or aroma, sealing in flavour while preserving the natural texture of each ingredient. The result is a more focused expression of Thai cooking—one that prioritizes precision, intention, and restraint.

The new menu marks an evolution for Favorites Thai, continuing the restaurant’s reputation for respectful, modern interpretations of Thai cuisine. Shaped by travel and grounded in tradition, it reflects a broader shift in Toronto’s dining scene, where chefs are translating their experiences abroad into menus that feel both globally informed and distinctly local.

A passion project by longtime friends and collaborators Jonathan Poon (Chantecler, Superpoint, Paris Paris) and Monte Wan (Khao San Road, Satanee Nana, Bang Sue), Favorites Thai was created to explore Thai cuisine beyond the expected. Since opening, the restaurant has become known for its considered point of view: respectful of tradition, yet unafraid to interpret it through a modern lens.

About the Culinary Program
Longstanding guest favourites remain anchors of the menu, including Thai-Style Oysters—East Coast oysters topped with housemade nam jim, chilli jam, and crispy shallots—and the richly composed Duck Curry, featuring a confit duck leg served over a reduced red curry with green beans, asparagus, and aromatic lime leaf. Both dishes have been staples at Favorites Thai for more than three years and continue to define the restaurant’s approach to flavour and balance.

New and evolving dishes reflect Chef Xu’s culinary perspective, shaped by his Shanghai roots and extensive time cooking and travelling throughout Thailand. With deep fluency in Thai, Japanese, and Chinese cuisines, Xu’s cooking is grounded in tradition while allowing room for refinement and personal expression. Across the menu, charcoal grilling—using Japanese binchotan—now plays a more central role, lending depth and clarity to dishes rooted in nam jim, the foundational “mother sauce” of Thai cooking.
“This update isn’t about changing who we are,” says Chef Xu. “It’s about refining what we already do well—focusing more on fire, on charcoal, and on flavours that feel bold but familiar. Everything comes back to Thai tradition, just interpreted in a way that feels honest to me and to this kitchen.”

Hidden behind a discreet entrance off Ossington Avenue, the restaurant unfolds through a dark, steel-lined passageway into an open kitchen, where dishes are cooked in woks and over open charcoal flame. Beyond the kitchen, the dining room opens into a warm, striking space inspired by 1980s California Spanish design. The room was designed by a close-knit group of diversely talented collaborators, with lighting by local artist Phillip Aaron Pax. Treating light as a creative discipline rather than a decorative layer, Pax rejected conventional pendant fixtures in favour of a restrained, architectural approach—one that shapes atmosphere, movement, and focus throughout the space. Light is used with intention, from the dining room to transitional areas like the stairwell, where carefully considered illumination supports living elements such as plants and allows the architecture, materials, and energy of the room to take centre stage.

About the Beverage Program
The beverage program evolves in step with the kitchen, anchored by a wine and cocktail list that highlights natural and low-intervention producers, local beers, and thoughtful, seasonally driven cocktails. The by-the-glass wine selection balances the unexpected with the approachable—spanning bright bubbles, aromatic whites, skin-contact wines, chilled reds, and playful styles—curated specifically to complement Thai flavours, spice, and texture. Cocktails draw from classic frameworks, reinterpreted through South and Southeast Asian ingredients and in-season produce, with a new signature cocktail set to debut later this month.

Favorites Thai remains a destination for those in the know, offering consistently executed food, warm hospitality, and an intimate dining experience equally suited to date nights and group dinners.
Favorites Thai is open Tuesday through Saturday from 6:00 PM until late. Reservations are available via OpenTable HERE.

About Favorites Thai
Favorites Thai—often referred to as “Faves”—is a vibrant, contemporary Thai restaurant in Toronto’s Ossington neighbourhood. A collaboration between restaurateurs Jonathan Poon and Monte Wan, the restaurant was conceived as a passion project dedicated to exploring Thai cuisine with depth, respect, and individuality. Since opening, Favorites Thai has earned four MICHELIN Bib Gourmand distinctions and recognition from Toronto Life as Best New Restaurant. Known for its hidden location, open kitchen, charcoal-driven cooking, and carefully curated beverage program, Favorites Thai offers an elevated yet approachable take on Thai dining in Toronto.