Restaurant and cafe masters John and Dee Ulgen, behind Simit and Cha,i have opened up a new spot to keep Torontonians happy and well-fed, giving us a taste of the French-inspired old bakeries of Istanbul.
Like many business endeavours that were planned to open this year, things have been difficult. They leased their 1100 Queen St. East location in January with intent of a May opening, which needless to say, was no longer possible. Due to a combination of changing restrictions, material delays and even issues with the gas system, the speed bumps seemed never-ending. With the impact of COVID-19, not only was their new business unable to open on time, but the loyal following of their King St. location quickly plummeted, resulting in them having to let go a number of their fantastic staff.
But now, 9 months later, we're so excited that Pasaj is officially opening their doors. Pasaj has taken over a beautiful, old furniture store in the east end that sold Turkish homeware, and has replaced it with a spot that sells Turkish baked goods and more. They're paying homage to Instanbul's famous passages -- the space is designed with cobblestone floors, and the big bright windows will make for great brunch pics once we're able to dine-in again.
If you know Simit and Chai, you know that they're famous for their Turkish take on bagels, which are coated with molasses and sesame seeds. So it's not a surprise that their new spot will be serving up some of the S&C classics, and specializing in even more baked goods like breads and cakes, made from scratch of course. In addition to the bakery, they will also be serving up brunch (coming soon!), inspired by the French quarters Beyoğlu and Pera in Turkey -- which is sure to please your tastebuds.
