Pairing 3 TIFF People’s Choice Winners With 3 Iconic Toronto Restaurants

Toronto satisfies both culinary and cinematic appetites like no other city on Earth. As one of the world’s most affluent and multicultural burgs, its restaurant scene combines diversity and sophistication to delicious effect. The Toronto International Film Festival, meanwhile, is among the world’s most prestigious and largest publicly attended silver screen celebrations, with the People’s Choice Award having emerged as an indicator of success during awards season, especially at the Academy Awards. Three Canadian films have earned the honour: including Eastern Promises, The Hanging Garden, and Le Déclin de l’empire américain. But to celebrate the festival’s international reach, we’re spanning the globe from both a cinematic and culinary perspective.

For anyone looking to combine these appetites in a way that enhances both, the three pairings explored here match People’s Choice honourees with upscale eateries in some of the buzziest parts of town.

Amélie (2001) and Dreyfus (96 Harbord St.)

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Partaking of this pairing is like stepping into a Paris-meets-Toronto daydream. The romantic lens of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s whimsical masterpiece, imbued with curiosity and joy, is shared by an intimate Harbord Village dining room that recalls the warmth of Montmartre cafes with its vintage floral plates, bentwood chairs, and exposed brick walls. Just as Amélie delights in the small pleasures of life — skipping stones, cracking crème brûlée — Dreyfus’s Michelin-recommended menu turns classic French comfort food into a kind of poetry. A dish of roast chicken with chanterelles and black truffles evokes summer’s end, before a crème caramel with poached apricots turns the spotlight on simple indulgences.

Monsoon Wedding (2001) and Adrak Yorkville (138 Avenue Rd.)

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Together, Mira Nair’s film and Ambica Jain’s restaurant radiate colour, spice, ceremony, and connection. Delving as it does into the chaotic beauty of a modern Punjabi union, Monsoon Wedding is steeped in tradition yet pulsing with millennial energy. Adrak Yorkville echoes that spirited duality with its Michelin pedigree, elegant Yorkville-appropriate ambiance, and innovative take on traditional dishes from across India. After the vibrant pink sauce of the deliciously creamy rani kachori invariably turns heads, the tenderness of a slow-cooked Awadh lamb shank recalls the film’s many sumptuous scenes. An evening at Adrak is immersive: candlelight glances off shared platters, inventive garnishes turn cocktails into works of art, and conversations ebb and flow like monsoon rains.

Call Me by Your Name (2017) and Giulietta (972 College St.)

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The languid Lombardic summer captured by Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-winning film is mirrored by the soft lighting and warm wood accents of this stylishly convivial Italian eatery on the western outskirts of the Little Italy neighbourhood. There’s a quiet poetry to the menu: textbook dishes of campanelle with duck ragu arrive with the same unhurried grace as Elio and Oliver’s growing affection, while the smoky sweetness of a mezcal negroni matches the film’s blend of longing and sensual discovery. Ultimately, every glance around the dining room, and just about every scene in the film, feels laden with possibility: sun-dappled, soft, and electric.