Hidden Toronto restaurant is so popular it’s completely sold out until next year

While the rotating dishes at this hidden Toronto restaurant will undoubtedly make your mouth water, you’ll have to wait at least a couple months to taste them, because reservations are completely booked up until 2025. 

Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, you can find Chef Eva Chin’s new Yan Dining Room inside Hong Shing, which is a homestyle Chinese restaurant that’s been operating in Toronto since 1997. 

The multi-course dinner series reimagines neo-Chinese cuisine while blending traditional Chinese culinary techniques with fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients.

Reservations for the micro restaurant are made through Tock, and despite only launching last month, the 26-seat dining room is fully booked until 2025. 

“Yan,” which translates to “banquet feast,” celebrates the deep connection between food, culture, and heritage. The intimate restaurant’s $88 tasting menu changes every month, depending on what Chin can source from suppliers. 

However, two dishes are permanent items on the menu — namely the crudo and seasonal white fish — although you can expect some variation in ingredients depending on what time of the year you visit. 

The series is reflective of Chin’s vast culinary experience, which has taken her through top restaurants in Japan, France, Australia, England, and China. Born in Hawaii to a Chinese-Singaporean father and a Chinese-Samoan mother, Chin first moved to Toronto in 2020 to helm the kitchen at the now-shuttered Kōjin by Momofuku. 

Chin is now joined by her sous chef, Cyril Maquinto, at Yan Dining Room, which embraces the concept of “si fong choy,” or a private kitchen restaurant. 

In response to all the buzz the micro restaurant has been getting, Chin tells blogTO that staff have been “working tirelessly to create the best atmosphere” for diners. 

“I think it’s the dual concept that is truly one of a kind in Toronto,” she explained. “Our future goal is to move into our own space, but for now, we are proudly embracing the identity of ‘Si Fong choy’ which is a private kitchen concept born in Cantonese kitchens from the sixties.” 

You can find Hong Shing and Yan’s Dining Room at 195 Dundas St. W.