Restaurant owner Toufik Sarwa in at his College street restaurant Cinq01 in Toronto.Kevin Van Paassen
Toufik Sarwa remembers spending Sundays in Damascus, Syria, doing gymnastics. Flash forward a few decades and he has a pommel horse in the dining room of his restaurant Cinq 01, which opened in October. But as much as the eclectic aesthetic, courtesy of Commute Home, gets a thumbs-up from well-heeled patrons, it's Mr. Sarwa who's the main attraction.
The brains behind celeb-swarmed (Mick Jagger, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Bjork) Yorkville lounge Amber, he jokes that he got fired from his previous gig as an ad man for dressing too flamboyantly.
His most famous exploit, though, might be his White Party, a twice-yearly South Beach-inspired rompon the first Thursday of summer and the third week in January.
But where food was not the focus at Amber, Cinq 01, so named for its address on College Street, is a bona-fide place to sup, whether on braised bison short ribs or foie gras hot dog.
Of course, some people go just for a drink - the wine list was created by master sommelier Jamie Drummond - while others pop in simply to say hi to Mr. Sarwa, because rare is the night he's not there.
Q: What did you want to be as a kid? A: A chemical engineer. I don't know why, but it just sounded so fascinating.
Q: Do you collect anything? A: Shoes. … They have to represent what's hot this season. I find Prada always combines the style with comfort and I need something that is somewhat comfortable. I have about four closets full of shoes, plus some in my basement.
Q: Where can we find you on nights off?
A: My days off are on Mondays and there aren't really exciting things to do on Mondays. So I'll go to the gym and come home and watch
The Bachelor .
Q: What are you reading? A: Moments of Truth by Jan Carlzon, the former CEO of Scandinavian SAS Airlines. It basically talks about the encounters you have with clients. Your interaction with a customer may just be a couple of minutes but those couple minutes make all the impact. It's good insight to share with my staff.
Q: Favourite food? A: Brown rice that I buy at Whole Foods that I take to Sato, the sushi chef at Asuka in Yorkville, and he makes me spicy tuna roll. I pretty much have that everyday, if not for lunch, then early supper.
Q: What is most popular item on the menu at Cinq 01?
A: The rack of lamb with vegetable gratin or the chickpea fries.
Q: You're super buff. What's your routine?
A: I go to the Yorkville Club where I average five hours of cardio on the treadmill a week and four hours of weights. I do the occasional ab class or hot yoga. When I don't have time, I'll follow my friend Harley Pasternak's Five-Factor routine.
Q: How much sleep do you need?
A: Eight hours at least. I like ten but then I'll have to make do with six. Ideally, I wake up at 11 a.m.
Q: It's midnight at Cinq 01. Is everyone fighting to get on the pommel horse?
A: On Fridays or Saturdays, people will often lean on it or sit on it. I haven't had anyone do any routines yet. We're hoping to hire a gymnast at the next party we have.
Q: Share a moment from either Amber or Cinq-01 when you were star-struck.
A: I've had a crush on Monica Bellucci since I saw her in
Malena . I saw her at the gym when she was filming here and I talked to her and invited her to a fashion party and she couldn't come. Two days later, she made reservations to come to Amber with Clive Owen.
Q: Have you ever accidentally turned a star away?
A: One night, we didn't want to serve a guy. He walked in and my manager Bart and I were looking at each other because he seemed strung out. Finally, we realized it was Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones.
Q: Drink of choice?
A: Champagne, either Veuve or Moët or Perrier Jouet. I have no preference. But it has to be very chilled.
Q: Some people in the hospitality biz don't wear fragrance. Do you?
A: I've been wearing Creed for the past year. But I don't want to tell you which one!
Q: Mode of transportation?
A: BMW x5 but I'm changing it. I think I want one of those cool safari-looking Jeeps.
Q: How often do you see your family? A: I talk to them every day. If we go two months without seeing each other, my mom goes crazy, so once every four or five weeks.
Q: What happens when someone shows up at a White Party not wearing white?
A: They know what happens. Ask them!
Amy Verner