French fare has now reached King Street with the opening of Bistro Grenier, a 92-seat, burgundy-coloured bistro tucked into a converted loft above Odd Culture.

Here, diners from downtown west can enjoy classic French and French-Canadian dishes prepared with a twist, with dishes like boudin-noir (blood sausage) made with smoked pork jowls and pudding chomeur with self-saucing maple syrup and buttermilk ice cream.

It will be an informal but elegant event from the Odd Culture hospitality group, which runs the eponymous wine bar (once a restaurant with a hat) downstairs, the Spon liquor store and bar next door and the Pleasure Club, a little further along, which is open late into the evening as a cocktail bar.

Jordan Blackman, beverage group manager, says it’s a dramatic change as guests walk up the Odd Culture stairs into the cozy, candlelit restaurant.

“We wanted to give the upstairs space its own identity and purpose and create something unique for Odd Culture and for the area,” says Blackman.

Bistro Grenier is the only truly French restaurant on King Street, but Pistou on South King Street has a French-Mediterranean menu with snack dishes such as mussels poulette and baked brie with walnuts and honey.

Blackman, a self-proclaimed French wine enthusiast, has put together a drinks menu that celebrates forward-thinking winemakers from renowned wine-growing regions such as the Loire Valley, Burgundy and the Jura.

“We have a deep cellar to play with, with rare allocation wines that we will deliver to the venue drop by drop… and about 30 wines that will be available by the glass,” says Blackman.

The wine list is inspired by European restaurants, choosing to present wines from the past ten years rather than focusing on wines that are currently on the market.

But it’s the cocktail menu where things really get fun, with French takes on classic cocktails like negronis and daiquiris, now made with bitter Alpine liqueurs like chartreuse.

There are also French bistro drinks like Ricard Pastis – the lesser-known cousin of absinthe, an anise-flavoured drink once favoured by Ernest Hemingway. It is served neat, accompanied by a glass carafe of ice-cold water, so that the drinker can dilute it to taste.

Heading up the kitchen is Chef James MacDonald, who previously worked at Michelin-starred London restaurant St. John and Swillhouse venue Restaurant Hubert.

“We have honed our skills to offer our guests something more refined, elegant and adventurous,” said MacDonald.

The ground-floor Odd Culture location will be a wine and craft beer bar, with a more limited menu focused on small, signature dishes like chicken liver parfait with fries and fish sauce caramel, alongside a handful of heartier options.

Bistro Grenier opens on Wednesday 4:00 PM – 11:00 PMDo 4:00 p.m.-midnightFri-Sat 12.00-01.00 hrs and Sun 12:00-22:00 hrs.

Mezzanine, entrance via 266 King Street, Newtown, oddculture.group/venue/bistro-grenier/