Romanian partners open bistro with 'mix of everything'

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Five87 Bistro, located at 587 Oxford St. E., has a lunch and dinner menu including gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options

Published Feb 27, 2025 • Last updated 17 hours ago • 4 minute read

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Chef Sebastian Dumitru is a partner at Five87 Bistro at 587 Oxford St. E. in London. “For me, when you say bistro, it’s somewhere warm,” he said. Photo taken on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)Article content

A Romanian chef who’s cooked for the British Royal Family is running a new bistro in London with a menu that celebrates international flavours.

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Five87 Bistro at 587 Oxford St. E. has a lunch and dinner menu including gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options for nearly every dish.

“It’s food from all over, a mix of everything,” Sebastian Dumitru, the 29-year-old chef, said.

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Appetizers include the crowd-pleasing Chilean lobster dip ($24) served with garlic flatbread, classic French onion soup ($12) and cranberry meatballs ($19), a mix of ground pork and beef simmered in a tangy-sweet sauce with cranberry and red wine.

Dumitru got his start in the kitchen at age 16 as a dishwasher and cook at a sports bar in Romania.

But his love for cooking started at home with his mother.

In Romania, “you learn that if you’re a man, you have nothing to do in the kitchen and that kitchen is for women,” he said. “But I always liked being with my mom in the kitchen, talking with her and helping her. It’s something that I actually enjoy doing.”

When Dumitru moved to England in his early 20s, finding a job in a professional kitchen wasn’t easy, especially because of his age, he said.

“I was just a kid, with a lot of tattoos,” he said.

But for Dumitru, a chef’s business card is a high-quality knife set.

“If someone is investing so much money in his knives, it means they actually care about their job,” he said.

At age 23, he landed a job at a venue in the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), a non-profit organization in London, England, founded in 1754.

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“My knives were the thing that convinced him (the chef at RSA) to give me the job,” Dumitru said. The Royal Family “would have events there,” he said.

Five years ago, Dumitru came to Canada and worked at the Italian restaurant Bocconcini in Byron. Owner Radu Rotariu is also Romanian.

“I asked him (Rotariu) to give me a chance,” Dumitru said. “And he was like, ‘When can you start?’”

In 2024, Dumitru, who had always dreamed of running his own restaurant, accepted an offer to become partners with Rotariu in the bistro.

“For me, when you say bistro, it’s somewhere warm. It’s a place that you either come to eat or you can come with a friend of yours just to drink a coffee,” he said.

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The duo came across the former Ivy Ristorante that was up for sale.

“The moment I saw the brick walls, I was like, ‘Yep, this is my restaurant,’” Dumitru said. “It’s a warm and inviting place.”

Among the six handheld options on the menu (burgers, wraps and sandwiches), Dumitru highlights his creation the Five87 Burger ($23). Made with beef, caramelized shallots, and brie, the patty is served on a toasted brioche bun accompanied by sweet potato fries or potato wedges.

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“I wanted a restaurant that has everything,” he said. ”This is a nicer looking restaurant, but if they (customers) decide that they don’t really want to spend much, they can get the burger.”

On the lunch menu is a focaccia sandwich ($18), with prosciutto, mozzarella cheese and fig purée with optional sweet potato fries or potato wedges.

Mains include the Peruvian grilled chicken ($33) topped with a spicy, creamy cilantro sauce or Italian risotto ($28) with creamy arborio rice, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil pesto.

The most-ordered items in summer are salads such as the seared halloumi ($18), a Mediterranean cheese, served with nectarines, avocado and arugula with a lemon and mint dressing topped with pine nuts. Another popular option are the Yaki soba noodles ($20) soaked in sesame honey ginger soy sauce and topped with pickled carrots, green onions and scallops.

The bistro’s desserts and a specialty coffee menu invite diners to stay longer and enjoy the atmosphere, Dumitru said.

“In Romania, we don’t go to the restaurant just for one hour to eat and get out. We’ll go to a restaurant to share something. We stay there two to three hours, drinking coffee, actually talking and socializing,” he said.

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On the dessert menu, there’s crème brûlée infused with orange ($13), a double-stacked blueberry cheesecake ($13), chocolate brownies topped with vanilla gelato and chocolate shavings ($13), and a carrot cake served with creamy vanilla sauce ($14).

Specialty coffees include affogato ($10), a shot of expresso served with a scoop of vanilla gelato; Carajillo ($15), a coffee drink with liquor; and Spanish and Irish coffee ($16).

To attract a younger demographic, which usually has a tighter budget, the bistro offers a series of affordable options with deals throughout the week.

On Mondays, appetizers are half-price, cocktails are $10 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays wine is half-price, on Sundays, dinner for two including an appetizer to share, an entrée each, dessert to share and a bottle of red or white wine is $100.

Dumitru said he’s getting ready to open the restaurant’s patio for the spring and summer while working on a separate menu for vegan and vegetarian customers. A new menu for the summer, with more salads and fish, is also in the works.

“It was my dream (to own a restaurant). From now on, we’ll see what comes,” Dumitru said.

IF YOU GO

Five87 Bistro

587 Oxford St. E., west of Adelaide Street

Hours: Monday to Thursday, noon to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m., Sunday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free parking.

bbaleeiro@postmedia.com

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Romanian partners open bistro with ‘mix of everything’