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Serving up playful seafood dishes, the Happy Hooker (@HappyhookerTDOT) now has a new chef and revamped menu.

Chef Bethany McBride is now in charge of the kitchen. Her family is from the south, so it’s no surprise that the new menu is inspired by southern influences.

The interior

The interior

While the chef and menu have changed, the space and decor remain the same. Located on Dundas, between Bathurst and Ossington, the restaurant occupies a small space with a couple tables and high-top/counter seating.

The interior

The interior

Last week I attended a media preview of the new menu items. We started out with the delicious Punch Drunk Tequila. Dangerously delicious, if you ask me.

Punch Drunk Tequila

Punch Drunk Tequila

The first dish we were served was a hearty bowl of Southern Comfort Chowder. The base of the chowder starts with a basic mirepoix of carrots, onions and celery. Add in the clams (three types – from Maine, Nova Scotia and Edmonton), corn (a southern tradition), potatoes and a touch of cream and you’ve got a damn good bowl of chowder. Sometimes chowders are so overwhelmingly creamy but this wasn’t the case here. The chowder had a deep and intense flavour. Super satisfying!

Southern Comfort Chowder

Southern Comfort Chowder

Up next was the Seafood Popcorn which consisted of calamari, shrimp in a panko breading and mahi mahi in a parmesam breadcrumb crust. On the side, you’ll find three dipping sauces: chipotle aioli, chipotle adobo and lemon aioli. My personal favourite was the crispy shrimp (I love panko breading!) with the chipotle aioli.

Seafood Popcorn

Seafood Popcorn

Another new appetizer they’re offering is the Lobster Spring Roll, which is their take on the traditional lobster roll. Wrapped in traditional spring roll wrappers, the rolls are stuffed with fresh Maine lobster and a bit of cream cheese. I was afraid the cream cheese would overwhelm the lobster, but this wasn’t the case – there was just enough in it so that you knew it was there. The spring roll was served with a lemon honey sauce from Ireland but I personally preferred the roll sauceless.

Lobster Spring Roll

Lobster Spring Roll

The Happy Hooker servers several sandwiches, one of them being the Louisiana Black Cat. Again, you can definitely see Chef Bethany’s southern influences on the menu. The bread (sourced from a nearby Portuguese bakery) was stuffed with blackened catfish, chipotle aioli, lime crema, caper salsa and fresh tomatoes. One bite into the sandwich, and you’ll be hit with an intense flavour punch. Lots of great things going on in this sandwich with the moist catfish, brininess from the caper salsa and lime crema.

Louisiana Black Cat

Louisiana Black Cat

The last savoury dish we were served was the Creole Shrimp Po Boy. It was a super saucy (and messy!) sandwich to eat. Perfectly cooked shrimp were topped with the tasty creole sauce, caper salsa and lemon aioli. Having previously had the original (deep fried) version, I couldn’t help but compare the two. While this was certainly a tasty sandwich, I have to give the slight edge to the original.

Creole Shrimp Po Boy

Creole Shrimp Po Boy

To end the meal, we had the Key Lime Pudding for dessert which really hit the spot. I love ending off with a light citrusy dessert!

Key Lime Pudding

Key Lime Pudding

We also tried a secret menu item during our meal (which changes monthly). They have a page on their website (click here) which requires a password to access. They’ll post clues as to what the password is on twitter, on their take-out bags and around the restaurant. Like I said, they’re a very playful restaurant.

Despite changing chefs, I’m happy to report that the food at the Happy Hooker is still going strong! They’re open everyday (except for Mondays) for lunch and dinner, so go check ’em out.

Happy Hooker on Urbanspoon

*This was a complimentary meal. The opinions in the post, as always, are my own.*



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