Bar Mignonette is an intimate wine bar that sits atop Patois, and is run by the same people.

The menu consists of small plates and raw bar offerings including oysters, shrimp cocktail and lobster.

The space was actually once residential but is now decked out with a checkerboard floor, wallpaper and a stunning back bar.

Cooking takes place in the tiny space right behind the counter.

Our first dish actually isn't seafood, but a grass-fed tri-tip steak tartare ($16) which nevertheless incorporates a briny touch of ikura. 

This dish may not be for steak tartare purists with gochujang and Asian pear, but the flavours harmonize nicely and a serve-yourself lettuce wrap style with iceberg, perilla, and two types of rice crackers is really fun.

A luscious warm crab dip ($18) is another scoopable offering served with spicy, crunchy green daikon and house chips.

With corn, spinach and cheddar plus a topping of chives, this comforting, gooey snack feels like it could be equally at home on a white tablecloth or in front of the TV.

Garlic shrimp ($18) sees wild Argentinian shrimp roasted off with tiny chunks of fresh garlic and an umami butter that has mushroom powder folded into it.

Personally, I could take even more garlic flavour and find these shrimp to be more spicy than garlicky, but I love that Brodflour challah is included on the side to sop up all the leftover sauciness.

A 2019 Neon-Eon Tropicalia ($17 for a five-ounce glass) hails from Okanagan Valley, BC, a blend of 65 per cent Reisling and 35 per cent Gewurztraminer that's very aromatic with a funky edge.

A 2018 Manoir de la Tete Rouge 'K'sa Tete' ($16 for five ounces) is made using oddball grape varietal Pineau d'Aunis, peppery but light with lots of big tannins. 

The Oxeye Daisy ($16) is part of a slim list of cocktails, rum-based with yellow chartreuse, Manzanilla sherry and lime.

A jewel-toned patio seats 12 and offers a second-floor view of Dundas West and the CN Tower.