Bar Begonia has taken over the long-vacant Nite-Caps by the Castle space on Dupont St. in the Annex, its previous sign replaced with a lit-uplite Britehappy face. Anthony Rose's sixth venture in Toronto (and fifth on this street) is a Parisian-style cocktail bar with a bit of a Brooklyn vibe.

like his other spots, this place was designed with the help of Palmerston Design. A Basquiat print greets patrons at the entrance while contour drawings of nubile, nekkid ladies surround a rounded window on the wall.

Old-timey curved wooden benches reminiscent of the ones in classic train stations make up some of the seating at marble-topped tables.

We perch ourselves at the horseshoe-shaped bar, helmed by General Manager Oliver Stern (Toronto Temperance Society). It offers a view of the small open kitchen - run by Trista Sheen, the former executive chef of the shutteredCrush Wine Bar- that's also visible from the street-facing windows.

Cocktails consist of seasonal house creations that will change up every few months, plus favourites from other bars like Leyenda and Pegu Club in NYC, along with a couple of standards (Manhattan, Negroni) on draft.

Stern, who clearly knows what he's doing, makes me The Sun Also Rises ($14), a play on Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon. Instead of absinthe, it contains a shaken and strained combination of gin, grenadine, clementine and pastis topped with sparkling wine. It's a well balanced, fizzy and not-too-sweet drink, with a hint of citrus, and it's right up my alley.

In addition to a selection of European (Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell) and local brews (Steam Whistle, Blood Brothers, Woodhouse), there's a focus on mostly French and local Ontario ciders (hard cider, it would appear, is the new craft beer). We try a 500mL bottle of Empire ($13), and it's almost like wine; it's not sweet at all and has a dry finish.

Of course, French wines and a few fromPrince Edward Countyare available by the glass ($11-$13) or bottle ($50-$130). For those who'd prefer caffeine to alcohol, there's also a coffee program with beans fromde Mello Palheta.

As for eats, the French menu consists mostly of snacks suitable for sharing (think oysters, foie gras on brioche, charcuterie, cheese), with some more substantial dishes like boeuf bourguignon ($16) and duck confit ($16) offered after 5pm.

During our visit, we try the country terrine ($7) of smoked ham hock and herbs with red onion jam. Served with crusty bread, grainy mustard and cornichons, it's a fun dish to eat, mixing and matching flavours: the sweet jam balances nicely with the savoury terrine, and a bite of cornichon adds an enjoyable, tart crunch to it all.

I've always liked the taste of oily fish, and a tartine of sardines, pickled chillies, aioli and chopped parsley ($7) on thick-sliced Thuet miche bread makes for a satisfying open-faced sandwich, French country style.

A cheese board is presented post-meal, with an interesting variety of French selections fromCheese Boutiquepriced by the ounce. If you can make a decision (I couldn't - when in doubt, try them all) your resulting choices are accompanied by honeycomb and bread.

Open from 11am 'til 2am seven days a week, the space seats 40 (reservations are only accepted for groups of eight or more), and there are future plans for a front patio with a retractable roof, along with talk of turning the back parking lot into a grassy knoll with bocce ball and tetherball.

The King of Dupont (that would beAnthony Rose) has another winner on his hands.

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