The best cafes in the east end of Toronto are not - try not to be shocked - almost entirely in Leslieville, though there are days when it might seem like they are. In fact, the east end, on both sides of the Don, is liberally dotted with good cafes.

On both sides of the city, it seems that cafes largely fit a type - storefronts full of re-purposed industrial artefacts and free WiFi, full most of the day with freelancers and creative loafers on their MacBooks. If the east side can lay claim to a unique character, it's typified by a place like Merchants of Green - spacious and off the beaten track, even if it's only a minute's walk away from the first Dark Horse location, which pretty much set the cafe stereotype in stone here.

The boutique barber shop trend continues in Toronto with the latest incarnation being this three chair shop down the street from Mike's Scissors near Bloor and Havelock. Inside there are vintage barber chairs, a military wall clock and a pair of seats from the Winnipeg Arena. But it's all just a backdrop for the expert cuts and hot towel shaves.

Read my profile of Hollow Ground Barber Shop in the fashion section.

Seeing Steely Dan the same weekend that singer Amy Winehouse died got me thinking about how you can have a career in music that lasts decades, and how to outlive that white hot moment of stardom with dignity. The key to it all, of course, is not to die, and since Winehouse was tragically unable to manage that, we'll never get to see how she would have fared over three decades after she released Back To Black, and whether she would have been performing in dives to a handful of curious onlookers or filling outdoor amphitheatres packed with fans proudly wearing souvenir t-shirts from previous world tours.

China House served its last meal in its red, black and gold dining room last Monday, which left proprietor Jonathan Wise with a room full of stuff he either needed to store or get rid of on Tuesday morning, the legacy of over 50 years of business for the Eglinton West landmark. Which is why almost everything is up for sale, starting this Saturday morning from 11am, while China House will continue to serve takeout and delivery indefinitely out of a side entrance.

The best cafes in Toronto's west end can probably be visited by foot in a single day, during the course of a long and caffeine-fuelled stroll. A year or two ago they would have been a group of independent shops, but many of them have blossomed into mini-chains, which must count as a sort of sign of the city's apparently unquenchable coffee mania.

China House, the iconic midtown eatery with the signature retro interior and neon sign, is closing its dining room after over 53 years in business. When the repaired neon sign was re-lit last April, after it was reopened by new owner Jonathan Wise, he told me that he just considered himself the "custodian" of China House, its history, menu and memories. Now he's going to have to pack all that up and find a new place to put it.