There are few places in Toronto that can transport you back to as distinct an era as Small Talk, a swanky new jazz bar that serves as the latest addition to Toronto's perennially cool Ossington strip.

Helmed by General Manager and Operations Director Bianca Rossi and Executive Chef Afrim Pristine — who co-owns T.O. institution Cheese Boutique — the moodily-lit, delightfully-themed haunt is, in our opinion, a must-add to your list of stops on an evening out in the city, especially as the weather gets cooler.

It will appeal to the date night and GNO crowds in particular, with elevated, shareable snacks and unique takes on classic martinis, all nestled amid the din of a neighbourhood that always seems to be one-upping itself with trendy new bars and restaurants.

The "quaintly elegant" concept, as Pristine calls it, perfectly complements the area because, as he points out, it's the ideal place to drop in on your way to or from somewhere else nearby, while also serving as a destination in itself for everything from casual meet-ups to birthday parties.

"You can come for dinner, for drinks before dinner, for a second dinner or snacks after a dinner. Jazz is super laid back, and we're just that: We have a cool vibe and the food is shareable. You can get the whole menu and split it amongst yourselves and just chill," he says.

Sinking into the high top booths while drenched in red hues — all very evocative of Prohibition-era speakeasy aesthetics  — it's easy to lose track of time, both in the sense of the hour and also the decade. You can chat, graze, sip, and be serenaded with Frank Sinatra and other smooth hits, sometimes performed live, depending on the night.

"We wanted to open up something a little bit different with something for everyone, depending on what day you want to go out," says Rossi.

Bread, cheese and charcuterie boards serve as the backbone of the carefully curated menu, which is built from ingredients courtesy of the famed Cheese Boutique and is, in Pristine's words, "approachable but exciting."

"Having Cheese Boutique at our disposal, that is our pantry here at Small Talk," he says. "Our menu is very simple here, but it's all about the quality of the ingredients. We're using the best of the best."

The meat ($22), cheese ($22) and mixed ($28) plates offer a trip around the globe, with a sampling of top-notch selections from across Europe: think Westphalian Ham and Prosciutto roses alongside chunks of Dutch Beemster, mixed-milk Italian Robiola and Wildwood, an Ontario variety inspired by Swiss Appenzeller, with housemade crostinis and pickles to complement, of course.

Even something as simple as bread ($12) or olives ($9) for the table are thoughtfully upgraded at Small Talk: The former offers two types of sourdough (made fresh daily) with a heaping helping of PEI grass-fed butter, and a Tuscan olive oil-balsamic dipper smothered in fresh grated parm.

The olives, meanwhile, go far beyond any old jar, with a medley of four different varieties warmed and swathed in a proprietary, piquant house mix of orange, sesame and fresh herbs.

If you're in for something more substantial, there is the Italian sandwich ($25) that sees fluffy, crunchy bread loaded to the brim with meats, cheeses, homemade spreads (pesto and giardiniera) and arugula for a hearty, tasty bite that you may struggle to fit your mouth around. 

Or, opt for the star of the show: the late-night Waygu hot dog ($20) that you certainly won't find anywhere else, topped with Pristine's own bread-and-butter pickles, white wine mustard, balsamic ketchup and an unbelievable mountain of grated gouda — "when you think it's enough cheese, it's not," Pristine jokes that he instructs his cooks — on a brioche bun.

For drinks, you can go with a standard staples like a classic ($20) or dirty ($18) martini, or Small Talk's riffs on cocktails like the cosmopolitan ($22, made with rhubarb and prosecco), pornstar martini ($20, with punchy passionfruit and served with a sparkling wine topper), or espresso martini ($20, featuring housemade Galliano vanilla syrup).

We would also be remiss to skip over the vending machine stocked with personal-sized bottles of Moet, perfect for chasing group caviar bumps ($22) — because any day can be reason for celebration, especially in this corner of the city.

"All of Toronto knows that Ossington is the place, everywhere you go from top to bottom, everyone is doing such a great job, everywhere is so busy," Pristine says. "That speaks to the quality of the hospitality that is coming out of Ossington, and I think Small Talk just fits perfectly into that... we're new, but it feels like this place has been here the whole time."

The fact that the space was formerly home to long-running club Baby Huey seems fitting, too.

"It's a lot to follow," Rossi says, adding that the team hopes that, like Baby Huey before it, Small Talk becomes a go-to "home on Ossington" that people are comfortable returning to again and again because "to become that in someone's life is a really big deal."

For what it's worth, we think they're well on their way to establishing their own years-long legacy.

Small Talk is located at 110 Ossington Ave., Toronto.