Just outside High Park subway station, one of the most breezy and green sections of Bloor St West, sits Kiwi Kick , a bar and grill that bills itself as "The Pride of Downunder".

Taking a seat on the patio, my friend and I order a few drinks and look over the menu to see what Kiwi cookin' is all about. We'd been here years ago and hadn't been impressed, but hearing the menu had changed since, we thought we'd give it another whirl. What we found, wasn't particularly Kiwi at all, but a fusion of familiar worldly dishes served with a little extra flare.

This was apparent right off the top, when a plate of parsley-sprinkled fries arrived so good we could have just abandoned the rest of the order for another plateful.

They key to their goodness? They were ever-so-lightly battered , leaving them light, yet crispy. I'll be back for these alone.

Arriving soon after were a Thunder Burger, Chicken Tacos and Grilled Calamari.

Not sure where the Thunder comes in, but Kiwi's juicy beef burger is served with tomato, lettuce and onion on a grilled pita instead of a bun. Warm pita is a great touch, but a little hard to handle, making this a messy kind of delicious. Maybe more practice will help.

The Chicken Tacos (also available in beef or veggie) were served open-face on soft tortillas. Colourful and quite nice, these were, again, hard to get a handle on when it came down to business. Thank goodness for extra fries to clean savoury chicken-veggie toppings off your plate with.

And finally, a spicy Grilled Calamari with side salad. Served whole, this is definitely a dish for those who absolutely love their calamari. If you have any kind of tentacle-phobia, go with the conventional deep fried version also on the menu. Otherwise, the Kiwi kitchen appears to be home to a seasoned pro, as these were spicy and tender.

(Speaking of the menu, here's a photo of the patriotic New Zealand laminate for the loud-talkin' guy sitting at the next table who was insisting to his embarrassed girlfriend that it was a map of Australia. Shhh, friend... shhhh.)

If you're heading down to High Park this lovely long weekend, skip the park cafe and stop in to Kiwi Kick for a park-view patio and good food to go right along with it -- just keep a napkin handy.

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Kiwi Kick

1986 Bloor Street West

(Just outside High Park Station)

(416) 762-7934

Live music on the weekends.