The New Café Boulud is Now Open, a Modern Brasserie with a Soulful French Menu at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto has opened the doors to the new Café Boulud, located in the flagship Toronto location at 60 Yorkville Avenue. In the heart of Yorkville, the new restaurant features a stylish redesign imagined by award-winning designer Martin Brudnizki and a French menu created in collaboration by Chef Daniel Boulud and Chef de Cuisine Sylvain Assié.

The heart of the menu is traditionally French, offering dishes that both Chef Boulud and Chef Assié grew up with in the countryside of France, such as quenelle de brochet (CAD 29), enveloped northern pike with cognac Nova Scotia lobster sauce; and boudin blanc (CAD 24), white sausage, caramelised onions, apple and mashed potatoes; and a blanquette au vert (CAD 29).

Rotisserie is a star of the menu, with chicken, lamb, lobster, potatoes and even pineapple cooking over the open flames of a top-of-the-line Rotisol, made in the largest and oldest rotisserie factory in France.

Seafood, including a Plateau de Fruits de Mer (CAD 65) featuring oysters, shrimp, clams, mussels and tuna tartare, is sourced from the country’s two coasts whenever possible and will rotate on the menu according to the season. The restaurant continues its emphasis on charcuterie, a program led by master Charcutier Gilles Verot, and introduces a selection of housemade terrines and pâtés.

Famous favourites, such as the Frenchie Burger (CAD 24) and beignets de calamar (CAD 18) of beer battered calamari, pickled hot pepper, anchor the menu. The wide range of cocktails include the likes of Aviation (CAD 15), gin, lemon, crème Yvette and maraschino; and Led Zeppelin (CAD 15), tequila, amaro nonino, aperol and ime. Desserts, such as the show-stopping soufflé Grand Marnier (CAD 14) made from orange crème anglaise and the equally indulgent coulant au chocolat (CAD 14), offer guests the opportunity to truly treat themselves.

“This menu is without a doubt very French in its DNA. But we are also in Canada, and we celebrate its ingredients in our dishes. I’m French, but I’m not the most traditional French chef. I have travelled, and worked with many great international chefs, and so that influence has naturally worked its way into my food,” said Chef Daniel Boulud. “There’s a delicately spicy, aromatic bouillion pho from Vietnam and the sea bass Catalane made with romesco sauce that is a nod to Spain. This is the food that I like to eat, and I hope that Sylvain and I have created a menu that people want to come back to enjoy again and again.”

Transforming the interior, Martin Brudnizki Design Studio gave the French brasserie a classic, mid-century look with a contemporary twist. Interior architect Brudnizki, known for bringing a lived-in luxury to his projects, introduced a warm palette and comfortable, luxe furnishings to evoke a certain playfulness as well as elegance to the space, ideally suited to the sophistication of Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.

Ribbed banquets upholstered in Jaguar green and tan leather with tweed detailing and 1950s-shaped chairs in an opulent oxblood ruched leather invite guests to stay, relax and have a great conversation. The walls are decorated in blue herringbone Hermès wallpaper and finished in walnut work, while further accents of colour can be found in corner tables, made from an emerald green lava stone. Refreshingly bright and airy in the daytime, in the evening the restaurant is gently illuminated with a line of 14 bespoke double pendant lights that run through the centre of the room, taking inspiration from mid-century design maestro Angelo Lelli, the brass adding an understated glamour.

A focal point of the room is the intimate dining counter, constructed in wood panels painted in a high gloss lacquer and topped with Calacatta marble featuring a bronze and glass gantry, and eight oxblood leather bar stools.

“There is something strong yet simple about mid-century design that creates harmony in an interior and we wanted to build on this balance with Café Boulud,” said interior architect Martin Brudnizki. “The end result is an abstraction of mid-century design principles, as each element evokes the period, but takes on a contemporary element to ensure the interior exudes an elevated sense of intrigue and quality.”

The new Café Boulud is open daily for breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, from 7:00 am to 10:30 pm. Reservations can be made at cafeboulud.com or by calling 416 963 6000.

About Café Boulud and d|bar:

Located at the flagship Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, Café Boulud, by Chef Daniel Boulud, serves a soulful menu deeply rooted in French tradition. The playfully retro-modern restaurant designed by Martin Brudnizki, located in the legendary Yorkville neighbourhood and steps from the Mink Mile shopping district, is suspended above the street level and includes a dining counter and private dining room for up to eight guests. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Right below the café is d|bar, the lively lounge serving an array of lunchtime favourites, bar-friendly fare and a large variety of uniquely mixed cocktails with a dj playing in the late evening.

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