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Food & Drink

What’s on the menu at Aloette Bay, the French diner’s new fast-casual location in a food hall

Including all the Aloette hits plus happy hour specials

By Jessica Huras| Photography by Shlomi Amiga
What's on the menu at Aloette Bay, the French diner's new fast-casual location in a food hall

Name: Aloette Bay Contact: 81 Bay St., 4th floor, aloetterestaurant.com/bay, @aloette_restaurant
Neighbourhood: South Core Owner: Alo Food Group Chef: Patrick Kriss Accessibility: Fully accessible

Aloette’s new sister spot brings its refined casual menu to Table Fare and Social, CIBC Square’s food hall. With its high-traffic location, the restaurant hopes to draw in commuters and visitors en route to Union Station and Scotiabank Arena as well as Financial District office workers.

The entrance to Aloette Bay

Related: Everything there is to eat and drink at Table Fare and Social, a new food hall and patio at CIBC Square

All the greatest Aloette hits are here, including the burger, the fried chicken and the wedge salad. To appeal to the diverse crowd that moves through this busy hub, however, they’re also adding lunch (which is also returning to Aloette Spadina after a pandemic hiatus) and grab-and-go items. “Whatever community we move into, we think about how we can add something to the fabric,” says operations director John Bunner.

Also new to this location: happy hour deals on signature cocktails, wines by the glass and draft beer. “We’re in the heart of downtown in an office building, so it just makes sense,” says chef-owner Patrick Kriss. “We want to be a place where people can come in and out all day.”

Chef Patrick Kriss at Aloette Bay
Chef Patrick Kriss

Related: The Takeout King

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The Food

Kriss and his team bring Aloette’s high-end takes on low-key food to a lunch menu that carries over some favourites—including the brand’s Beaufort-topped burger—alongside some fresh additions like a chopped salad and carrot cake (to rival their famous lemon meringue pie). Some of the new grab-and-go items include cheddar biscuits, apple bomboloni and mini yogurt parfaits.

A burger and fries from Aloette
For Aloette’s signature burger, a blend of grilled Beaufort and mozzarella cheeses, sautéed onions and shredded lettuce are layered atop a beefy patty tucked in a house-made potato bun. A pickle, triple-cooked fries and spicy aïoli accompany it. $28

 

A chopped salad
New to Aloette’s lunch lineup, this colourful chopped kale salad features candied pepitas, feta, avocado, crispy chickpeas, grapes and piquillo peppers in a tahini-based dressing. $18

 

Tuna tartare
This tuna tartare is made with hajikame, sesame, chives and nori aïoli. It’s best enjoyed as a DIY wrap made using a shiso leaf and cucumber slice. $32

 

Foie gras toast
Swirls of silky foie gras parfait are dotted with preserved lemon gel, meringue, persimmon purée and lemon balm. $20

 

Hamachi and lomo iberico
This dish marries slices of fresh hamachi with salty lomo ibérico, then tops them with Cerignola olives and paprika oil. $26

 

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Octopus carpaccio
For this carpaccio, octopus is braised and thinly sliced, then plated with romesco, toasted almonds, extra-virgin olive oil and cherry tomatoes that have been fried and then peeled. A sprinkle of cilantro adds the final flourish. $28

 

A slice of carrot cake
Moist carrot cake—an alternative to the brand’s popular lemon meringue pie—is made with coconut, pecan, orange, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and a splash of rum. The cream cheese frosting gets a bright, fruity lift from lemon, pineapple and grapefruit. Orange zest and a crumble of pecans, coconut and vanilla complete the decadent dessert. $15
The Drinks

“The style is exactly the same as Aloette Spadina,” says Bunner. “The cocktails are stiff, short and classically inspired.” There are around a dozen wines available by the glass, along with a concise but thoughtfully curated selection of bottles from around the globe.

The Arctic Club cocktail at Aloette Bay
A riff on a standard sour, the Arctic Club combines vodka with fino sherry, agave, fresh lime and grapefruit bitters. It’s mixed in a cobbler shaker to create a textured surface reminiscent of a glacier. $16

 

The Gong Show cocktail at Aloette Bay
Here we have the Gong Show, a spin on a daiquiri featuring dark rum, raspberry syrup, lemon-lime juice and coconut soda. It’s garnished with a mint sprig and a lime wedge. $16

 

A mini martini served with an oyster
This mini martini is made for customers in a hurry or seeking a small pour. The bar serves up two ounces of Tanqueray gin or Ketel One vodka in a shot glass, and the kitchen adds a fresh East Coast oyster. $10
The Space

Aloette Bay reflects the design of the original location with its barrel ceiling installation and fluted millwork. The Spadina restaurant’s rich burgundy accent colour, however, is swapped for a deep green. Sleek materials like glass and metal contrast with soft, leather-accented booths. “We still wanted people to come in here and feel like they’re in an Aloette restaurant,” says Kriss. “But I think that, as we mature, we get smarter in how we design restaurants.” Case in point: the penny tile flooring from the original Aloette could get pretty slippery, so now it’s a decorative feature on the bar in Aloette Bay.

The dining room and bar of Aloette Bay, inside Toronto's CIBC Square
Aloette Bay's small dining room and bar
Banquette and booth seating inside Aloette Bay
The sign for Aloette's new location inside CIBC Square
The Aloette Go counter inside CIBC Square's Table and Fare Social food hall
There’s also an Aloette Go counter for those on the run

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