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Food & Drink

What’s on the menu at Ayla, a new Hong Kong–inspired kitchen and cocktail bar above Patois

Including interesting twists on cheung fun, char siu and caesar salad

By Liza Agrba| Photography by Shlomi Amiga
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What's on the menu at Ayla, a new Hong Kong–inspired kitchen and cocktail bar above Patois

Name: Ayla Contact: 794 Dundas St. W., 2nd floor, aylaupstairs.com, @aylaupstairs
Neighbourhood: Trinity-Bellwoods
Previously: Bar Mignonette Owners: Kevin Shawcross, Danvee Kwok, Craig Wong and Ivy Lam Chefs: Kevin Shawcross, Danvee Kwok Accessibility: Not fully accessible; up a flight of stairs

The idea of dining out in Hong Kong may conjure up images of wok-fried noodles, glistening scarlet char siu and steaming bamboo baskets filled with chubby dumplings. And while you’ll find all those delicacies there, Cantonese food is only part of the region’s kaleidoscopic culinary scene. That’s why the team behind Ayla—chefs Kevin Shawcross, Danvee Kwok and Craig Wong and restaurateur Ivy Lam—decided that a Hong Kong–inspired yet globally influenced restaurant would be right at home in Toronto. “I don’t know if there’s another big city that would let us have quite this much fun with the menu,” says Shawcross.

Shawcross and Kwok, partners in business and life, met in Vancouver before relocating to Kwok’s native Hong Kong during the pandemic. While they were there, Shawcross, who had previously worked in Barbados, launched a Caribbean pop-up called Caribana Social Club, a reference to Toronto’s annual summer festival.

Kevin Shawcross, Danvee Kwok, Ivy Lam and Craig Wong
From left: Shawcross, Kwok, Lam and Wong

Related: “I hope learning about our roots is something that stays with my sons”—Views from chef Craig Wong’s Jamaican reunion

A selection of cocktails at Ayla

Meanwhile, Wong had been running Patois, Toronto’s first sit-down Asian-Caribbean restaurant, since 2014. Their shared interests led Shawcross—who had heard about Patois’s success through the culinary grapevine—to invite Wong to Hong Kong so they could collaborate on a menu. The two quickly became friends and soon began discussing the idea of opening a restaurant back in Toronto. When Wong and Lam closed Bar Mignonette, their raw bar above Patois, the opportunity presented itself.

“Between us, we bring experience from Mediterranean, Italian, Japanese, French, Caribbean and Cantonese cuisines,” says Shawcross. “This restaurant is our love letter to Hong Kong—told through our own unique lens and in a way we could only do in a place like Toronto.”

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Danvee Kwok and Kevin Shawcross, chefs at Ayla, a Hong Kong–inspired restaurant in Toronto
Ayla chefs Danvee Kwok and Kevin Shawcross, partners in business and life

Related: Yan Dining Room, chef Eva Chin’s new neo-Chinese dinner series at Hong Shing

Menus at Ayla, a restaurant in Toronto
The Food

Expect to find familiar-sounding dishes on this tight menu of sharing plates—but also to be surprised (in a good way) by what arrives at the table. There’s cheung fun, the rice-noodle-roll dim-sum staple, but stuffed with a Vietnamese-inspired beef tartare and dressed with fish sauce and Marmite. Sweet, sticky char siu comes with a punchy Bajan-style green sauce. And caesar salad subs tangy chrysanthemum greens for romaine and a creamy toasted sesame dressing for the classic. In the wrong hands, drawing from such a broad range of cuisines could yield confused, discordant dishes; here, every element on each plate pulls in the same delectable direction, no matter its origins.

This dish is a blend of mentaiko emulsified with red onions and lemon juice until it’s the consistency of a thick dip, then topped with wild ikura and served with grilled sourdough bread
A play on taramasalata, a classic Greek meze, this dish is a blend of mentaiko (cured fish roe) emulsified with red onions and lemon juice until it’s the consistency of a thick dip. It’s topped with wild ikura (salmon roe) and served with grilled sourdough bread. Don’t be fooled by the simple presentation—this dip is a palate-piquing umami bomb. $18

 

A caesar salad unlike any other, this sleeper hit pairs mildly tangy chrysanthemum greens with a nutty, sesame-based dressing made with fermented tofu and fish sauce
A caesar salad unlike any other, this sleeper hit pairs mildly tangy chrysanthemum greens with a nutty sesame-based dressing made with fermented tofu and fish sauce. It’s showered with buckwheat kernels, pecorino and citrusy red watercress. $18

 

Typhoon Shelter Mushrooms, subs in king oyster mushrooms for the crab—scored, seared and seasoned with chili and garlic breadcrumbs
During Hong Kong’s typhoon season, fishermen would serve their wares in storm shelters, which gave rise to something called typhoon shelter cuisine—epitomized by seafood, particularly crab, with plenty of chili and other aromatics. This take, dubbed Typhoon Shelter Mushrooms, subs in king oyster mushrooms for the crab. The shrooms are seared and seasoned with chili and garlic breadcrumbs. $16

 

Rice noodle rolls stuffed with steak tartare
This isn’t your typical steak tartare—or cheung fun, for that matter. Here, the rice noodle roll is stuffed with steak tartare that’s been spiked with a Vietnamese-style vinaigrette of fish sauce and garlic. It’s garnished with crispy shallots and a herb salad of Thai basil, cilantro and mint for all those great pho flavours. More of that punchy vinaigrette is also poured overtop. $22

 

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The Drunken Sablefish is marinated in funky red miso and sake, and pan-fried to crisp up the skin
The Drunken Sablefish is marinated in funky red miso and sake, then pan-fried to crisp up the skin. A drinkable sauce, made with brown butter and pickling liquid from shiitake and shimeji mushrooms, cuts the richness of the fish. It’s all topped with pickled mushrooms, pepper and slivered scallions. $36

 

Ayla’s char siu is glazed with a jet-black, cassava-based molasses called cassareep and served over a Bajan-style green sauce, which is sort of like a Caribbean chimichurri
Ayla’s char siu (barbecued pork) is glazed with a jet-black cassava-based molasses called cassareep and served over a Bajan-style green sauce, which is sort of like a Caribbean chimichurri. The sweet, sticky char siu plays beautifully with the herbaceous, citrusy condiment. $35
The Drinks

Traditional pairing wisdom dictates that beverages should enhance, never upstage, a given dish. Here, rather than merely mirroring or balancing the flavours of the food, the cocktails—like a playful sake martini with pomelo and chili pepper—stand boldly on their own. There’s a tight wine list with a nice mix of funky and traditional styles as well as a handful of craft beers, including the Violet Moon sour from Leslieville brewery Avling.

This is the Tokyo Smoke, a punchy blend of matcha, mezcal, and Cointreau, finished with egg white foam
This is the Tokyo Smoke, a punchy blend of matcha, mezcal and Cointreau finished with egg white foam. $22

 

This boozy, herbaceous cocktail is called the Expat and it's a mix of Appleton rum, rye, Campari, and Fernet, with a vanilla-anise note from Galliano
This boozy, herbaceous cocktail is called the Expat and it’s a mix of Appleton rum, rye, Campari, and Fernet, with a vanilla-anise note from Galliano. $21

 

This blushing martini pairs sake with vermouth and Tanqueray gin, as well as pomelo, grapefruit bitters and a hint of chili pepper
This blushing martini pairs sake with vermouth and Tanqueray gin as well as pomelo, grapefruit bitters and a hint of chili. $20

 

This complex, not-too-sweet mocktail is made with lychee, ginger, lime, and mint and a topper of soda
This complex, not-too-sweet mocktail is made with lychee, ginger, lime and mint plus a topper of soda. $12
The Space

Up a steep and narrow staircase, Ayla feels like a secret hideaway. But, with vaulted ceilings and intelligent, intentional design, the small space is cozy without feeling cramped. The aesthetic is heavily influenced by the golden era of Hong Kong cinema—particularly the work of director Wong Kar-wai—with rich hues of red and jade and market lighting in the installation-like hallway leading up to the space. Framed art and playful trinkets, some from Lam’s personal collection, line the walls. Many are traditional Chinese symbols of prosperity, like ceramic fish, peacocks and horses.

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The dining room and bar at Ayla, a restaurant in Toronto
The dining room at Ayla, a Hong Kong–inspired spot in Toronto
Banquette seating at Ayla
Asian trinkets and antiques decorate the shelves at Ayla
An Asian fish sculpture sits on a shelf at Ayla, a restaurant in Toronto
Old advertisements decorate a wall at Ayla, a restaurant in Toronto
A flight of stairs leads the way to Ayla, a Hong Kong-inspired restaurant in Toronto's Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood

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