Reh L.
Yelp
Aera is only two weeks old, and it shows. Tldr is this place needs to go through some growing pains before it's worth going to, and the food is subpar.
Let's start with the food. We ordered several dishes, though most of them were definitely mediocre. I admired the attempts at creativity, but nothing managed to tickle the palate at all. We tried the caesar salad, shrimp scampi, steak tartare, striploin steak, whipped potato, tuna sushi, and mushroom tempura. The tempura tasted so greasy we couldn't get through more than a few bites. The one bite I enjoyed of the night was their sticky toffee pudding, that was actually a solid dessert I'd have again. Otherwise, the rest of the menu was a dud and overall quite overpriced. $30 for a sushi roll with chipotle mayo on it?! Hard pass.
As for the service, it was a bit odd. We requested a table with a view of the CN tower and even though the restaurant is huge, they only have 10 tables with a view of which only half are facing the CN tower. So odds are you might just get a view for dessert, which fortunately we got. Our server was friendly, but what I found tough is he couldn't make any recommendations for the menu which is a big red flag to me. When they brought our sushi, they gave us soy sauce bowls but no soy sauce, and then when they came to clean up the plates they were way too quick with it, coming when we were maybe 2/3 through our course.
Overall, this was a hard pass for me. Granted this is a place where you come for a certain vibe and I respect that some people enjoy that. But I go to a restaurant for good food, which Aera unfortunately lacks.