Ayla Upstairs

The food: delicious. Every single dish we tried was nearly flawless. The dishes that were my favourite was the sable fish, char siu, oxtail risotto, beef tartare and the prawn toast. The dishes here were pretty small. If you're in a group of 3 or more hungry individuals, I suggest ordering the whole menu. The service? Extremely kind. They were super friendly and tried to make every single one of us as happy as we possibly could be. In short, service is flawless. If you want to get your taste buds satisfied with good food and your heart warmed with good service, I suggest coming here.

The dishes here were impeccable. Every component of each dish was well thought out and it was a great experience. We got the typhoon shelter mushrooms, prawn toast okonomiyaki, and iberico pork char siu. The dishes are all shareable, thus, on the smaller side, however, it was a great tasting experience to share with friends. The service was lovely, and environment felt very welcoming. I would definitely visit again.

This restaurant feels like it's trying to figure out its identity. I am unsure who the audience should be for this restaurant as the food is reminiscent of cultural foods but not definitively a Good™️ iteration of those foods. Everything (because we ordered everything on the menu) felt meh, and many lacked the depth of flavour that one might get elsewhere (again, back to the identity issue). I just feel like there are versions of each dish that you could get somewhere else for cheaper. A miss for me.

Highway robbery!! If you think you’re getting Cantonese food & traditional portions, you’ll be sorry. Smaller than the smallest tapas! For $35. we got 4 slices of CharSui bbq pork (delicious but $9. per 4” slice???!!)!?! $11. for one 2” prawn wrapped in toast! $36. for 1 filet of sablefish (3” x 3”). We love Chinese mushrooms but have never had rubbery mushrooms at an Asian restaurant! The risotto was odd — Italian but with oxtail Chinese style like a beef congee. We are so disgusted that we “fell for” their recommendation to order one of each item on their menu. Dumb. Buyer beware. And the Caesar Salad using sesame Dressing & Parmesan cheese was inedible— they used mixed greens that were unbearably bitter (chrysanthemum, arugula & watercress). It probably would’ve been fine if mixed with a sweeter dressing or added sweet fruit bits? The one mango dessert was the size of 3 tablespoons for $12.! Really!!! Ambience would’ve been good but was ruined by staff leaving the patio door to the outdoor terrace open during 40°C heat wave! I specifically checked to make sure the restaurant had Air Conditioning & yes they said they did. But what was the point if she left the patio door wide open resulting in the AC shutting down & everyone inside sweltering in the heat? Don’t go here. Go to Pearl Harbourfront or Lee Restaurant or Mineral Fusion instead for better gourmet dining, larger potions at the same price point ! Also the music was so loud it was tough to make conversation. The seats were solid wood, no cushions as tho’ they don’t want clients to be too comfortable & linger for too long! They only had 1 co-ed washroom so clients had to lineup to use it! Awful experience overall. $366. for 3 people. & we were not stuffed. Our wallets are still stinging from this experience & we are very accustomed to paying lots for gourmet meals (eg. $180./person @ Miku or $100./person @ Mineral for their Fixed Price Menu excluding alcohol!) Listen to the other honest review below. Don’t bother going here

Ayla Upstairs, the fancier cousin next to Patois (although they're just as good, go there too!) serving HK and Caribbean influenced food and drink. You are greeted with a warm homage to Hong Kong decor: postered walls, deep red lighting, and stairs leading up to the open dining room and quaint terrace patio seating, which we opted for. Servers were friendly, accommodating and were not shy to explain the menu and its intricacies to us prior to and during dining. A highlight for us was the Typhoon Shelter Mushrooms, with their umami centric flavour and fragrant garlic crunch. The Drunken Sablefish was also a very tender and rich dish, brought together with the brown butter sauce and complimented by the pickled shimeji and shiitake. Both very great dishes! The steak tartare's cheung fun felt more reminiscent of cold skin noodles, although the taste was cohesive overall. Tofu was also a nice dish, but the slight lacking of texture (in my humble opinion) left more to desire- although it was a great opener with the tanginess of the pickle brine. Somewhere in my head as well, I thought the dessert was a mango pudding- but it was more of an homage to egg custard. Knowing that in hindsight, the dish was a refreshing finisher! (Although we dropped by Super Serve afterwards for some extra dessert, their raspberry and Earl Grey blend is amazing.) Great place to come enjoy the finer details of fusion food, and will be returning the next time there is a menu refresh or adjustment!

Incredible food, incredible service! Chef Craig and team have created something special here with their “homage to Hong Kong”. Some of the most creative dishes I’ve had in a long time. The personal touch and time Craig takes with his guests is the cherry on top! What a great spot.

These photos do not do this place justice- mainly because i was so fully immersed in the experience that i didn’t want to spare even a moment away from the present. From the curated decor to the dinnerware, from the names of the dishes to the presentation themselves- when you dine at AYLA, expect to be whisked away to a Hong Kong from the past for just an evening, to be engulfed by all the love that was put into this place, and down to the details, all the warmth in the souls of those who work here <3 The fusion of Cantonese, Jamaican, and European flavours was just incredible! The chefs: Danvee and Kevin really knew what they were doing! And especially with the small tapas/dim sum style servings? A brilliant way to try all the different flavours at once without getting too full :) A romantic spot to impress a date, a restaurant to check out as a foodie, a nightcap with friends when you’re just not ready to go home yet- AYLA Upstairs has all the answers.

The steak tartare tasted like eating cold dumplings, and the Cha Chaan Teng risotto had such a strong cheese flavor. It was good but it reminded me of a cheeseburger. The Iberico char siu was the tastiest dish, but the flavor was similar to what you could get from BBQ pork at a typical Chinese restaurant, so it didn’t feel particularly special. The restaurant’s decoration was beautiful, but considering the food, it’s not a place I’d feel eager to return to.

Sundays are for food crawls! Literally one of my favorite things to do is have a day full of yummy food and cocktails with my favorite people! This was the 3rd stop on a sunny summer day and it was divine! This is @patoistoronto sister restaurant, situated right upstairs, its a very cozy place with limited seating but has a great view of the city (perfect for people watching). We got lucky and were able to grab a table by the edge of the patio even without a res (but I would definitely recommend making one) Oysters: They were fresh and served with all the regular accompaniments Bread and uni butter: You had me at uni... But seriously the uni butter had distinct flavour but wasn't too strong. We added caviar and it was so good! Iberico pork secreto: Many of the times I order "Iberico" it really just tastes like regular pork. But this one was unbelievably tender and fatty, how real Iberico should be like! Shrimp cocktail: These shrimps were massive! And the cocktail sauce was good too Truffle fries: I love me truffle anything, and this was so bomb! The fries were crispy and there were real truffle shavings on top (none of that fake stuff) Wild salmon tartare: Presentation of this dish was on point, but I felt the overall taste was a bit underwhelming. The apple, salmon, dill and green apple didn't really stand out to me Honestly the service was great, the servers were all very attentive and accommodating. I do wish they had a few more cocktail options on the menu though, but I'm sure that could be added over time. I would definitely come back in the future, as it seems like their menu is seasonal/rotating

This restaurant was a great experience, from start to finish. My friend and I decided to opt for the tasting menu (without wine pairing). In terms of the food - every course was a hit. There was a great balance of flavours, textures and presentations throughout the courses with a focus on fresh ingredients. The presentation was non-fussy but beautiful. Portion sizes were on the smaller side. We loved the ambience - it was simple, elegant but relaxed and we enjoyed watching the sunset while eating on the patio. Service was quick, friendly and non-pretentious. I thought the tasting menu was very reasonably priced, especially when compared to other tasting menus in the city and would definitely recommend it to others. I'm looking forward to coming back again!

Cute spot with an eclectic menu and plenty of unique drink choices. We started with a red stripe and snowball - the snowball was a wonderful lager with flavors of plum and warm spices reminiscent of christmas time. We only tried a few bites from here; the oysters were delicious but the crudo was a bit flat. Overall this was a nice little hidden gem with exceptional service and the chef hand delivering her creations to the table, and I can't wait to try the rest of the menu!

Bar Mignonette, the sister restaurant of Patois, is a bar that has a seafood centred menu with a wide variety of alcoholic offerings located near Dundas/Bathurst. It is located on the second floor above Patois and has a patio that overlooks Dundas West. This restaurant opened this year amidst the pandemic where they utilized their patio in the summertime for outdoor dining. However, at the time of this review, currently, the city of Toronto has prohibited indoor and outdoor dining. Bar Mignonette, like other restaurants, has had to pivot to takeout/delivery only where they offer a multicourse set menu for a set price. They also have a selection of their alcohol for sale as well. Currently on their set menu are the following items (food descriptions taken from their ordering site): - House Smoked Salmon Rillettes with crudités, ikura, toasted pumpernickel - Cuttlefish Ribbon Salad (orange, cerignola olive, tarragon, preserved lemon vinaigrette) - Watercress Waldorf Salad (with apple, grape, celery, candied walnut, creamy sesame dressing) - 12 Hour Pork Belly (miso sake brine, sunflower pumpkin seed furikake) - Roasted Autumn Squash (garlic confit, sweet potato) - Crispy Chicharron (dry buttermilk umami powder) - Kimchi Brussels Sprouts - Apple "Rose" Cinnamon Bun (salted butterscotch, koji cream) Pre-ordering pickup was fairly straight forward as they use Tock - I selected a date and time for pickup. My pickup was fairly smooth where everything was packaged well. Food wise, the whole menu is meant to be shared where it generously feeds 2 people. Everything on the menu they offered was delicious. The house smoked salmon rillettes, cuttlefish ribbon salad, pork belly and the autumn squash were the highlights. Favourite has to be that pork belly though - fatty, delicious, and tender. Overall, great food for their takeout service. Would love to return to try their dine in menu once it's safe to do so!

The atmosphere, service and prix fixe meal was of the highest quality. We enjoyed every part of the meal -- from the simple bread and uni butter (very unique) to the fresh oysters, yellowtail tuna crudo and jumbo black tiger shrimp -- a great start to the meal. The Maitake mushroom, iberico pork, truffle fries and asparagus with roe were simply divine. Everything was decadent and rich. Top it off with a fresh rhubarb Palova and it was the the perfect ending. I can't wait to return and try the other menu offerings. Everything was delicious.

Heard good things and left horrifically disappointed. Writing this at a McDonald's drive through now following spending $590 for two bottles of wine and nibbles. Easily the fries were the best thing in the menu. Our group's food took more than two hours to come. The staff paid no attention to us. We legit drank two bottles of wine in two hours before any dishes came. And when the dishes finally came out they were sporadic. Some folks getting food far ahead of others making it quite odd to eat as a group. The ambience is decent, but it lost it's elegance and enjoyability after waiting so long with mediocrity surrounding us from a service perspective.

Nice hole in the wall restaurant. Food tasted amazing and the presentation was good, but the portion size was so-so. Staff were friendly.