in the nyood

If someone would have told me 10 years ago that Queen and Dovercourt would be the home of a new chic high end restaurant I would have had a hard time believing it.
I lived in the area for years and I remember a time when the only food options in the neighborhood were Addis Ababa and Bacchus roti shop.
Both of which are still around, and are still worth a visit.
But things have certainly changed since the days when I would have to psyche myself up to go and rent a movie at 7 p.m.

Things were much more dodgy then, than they are now.
The "gallery district" is now a beehive of activity and everyday a new restaurant or lounge seems to be popping up.
The latest addition is a swank new restaurant called Nyood.
(pronounced "nude")
I actually hadn't heard much about it seeing as it had only been open for a couple of weeks and decided to give it a whirl on our last "date night".
Big daddy and I went straight from work (bonus is that it's within walking distance) and were one of the first tables to be seated.
First impression was impressive.
The space is beautiful and I was particularly drawn to the Hans J Wegner chairs that I have been eyeing for a while now- for home.
This would be a great way to see it they were as comfortable as they are beautiful.
The light fixtures were very cool, as was the long marble bar and huge cream wall covered in staples and some sort of gauze material.
It kind of has an old world, yet modern charm about the place.
The interior was designed by Commute- one of my favorite furniture stores in the city.
There were plenty of interesting design details that are very original and perfect for the Queen West West vibe.
Unfortunately my appetite has not been what it usually is (having been under the weather for a big chunk of the winter) so I really didn't feel like a cocktail.
Which is a shame because there was plenty to choose from- more specifically lots of champagne cocktails.
my favorite.
ah well, next time.
But after looking at our bill and noticing that big daddy's 8 oz (max) glass of wine was $18 per glass, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The food is sort of communal style and well....was not nearly as impressive as the decor.
We shared several items and all were underwhelming.
It would be fantastic if you were on a diet and really weren't hungry to start with.
The presentation of each dish was fairly dramatic with things like large wooden circular boards for the seared beef or a small hammered brass Indian style bowl for the baby beet salad
which was pretty, but again it was more style over substance.
And tiny tiny portions.
I can't imagine trying to share with more than one person as some of the dishes were barely more than two bites.
Like for example the trout ceviche. More onion than trout, and not good at all.
We joked that we might just have to hit a drive-thru on our way home.
Or Baccus Rotti..mmmm...
where was I?

Right, Nyood.

I'm sure the place will be packed with plenty of scenesters but I wonder if the steep prices will fly with the locals?
I think it would be a great place to take clients or go for A drink and a snack-
but I probably wouldn't go back if I was actually hungry and wanted a satisfying meal.
It is worth a visit though even if it's just to enjoy the fabulous interior.

Nyood
1096 queen st west
toronto
416 466 1888

Comments

[mama drama]

Were the chairs comfortable, though?