Reign is a combination bakery, cafe, bar and restaurant situated inside the historic Fairmont Royal York.

As the name implies, the venue is meant to have a regal feel, like that of a private party at a noble manor house. 

As a Canadian brasserie with French elements, high-quality ingredients are sourced from across the country from about a hundred local farms.

With a capacity of 210, the space formerly home to Epic includes two private dining rooms.

Reign also provides an area for buffet-style breakfast in the morning.

Broken down into sections, there’s also a cafe/bakery area that closes at 4:30 p.m.

A bar/lounge space is complete with cushy low seating, a fireplace and a grand piano.

Specialty coffee, cold pressed juice and fresh pastries and bread are available from the bakery.

A Nicoise main ($25) is only available at lunch, a light and sophisticated scattering of soft-cooked duck egg, tomato, olive, fingerlings, haricot verts (green beans), and gently seared, delicate albacore.

Roasted duck breast ($32) from Brome Lake is known for being lean, moist and less dense and has skin that’s crackly and crispy and not at all too fatty or chewy. It’s accompanied by thick, crispy house frites, a mustard aioli and a luxurious red wine jus.

Aged tenderloin ($45) cuts like butter, with a crispy, hard-seared caramelized crust imprinted with the Reign logo. One of several steak options, this one is accompanied by green beans, velvety mashed potatoes topped with an incredibly rich and indulgent marrow butter, a thick jus and green beans.

Desserts include a strawberry rhubarb shortcake ($15) that sandwiches creme fraiche, with flavours of Grand Marnier and orange.

There’s also a pair of chocolate mousses ($15) with almond, cocoa crumb and salted caramel for the ultimate sweet and salty finish.

L’Hermitage ($18) is the name of a kind of noble retreat, a combination of Grey Goose, lemon verbena, rhubarb, Lillet Blanc, Cointreau, gentian, lemon and absinthe for a cute but powerful cocktail.

The Motley Joker ($35) is meant to be an odd man out on the cocktail menu with the “dark age” element of blue curacao, combined with a hefty, smoky combination of tequila and mezcal. 

Set off by green chartreuse, cucumber, lime and salt and garnished with a flower and fragrant cucumber peel, it’s served in a hand-blown glass made by Jakobsen Design.

There’s also a family style section of the menu with lobster thermidor, speckled trout, rotisserie chicken and porterhouse steak.

A limited menu is available at the bar.