Skyflower
Skyflower is Toronto's rooftop patio with views of the CN Tower and a menu designed by a MasterChef Canada winner.
The patio seating nearly 80 sits atop the former One Loft space. Eric Chong's menu is a collision of Vietnamese, Thai, Korean and Chinese flavours and backyard barbecue favourites.
Your temperature is scanned before entering and then again after descending a stairway to a hostess station.
Another stairway decorated with a tropical mural by Gabriel Kizmet leads to the rooftop where you can order from a virtual QR menu.
Hamachi crudo ($19) is a simple but sophisticated combination of refreshing kumquat, cooling cucumber, tiger's milk, puffed rice for crunch and silky fish.
Tom Yum salmon ($13) sees diced mi-cuit Atlantic salmon swimming in a surprising chilled Thai hot and sour soup and topped with Thai spiced pepitas.
Sichuan street corn ($8) combines the nostalgia of corn on the cob with the unexpectedness of mapo sauce, cornflakes and Sichuan spice.
Satay lamb spiducci ($15) is a classic smoky grilled kebab, complemented by satay aioli, Indonesian spiced peanuts and cilantro cress.
Vietnamese lettuce wraps ($16) cradle juicy, mildly spicy sambal prawns, nuoc cham pickles and fermented carrots in soft butter lettuce.
Grilled beet salad ($14) is highlighted by a little fromager d'affinois, pistachio and beet powder, but really sings thanks to an addictive sweet and salty miso butterscotch.
Grilled octopus ($21) is slow-cooked and grilled for 12 hours to ensure a tender texture, then finished off with a gochujang glaze and watermelon radish.
Kalbi beef tacos are $18 for an order of two, but they're incredibly filling, stuffed with guacamole, sour kimchi and lots of Miami short rib.
Roasted bone marrow ($22) is probably the most baller item, braised short rib folded with buttery bone marrow topped with Sichuan gremolata and pickled shallots and served with crusty house sourdough.
Truffled grilled cheese ($18) is only on the late night menu which runs from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., black truffle cheese, caramelized onions and thyme butter stacked thick on house sourdough.
The Bananarama ($14) has a subtle banana flavour thanks to banana-infused rum and banana liqueur, combined with mole bitters and tonic.
A Pimm's Cup No. 9 ($13) is a pretty classic made with Pimm's, pink gin, cucumber, strawberry, lemon, ginger ale and mint.
You can never go wrong with an Aperol Spritz ($13) either, bubbly and Aperol topped with sparkling water and garnished with an orange slice.
The Rosita ($15) is a bitter booze-forward mixture of tequila, Campari, and sweet and dry vermouth garnished with grapefruit.
The Skyflower ($18) is super cute with its edible flower garnish, an easy-drinking combination of vodka, Makrut lime syrup, cucumber and basil.
There's also bottle service and cocktail pitchers, and when night falls colourful mood lighting changes the patio's atmosphere.
Hector Vasquez