Writer's Room Bar, located on the 17th floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel, serves up tasty cocktails, sharing plates, and a great view of the Toronto skyline (they have a patio!). My friend and I recently dined at Writer's Room Bar on a Thurs night for dinner. We made reservations ahead of time but got there 30 min before our reservation time. Staff mentioned that our table was ready and we were promptly guided to our table. The space is moody and elegant, yet classy, where the main views of the city serve as the backdrop to a great night out.
Drinks wise, they have your classic cocktails as well as additional unique cocktails that exclusive to the Writer's Room Bar. They also have some mocktails as well as a wine list as well. Food wise they have small bites and larger plates. My friend opted to share our dishes. These are the items we ordered to share:
- Scallop crudo (Iberico ham stock, candied pecan, black apple)
- Korean fried chicken (bibb lettuce, kimchi, ssam sauce)
- Grilled octopus ('nduja vinaigrette, marinated artichoke)
- Whole grilled branzino (smoked dashi butter, trout roe)
- We both got the Time & Wander cocktail (gin, calvadose, cinnamon orange, and egg whites) - listed as a light and refreshing cocktail.
The cocktail we got was indeed light and refreshing. The best part is that there was...cocktail art where a design was made on top of the egg whites. Beautiful and unique! The cocktail tasted well and we both enjoyed it.
The scallop crudo dish sounded interesting with the different ingredients. There were some thin crackers that came with the dish but after a while I opted not to use the cracker to eat the dish. The scallops tasted great and the Iberico ham stock was interesting as it came in a jelly cubed form. The candied pecans gave the dish a sweeter note while the black apple cubes were tart and refreshing. An interesting dish but not our favourite of the night.
The Korean fried chicken came in a 3 tiered plating stand where you wrap the fried chicken in the bibb lettuce and add your sauces. The chicken was fried well and was crispy. The three condiments that came with the dish, especially the ssam sauce, tied all the ingredients together and was delicious!
Grilled octopus was a good portion - we got 3 tentacle pieces. It was cooked well and the octopus was tender. The artichokes added a tartness which cut through the dish. Overall, a decent dish.
The whole grilled Branzino was also great. It came deboned and the char and cook on the fish was perfect. The skin of the fish was still crispy and the dashi butter and trout roe sauce tied the whole dish together. The dashi butter and trout roe definitely was the star of the dish - extremely tasty!
Service wise, our server was attentive and friendly. We never felt rushed and the pace of how the food came out was just right. While I was making the reservations it was noted that there would be a 1.5hr seating time limit for parties of 2. We were also told this by the host as well. However, we actually stayed for about 2 hours where we were never rushed out of the restaurant. The patio door is still open if you want to take in the views. My friend and I headed outside after dinner to take a few photos of the skyline at night.
Overall, great dining experience, good food, and fantastic views. read more