RH Toronto | The Gallery at Yorkdale — Attraction in Toronto

I'm not sure what amuses me more ... the fact that restoration hardware is made for giants or that there was literally over 20 people trying to take selfies in the showroom and pass it off as if it's their living room.

So this absolutely crazy huge store is like a villa in Yorkdale. With a roof top terrace to show off the summer patio loungers and fountains, museum like rooms of bathrooms and bedrooms, champagne bar AND their own full service restaurant that looks like an outdoor patio with trees ... it's just really impressive. There are no other words for it.

For those who are not familiar with the brand... imagine a posh modern and subtle elegance of a California mansion would be like. It's basically Restoration Hardware. With a colour palette of only neutrals (beige, nude, dark woods, cream, and the occasional black or gold), the whole look is subdued and simple and yet quite refined. Every room you walk into is like a magazine quality shot. There's tons of floors and rooms for you to wander ... either to gain inspiration or drool over some gorgeous piece before getting sticker shock. Oh yes ... beauty doesn't come cheap.

You like that dining room table ... it's $3900 without chairs. Chairs are $400 and up ... each. A child size little tufted family room chair is $1800. Chandeliers are easily in the $8000 range and up.

A few of the items I did touch felt wonderfully soft though. Where I would think it would be hard or stiff, the materials are silky and smooth. So maybe the higher price point is kinda warranted ... maybe? I did like their rugs a lot. Not sure if my toes would appreciate the extra $5000 I would pay for it.

As for service, they did have a fair number of staff on each floor. They greeted everyone and I think they realize most people are browsing. That's because you need a 4000 sq ft house for most pieces. I'm not exaggerating. A standing closet was easily 10 ft tall. I couldn't even teach the 4th shelf ... I'd need a ladder to teach the top shelves. Couches are 5 cushions wide ... I could lay down and still have enough room to spread my arms out. A sales staff did laugh with us when he overheard how I felt tiny standing beside everything. He said that you definitely need a mansion for this stuff.

This brings me back to the selfie takers and trying to pass this spot as your own house. No one is gonna believe you ... the fact that you have random people walking in the back drop or you see the restaurant or another furniture setting behind you is just .... baaaad. Even good photoshop can't save that pic. But we saw entire families sitting on the couch and took a shot together as if they're in their living room. Oh Toronto you're funny ... no one can afford to rent a 650 sq ft downtown condo but here you're posting selfies of your glam luxury mansion.

I've got to admit some of the pieces are beautiful and the layout does inspire you. Perhaps if you can land the lotto max, this would be a great stop to furnish that new mansion or ... pretend...

In our search for refined fusion dining options in Mississauga, I stumbled upon this gem, RH Toronto the gallery at Yorkdale, after being drawn in by its alluring Google images.

According to Google search, RH consists of four levels and 70k of both interior and exterior square feet space. The creative and scrupulous gallery setting concept presents a stylish and tasteful installations of home furnishings, showcasing RH Interiors, RH Modern and RH Outdoor. The patrons could visit The RH Courtyard Restaurant to enjoy fusion cuisines and a magnificent selection of craftsman wines and beers.

My sister and I decided to explore this ingenious mix of gallery showroom/restaurant and strive for a fusion culinary experience at the RH Courtyard Restaurant (with expectation).

Despite its low profile yet modern entrance, the interior unfolds into a remarkably spacious and contemporary setting with vibrant yet elegant decoration. The modern ambiance is featured by consummate chandeliers lighting and a 4 storey high ceiling and 140 feet wide skylight allowing for a delightful dining experience where you can scent both the flavors and the visual appeal of your meal (with high expectation).

We decided to start with two simple dishes because we knew that the simplest dish could actually reflect the chef culinary abilities. Our order included Caesar Romaine with Parmigiano Reggiano garnished with Sourdough Croutons and RH burger served with Dijonnaise, pickles and onion. We took a rain check on dessert this time cause we wanted to try a dessert speciality shop later.

Our meal was served in a fast manner, however the presentation of the double patty-burger was a bit lame-impressed: the burger bun did not look appetizing; and the it was garnished with a think slice of tomato on a lonely small piece of 🥬 (see photo). The Dijonnaise was not delectable to compliment the rather dry and tasteless burger. We did not expect a generous portions but at least we would like to have a delish succulent burger with a small handful of lettuce. The burger 🍔 dish did not arouse our appetite greatly.

The waitress, marked by her politeness, was fine; however she could improve her attentiveness further.

Without a doubt, this restaurant/showroom was a perfect choice offering an exquisite yet memorable atmosphere for special occasions and instagrammable photo shoots. However if the food quality could be improved for those who are seeking a memorable culinary experience, then this could surely let the patrons enjoy an awesome dining experience in a private courtyard surrounded by modern chic showrooms. I must admit strolling around the meticulously designed showrooms left me an awesome impression of RH home furnishings.

Overall, the service and the food was mediocre, however the ambience and the vibes were comfortable and memorable. Personally I enjoyed wandering around the impeccably designed home furnishings more than the uninspired restaurant meal. I would say this place is more style...

We recently visited RH and sat down right away with a consultant who offered his help. He put together a quote for us as we had several different furniture pieces in mind. A great experience the first time HOWEVER....

We went back to finally purchase these items on our quote. We were directed by the door greeter to a lady named Lucy. She was extremely rude and condescending. I’m assuming because we are a young couple she didn’t think we would actually buy anything. She told us we had to wait 45 minutes in order to have someone essentially swipe our credit card. Then she asked us what we were buying ... a completely unnecessary question in our opinion as she is not the one checking us out. She told us to walk around the mall for a bit to kill time. So we did and grabbed a coffee.

Our 45 minutes were up and we headed back. As soon as we got back she couldn’t have ran over any quicker to us to tell us no outside drinks allowed. They recently took their coffee bar out of the store which had one of the best lattes in Toronto so, if they’re going to take the coffee bar out we should be allowed to bring our drinks in. We’re not children, we won’t spill them. Strike two for Lucy!

We finally got up to an associate and purchased several items for our house we are building. He was great! I believe his name is Thomas! He’s a little crazy but a lot of fun and very nice, realistic, and practical. He’ll tell you what to avoid and what to buy when it comes to quality. He also knows exactly the look you are aiming for and really helps you out. I will say he had a very hard time navigating through the website because the screens they give them are tiny. Once we came back downstairs we ran into Lucy again as she was heading home ... what a pleasure. Ironically, she also had an outside drink in hand, and this time (after we’ve swiped our credit card) she was nauseously kind too us. Strike 3 your out Lucy. I hope you enjoyed your TTC ride home!

Moral of the story, if you know what you want...Just go online and order it yourself. Lucy claimed you get special “hook-ups” if you order through an associate but you don’t. Our associate actually screwed up our delivery date but we won’t blame him for that, we’ll blame the 10” laptop screen RH supplies...