d|bar — Restaurant in Toronto

I wish to firstly address that I have not been the bar's guest before, and probably never will. However, the incident occurred after my dining experience at the wonderful Café Boulud, where I was taking the steps down as I capture a couple of images of the gorgeous architecture of the Four Seasons hotel under the permission of a staff from the restaurant. I observed the lobby for a few minutes and return to the front of the bar, which happens to be the waiting area -- completely isolated from the dining zone and lack of visitors. Suddenly, I was stopped by a bar/hotel staff, a manager, possibly, asking me if I was a hotel guest or not, and for the purpose of my photography. I kindly responded to him that, yes, I am a guest of the hotel restaurant and that I have been visiting the establishment since last year. And as I was demonstrating my appreciation for the beauty of the hotel by capturing the architectural design, he interrupted my speech and coldly informed me that he was not interested if I photograph the property, and started to explain that the bar was serving a group of "high-profile" individuals and that I was intruding their privacy and were making them "uncomfortable". As I attempted to explain what I was doing, he interrupted me once again and made me realize that he was referring to the moment where I stopped at the mid-level platform of the staircase, where I was aiming at the bar's piano located next to the dining area; however, remote from the guests. I remained to be polite and told the staff, while under the confusion of such investigative atmosphere, that I always respect other visitors' privacy (as I, too, am their guest) and that I always remain ethical when it comes to the hobby by not aiming the camera at them, and utilize the tool (for context, a mini hybrid camera, which the image quality cannot compare to cameras attached to smartphones) from far away, which was why I did not step into the bar but rather stood several meters higher and away from it, as to make the guests completely unrecognizable in the image. I voluntarily showed to him the two photos I took at that moment, which blurrily depicted (again, the camera was visibly a small one so its quality could not compete even with a cellphone) the stage of the grand piano half of the frame, and the partially-populated dining area taken from far above, as the staff stood there and stared at me infuriatingly. He ended our conversation, and stated for the second to third time, that I was making the guests "uncomfortable", turned around, and walked away. I apologized to him as he strolled and asked if the visitors reported the issue to him or not. He responded, "Yes", and I said sorry again. While it was completely understandable that such concern can be raised by some guests, even though the bar was dark to the point that no one could identify where my camera was aiming at (and I have nothing against the concerned guests either), the staff's suspicious, yet, annoyed attitude against me was completely unprofessional, as I never expected to be treated like this in a place I have been visiting for a year -- regardless of the fact that it is a five-star hotel. Moreover, he did not show any attention for my side's justification or remorse for humiliating me in front of other staffs (maybe guests as well) as if I was a paparazzi spying on the hotel guests by crossing into the bar area with proximity, as seen through his verbal and body language that intended to intimidate me -- a Southeast Asian young adult who travels alone in this neighborhood. I started to think about the fact that it was motivated partly because of my creative tool and non-formal look (but still appropriate) or not, which might portrayed to him that I do not belong in Four Seasons Toronto. In previous, I actually was treated excellently by my server at Café Boulud and the female receptionists of both dining establishments from that night, which made me raise the question of what Four Seasons aims to present for their proudly-promoted Canadian hospitality in...

We had the pleasure of visiting D|Bar inside the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto for Spring Afternoon Tea on Easter Sunday, and it was an absolutely delightful experience from beginning to end. The ambiance was refined yet welcoming, perfect for a special holiday outing, and what truly stood out was the exceptional service. The staff were warm, attentive, and professional, making us feel incredibly well cared for. Their thoughtful hospitality really made our afternoon feel special.

The Spring Afternoon Tea menu was beautifully curated and offered a wonderful variety of flavours and textures across savoury, sweet, and bakery selections. The mini croissant filled with Jambon de Paris, smoked cheddar, and garlic aioli was rich and satisfying. The deviled egg with lobster, Ossetra caviar, and fried capers added a luxurious and elegant touch. The stracciatella tartlet with tomato compote and pistachio crumble was both unique and refreshing.

On the sweet side, the honey blueberry mousse had a delicate balance of floral and fruity notes with a creamy texture. The lemon thyme yogurt tart was vibrant and slightly herbaceous, with a tart shell and playful meringue accents. The kiwi cheesecake stood out with its smooth vanilla filling, paired with a bright kiwi jelly and lime sablé base. The strawberry rhubarb roll offered a beautifully layered combination of Japanese sponge, strawberry curd, vanilla whipped ganache, and poached rhubarb.

The scones, served warm, came in plain and lemon poppyseed varieties and were paired with raspberry lavender jam, clotted cream, and lime curd. Each accompaniment added a subtle but complementary flavour to the perfectly textured scones.

To round out our experience, we enjoyed a special gin cocktail made with ROKU gin, exclusive to the Four Seasons. It added a botanical and refreshing flair that paired well with the entire afternoon tea service.

This was easily one of the most memorable high tea experiences we have had in Toronto. The elegant setting, exceptional service, and thoughtfully prepared menu made for a truly special Easter celebration. We would highly recommend D|Bar’s afternoon tea to anyone looking for an elevated and elegant experience...

Had a decent experience at d|bar for their March special, Tuesday Fondue night. Overall, it was a fondue for 2 at $35/pp ($70 couple), plus tax and tip

Let me start off with the good, as the fondue was wonderful, plenty to be able to absolutely smother all of your accompanying items. It came with broccolini (sprigadello), crispy mushrooms, shishito peppers, white baguette and some charcuterie. Service was very attentive, no issues at all there.

Now let me get into the annoying. After arriving at 6:30pm on a Tuesday, with a normal sized drinks menu, I would not have expected them to run out of a signature cocktail, let alone two, at this time of night. My wife ordered the "Le Mont Rouge" which was a delicious version of a mulled wine with Virginia Black Whiskey. I ordered the "Winter in Mexico", as it sounded delicious with mezcal, casamigos, chartreuse, strawberries and pepper. They were out of the drink because they didn't have green chartreuse. After asking them to omit it, the server then told me they were also out of the casamigos. I asked if they could make another mezcal based drink, but apparently the Daniel Boulud bartenders only know how to make the restaurant curated cocktails they do not stock liquor for. Next, I got to take a moment to look at the menu to order something else, so I ordered the "Toronto Mountain". The server said, they unfortunately could not make that drink either as they were out of several ingredients. When asking me what else I'd like, I had to promptly ask, "how bout you tell me what you actually have products to make". I ended up getting a glass of red.

Additionally, we asked the server if by chance there was any whole wheat or multigrain baguette, or even just whole grain bread to substitute with the white baguette for my wife. The answer being "no, it comes as it comes". Seriously? The Four Seasons doesn't have whole wheat?

The food was great, the server was attentive and polite, but come to think of it now reading back, the service was s**t. A place of this caliber shouldn't be out of bar basics, and not serve something as simple as whole wheat.

Disappointed d|bar, I had high...