Frenchy Bar et Brasserie — Restaurant in Toronto

We visited this restaurant twice in Feb and May 2025, thus, I will combine our experience from both visits. It’s a stylish open-concept restaurant in Hilton hotel near the Four Seasons Center for the Performing arts – home to the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada.

It offers you really good and quick service as well as relaxing, pseudo-classic, but not vulgar atmosphere. The restaurant is not too dark and music is not too loud. The chairs are comfortable. It's a good place for a romantic date where you could enjoy both flirty conversation and gastronomic delights.

ESCARGOTS Arguably these are the best Escargots in Toronto - pleasantly "meaty"/chewy with the perfect notes of garlic and parsley. The brioche was a high quality addition to enhance your palate experience.

BEEF TARTARE Property chopped beef tenderloin, cornichons, Dijon mustard and shallot were in their place, but added red wine vinegar moved the tasting palette towards sour part of "spectrum" which actually deteriorated experience. Toasted baguette was a bit too dry.

STEAK Pretty good and tender steak, but nothing special. It typically comes with fries, but we opted for the CLASSIC CAESAR instead. It’s definitely a well-thought-out dish that gives you pleasant contrast of flavors and textures with Baby gem, anchovy, parmesan, lemon, double smoked bacon, baguette croutons

GRILLED BRANZINO Grilled Branzino fillet was very good and perfectly matched with chermoula and roasted peppers (to emphasize how good it was, I have to admit that normally I don't eat peppers, but in this dish, they were a delightful exception!). However, beans didn't pair well with fish and made taste rather dull.

MUSSELS These are the best Mussels I ate in last 5 years: they smell and taste great, with the cream and white wine, garlic and herbs drastically improve pretty simple dish. Toasted baguette creates a great texutral contrast to the soft flesh of mussels.

DUCK CONFIT CASSOULET The dish is good with Herbe de Provence sausage, lardons, white beans, tomato, parsley, jus, however, I would say that it pales in comparison to the mussels (also, methinks that the duck breast is much more delightful part than duck leg). Additionally I would say that beans always make flavor pretty dry and should be avoided if you are looking for a brighter contrast of flavors.

CRÈME BRÛLÉE Methinks it's the best Crème Brulee in Toronto - the perfect texture, mild bitterness of torched crisp, not too sweet, The Chantilly cream and berries create a culinary masterpiece.

Tatin Profiteroles with salted caramel sauce, caramelized apple, and vanilla ice cream. You could get a bit of performance with that dish and it’s easy to share, but If you want to choose only one desert,definitely go with Creme Brulee!

Giffard Abricot Du Roussillon This is a fantastic liquor with fabulously concentrated apricot taste and smell, very nice and gentle, only 50 proof. You cannot find this liquor in Toronto stores, and it's really good.

Americano was very good as well - strong without being bitter.

Overall: it’s a great, highly recommended place for opera- and...

The most appalling experience and the most unaccommodating staff. Booked an afternoon tea experience for 4 people on a Sunday through Open Table. When we arrived we were told that our reservation was for a standard lunch experience and NOT afternoon tea. I showed the staff and manager my confirmation email which confirmed the afternoon tea experience, but I guess when I modified the booking date it removed the note for “afternoon tea” on the second booking. The hostess left briefly to find her manager. The staff and manager left us standing there for about 10 min, no updates, while they catered to other people with reservations. When I asked what was going on the same people who had been catering to everyone else finally came over (specifically the manager) to tell us they could not accommodate our afternoon tea experience as they were full. And that there wasn’t anything they could do. They kept offering for us to stay for lunch, but obviously that’s not what we wanted. There were no efforts to make any sort of accommodation for our inconvenience (we drove from Scarborough to downtown). No offerings of coming next time for XYZ, etc. Eventually I asked for at least a parking voucher since we parked in the hotel parking garage below the building. Again the manager left us for 10 min. He returned to say that since we did not use the hotel valet service and parked on our own that the remainder of the parking garage was owned by a third party company so there was nothing he could do. Again I asked if there was anything they were going to do for our inconvenience. Again he asked us to stay for lunch. After being disappointed and expecting an afternoon tea experience, the last thing we want to do is stay for food that was not what we were expecting. There was no offer to book us for a different date for afternoon tea. There was no offer for an afternoon tea voucher or discounted drink for next time, nor parking voucher for next time. They offered us nothing and it was an atrocious example of the service industry. If I could leave negative stars for their service I would. I cannot comment on the food...

A New Chapter for a Familiar Face: Frenchy

It's always a treat to revisit a beloved location, and I was eager to see the transformation of the former Tundra space. Frenchy now presents a stunning classic French cabaret aesthetic, a beautiful change of pace from its predecessor's Canadian focus. The design is elegant and inviting, setting a lovely stage for what promises to be a culinary journey.

For lunch, the menu offers a concise selection of mainstream French classics. To start, I chose the French onion soup, a benchmark dish for any French establishment. It arrived at the table beautifully hot with a perfectly caramelized, bubbling layer of melted cheese. Unfortunately, the flavour fell short. It was overly acidic and lacked the rich, deep complexity that comes from a long, slow reduction. The taste was also a touch too salty, and the individual components didn't feel cohesively bound.

Thankfully, the main course more than redeemed the meal. The burger, cooked to a perfect medium, was a standout. The patty was flavourful and well-seasoned, complemented by a delicious sauce and crisp lettuce. It was a well-executed dish that showcased the kitchen's capabilities and saved the experience.

Service, despite a busy lunch hour with one server managing three tables, was excellent. The server was attentive and handled the workload with grace and professionalism.

Frenchy has the potential to be a wonderful addition to the city's dining scene. While the French onion soup was a miss, the delicious burger and outstanding service demonstrate a foundation of skill and care. I'm hopeful that with a little more time to settle in, the kitchen will find its stride and elevate the classics to match the beauty of the new space. I'll certainly be back to see how this exciting new...