The Beverley Hotel is Toronto’s newest boutique property. It opened its doors in late July at Queen and Beverley.
I rode down on my bike for a visit over the lunch hour whipping past Zara, Gap and H & M. This particular strip of Queen Street is honestly not one I visit often. The once artistically vibrant zone has for many years been taken over by international brands which aren’t so appealing to yours truly. Kudos to The Rivoli and Horseshoe Tavern for adding flare to the Queen and Spadina corner (Banh Mi Boys I heart you too)!
The team at The Beverley Hotel are looking to showcase the original creative spirit of Queen West. Their revitalization project is offered up in the form of a boutique five story hotel offering hip and contemporary petite guest rooms as well as a top notch food and beverage program via their main dining room and roof top patio. Toronto food fans will recognize Chef Eric Wood’s culinary inspirations via his past work at Hawthorne and Fabarnak.
My visit started on The Beverley’s rooftop patio which is a perfectly pretty space which offers a 360 degree view of the cities downtown core. I sat on a comfy bench with plush pillows while sampling a few of the rooftops BBQ centric offerings. For the summer their Bvrly Burger features crispy grilled cheese, briney pickle and slice of watermelon. Wrap sessions are perfect for sharing and include grilled meat skewers as well as quinoa salad, salsa and pickled fennel and onion.
From my seat in the main dining room I watched the hustle and bustle of Queen Street to the right and stared up at vintage shots of the neighbourhood from many moons ago to the left. Highlights include a refreshing Pimms Cup, sweet Ribbon and Grains salad, Grand Fromage featuring the 2013 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix winner (an addictive ricotta produced locally in Ontario) and sublime Halibut resting on creamy potato leek fondue with beet and scorched fennel to pack a punch.
Those who work in the area (or who are looking for a spot to have a quick business lunch) will quickly become fans of the daily “4 Play @ Lunch,” concept. Quick eats meets bento box: the team in the kitchen creates a daily special which includes salad, appetizer, entree and sweet finish. The theme that afternoon borrowed inspiration from Japan. I slurped up sesame rich soba, crunched through tempura vegetables, dove into the steak and ended the adventure with a wee dish featuring sweet plum, almond and yuzu.
The Feast:
Beverley’s Hillbilly
bourbon, grand marnier, simple syrup, fresh lime and raspberries
Pimm’s Cup #335
pimm’s #1 cup, grand marnier, lime, cucumber, ginger ale
Wrap Sessions
tortillas, lettuce, condiments and skewers from the grill: beef heart, lamb, pork belly, duck
Bvrly Burger
guernsey cheese, bordelaise, pickle, watermelon, kennebec fries
Grand Fromage
ricotta, cold press canola oil, tomato chutney, sourdough
Ribbon and Grains
quinoa, radish, asparagus, anise, raisins, fennel pollen gastrique
NS Halibut
potato leek fondue, sherry’d beet, charred fennel, orange and chervil pesto
4 Play @ Lunch
soba and bonito salad
tempura vegetable fritter with maple soy
five spice flat iron steak with avocado puree
yuzu almond plums with vanilla whip and biscuits
