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Aera
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Imagine dining in peak indulgence, 38 floors above the city, immersed in the clouds and unobstructed views of Toronto.
This dining experience is a reality at Aera, one of the latest restaurant ventures from leading restaurant and event group, Oliver & Bonacini Hospitality.
O&B currently has more than 30 restaurants and event venues across Canada—including ventures in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary and Halifax—and the hospitality giant continues to expand its presence across the country with more restaurants and food halls opening in 2024.
Aera opened on December 4, located at 8 Spadina Ave., inside The Well, the city’s massive new mixed-use complex with a range of shopping, condos, food and more.
Overall, Aera is an elegant, sleek restaurant with a sushi-meets-steakhouse vibe and a focus on paying homage to 21st century American cuisine. Aera contains several unique experiences within its sprawling space: a luxurious cocktail bar, a lavish sushi counter and a chef’s table looking into the open kitchen, and a private dining room, to name a few. During the day, folks who live and work downtown can stop in for a power lunch (starting January 17)–and at night, guests can enjoy late-night revelry in technicolour as the city lights up outside three sides of panoramic, floor-to-ceiling windows during dinner.
Excellence in design and an elevated culinary process are highlights at this restaurant, with motifs of the sky and flight throughout the entire brand and space. Go here for the impressive city views and stay for the attention to detail in food sustainability, presentation and guest experience as you enter the golden age of modern dining at Aera.
Wander into the lobby at 8 Spadina Ave. and beeline for the swanky elevators to the 38th floor to access Aera. The elevators open in front of the host stand for coat check, and you will then be led through a galactic-looking tunnel facing eastern views of the city on one side and the open kitchen and sushi counter on the other.
Aera’s ambient interior features a raised platform of banquettes and tables, and a range of seating options around the perimeter, including suave couches and chairs. A private dining room with hand-crafted, cloudlike artwork on the ceiling allows guests to book a more personal experience, while a four-seater chef’s table in front of the open kitchen offers guests the opportunity to watch their dishes being made and chat with the chefs as they come out.
Artwork inspired by a birds-eye view of the Toronto Islands adorns one wall, while the cover of the menu is graced with the longitude and latitude of the restaurant, showcasing the multitude of ways Aera references airspace.
Plus, Aera will be opening an expansive, sky-high, 40th floor outdoor patio come spring 2024.
Now, for the food and drinks!
Bar Manager Josh Hofley is the expert behind making the perfect cocktails at Aera, inspired by 60s-era Americana and steakhouse vibes, but using modern techniques. The Amelia, pictured above, infuses Belvedere vodka with St. Germain elderflower liqueur, blackberry, mint and lemon, for a bright, fresh and fruity drink.
The bar menu includes both signature and prestige cocktails, martinis and spirit-free drinks. Of note, the Aera Manhattan (Sazerac rye, Cocchi vermouth, black walnut bitters, served with an orange knot and cherry) and The Runway old fashioned (Woodford reserve bourbon, orange, maple, smoke) can be ordered in 12oz carafes for the table, with as many glasses as you’d like–a solid option for everyone in a large group to get a taste of two classic cocktails.
Another notable cocktail on the signature menu is the Something From Nothing, a play on an equal-parts cocktail with no main spirit, meaning there are no acids or sugars in this drink. The Something From Nothing consists of luxardo maraschino, Amaro Nonino and green chartreuse.
Le Concorde is a prestige cocktail that incorporates Courvoisier VSOP, Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao, Wray & Nephew overproof rum, lemon and orgeat. Hofley explains that this is a play on a Japanese cocktail, using a special technique to clarify the liquor with milk so that the drink is crystal clear.
Executive Chef Binit Pandey leads the charge on food at Aera, executing the detailed and process-oriented, 21st century American-inspired menu–created by O&B Corporate Executive Chef Anthony Walsh–with experience and elevation.
Over the past 15 years, Pandey has worked in restaurants across India, Germany, Qatar and now Canada, where he has been a chef with O&B for three years. He was invited to cook Indian food at Germany’s Le Noir, a two-Michelin-star restaurant, before moving to Qatar to work in hotel dining and events. As the Executive Chef at Aera, Pandey and his team bring sushi and American classics to life in both flavour and presentation.
“Our priority is to make sure each guest gets a premium product at a premium stage,” explains Pandey. “It’s about taking the small things a notch higher. It’s about being real, authentic and modern.”
Aera’s menu is divided into three sections: sushi, dinner and dessert. The sushi section is further broken down into sashimi, nigiri, signature rolls, maki and tempura. Notably, the Maguro Tuna sashimi and nigiri come in different cuts based on the leanness or fattiness of the meat: akami (leanest), chutoro (medium fatty), and otoro (most fatty). There is also an option to add edible gold leaf and caviar for a spectacular presentation and refined crunch.
Pandey highlights that the menu at Aera has a major focus on sustainability and the restaurant’s carbon footprint. One example is the process for the bluefin tuna, where the restaurant uses as much of the tuna as it possibly can across its menu, from the sushi to the tuna tartare, to the tuna steak and more. Parts of the tuna bone are even used in the presentation of certain dishes—it is plated among the sushi in the above two photos.
Getting deliveries in bulk, shopping local and serving seasonal are also part of this important process in the restaurant’s commitment to sustainability.
The extensive, curated and balanced dinner menu at Aera consists of starters; steakhouse-inspired classics; a raw bar and caviar; broiled seafood; composed plates; steaks, loins and chops; and vegetables and sides.
The Maritime Tuna Tartare is part of the raw bar and caviar section. This dish infuses chilli crisp, avocado and grapefruit for a delectable, soft, citrusy experience, accompanied by a large, spiced, crisp for flavour and texture.
The PB & J Foie Gras is a staple on a few O&B menus, such as the recently opened The Joneses. A twist on an American classic PB & J sandwich, this dish is laden with seared foie gras, kernel peanuts, brioche and concord grapes. The foie gras is from Quebec, and even the egg, the peanuts for the peanut butter, and the bread are locally sourced. The PB & J Foie Gras is creamy, smooth and grape-forward, which makes for a pleasing and nostalgic appetizer.
“You can see that the bread is cut in the shape of a mushroom,” explains Pandey. “We use the same bread’s crust to make croutons. Every single thing has been thought about.”
The premium cuts of steaks, loins and chops are served au jus. This U.S. Prime rib eye steak is decadent, juicy and topped with greens. Leading a meticulous team, Pandey has calculated that it takes an average of 45 seconds for a dish to get from one end of the restaurant to the other, ensuring a fresh, quality meal straight from the kitchen to your table.
The Stuffed Chicken Breast is a truly special and indulgent dish, with a truffled, locally foraged mushroom stuffing and forestière sauce. Pandey says that this may be his favourite dish—he and Walsh have spent many a morning preparing the chickens for this specific item.
Finally, the Banana Split Puffs are an elevated take on a childhood favourite for dessert. This large dish is great for sharing, with house made profiteroles, caramelized bananas, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry ice cream and hot fudge, garnished with engraved pieces featuring the Aera logo.
“We believe in process and recipe,” says Pandey. “Our place is run by process, not by people. No matter if I’m there or not, the process comes out the same. Our focus now is getting the process right. It’s not about me. It’s about the food. It’s about getting the standard right.”
Aera is open for dinner Monday to Wednesday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Thursday to Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. The bar is open from Monday to Wednesday from 4 p.m. to midnight, Thursdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to late, and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to late. Late night and bottle service are available Thursday to Saturday from 9 p.m. to 2 p.m., an experience that features weekly rotating DJs. Happy Hour (“Golden Hour”) will also launch on January 17.
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