{"id":5243,"date":"2025-01-07T18:23:16","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T18:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/?p=5243"},"modified":"2025-01-07T18:23:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T18:23:17","slug":"a-world-away-eloras-lobby-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/2025\/01\/07\/a-world-away-eloras-lobby-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"A WORLD AWAY: ELORA\u2019S LOBBY BAR\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A WORLD AWAY:
<\/em>ELORA\u2019S LOBBY BAR <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tend to think of hotel lobby bars as exotic sanctuaries: places where shrewd deals
are made, great novels are written, stolen glances are met, and fashionable strangers
\u2013 international jet-setters fresh off flights from distant ports of call \u2013 might be seen quietly sipping stiff drinks in dimly-lit corners. And these luxurious sanctums, generously appointed with the finest art deco or mid- century modern flourishes, almost always offer a feast for the eyes. They tend to be exciting. Enchanting. Enticing. I\u2019m easily seduced by the very thought of great lobby bars. And one has just opened in the village of Elora. Well, sort of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s a Thursday evening in early November and I\u2019m enjoying cocktails with successful Elora restauranteurs Becky and Ardin Lalui at their latest enterprise: the Lobby Bar \u2013 a cozy thirty-seater that occupies the main floor of the village\u2019s historic Dalby House flatiron building. I\u2019m here to learn more about this new destination: to experience its vibe, enjoy its drinks, savour some of its shareable-centric dishes. \u2018I\u2019ve dreamt of turning this space into a hotel lobby bar for years now,\u2019 Becky tells me as I take a long sip from my \u2018Naked & Famous\u2019 (a mix of mezcal, aperol, strega, lime juice). \u2018The only thing missing was the hotel,\u2019 she chuckles. It\u2019s true. The Dalby isn\u2019t a hotel. It was one, in Elora\u2019s distant past. And is slated to be one again, if plans come together. Not now, though. But that hasn\u2019t stopped Becky and Ardin from opening their dream lobby bar in the building anyways. And that\u2019s okay with me because, even if there happened to be rentable rooms above our heads that I had booked for the night, I would no doubt be spending all my time in this exquisite space instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2018We really didn\u2019t spare any expense when we built out the place,\u2019 Ardin tells me. It doesn\u2019t take long for me to see what he means. All around us opulence abounds. The lion-printed Gucci wallpaper, for instance, and Spanish ceramic tiles. The handmade banquettes and Russian lampshades. The cascading glass chandeliers. Coffered ceilings. English ceramic sculptures \u2013 of cheetahs and flamingos and more \u2013 positioned throughout. Hand-fired tiles fitted across the bar front. \u2018We drew inspiration from our favourite lobby bars and restaurants around the globe,\u2019 Becky remarks, \u2018including the lobby bars at The Savoy, Claridge\u2019s, and Brown\u2019s [all in London], the bar at Hotel de Jobo [in Paris], as well as the Library Bar at The Royal York [closer to home in Toronto].\u2019 As Becky tells me these things, my eyes continue to wander. I spot a cheeky brass monkey seated next to a bottle of Campari. A couple of ceramic toucans perched beside an elegant tube amplifier (connected to a direct drive turntable which puts work in during the Lobby Bar\u2019s \u2018Vinyl & Whisky Wednesdays\u2019). Palm-sized brass cherubs holding whimsical chandeliers that light up the bar. The easter eggs are everywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And the place\u2019s extravagant interior design is backed up by its wonderful seasonal bar menu and delectable shareable dishes. As the three of us continue chatting over drinks, the Lobby Bar begins filling up with locals and out-of-towners looking for drinks and nom noms. Fashionably-dressed couples who are probably spending the night at the Elora Mill. A family who could have easily driven in from Kitchener-Waterloo. A handful of locals \u2013 including my fianc\u00e9e, Liz, who is here with a bunch of her co-workers from Becky and Ardin\u2019s other Elora Joint, The Friendly Society. As I take a last sip of my \u2018Naked & Famous\u2019, Executive Chef Mark Gebran \u2013 who oversees the kitchen here (and at The Friendly) \u2013 begins delivering a number of treats to our table. Formerly from Beirut, and with kitchen experience at the Four Seasons, Mark is a fantastic chef and has designed an Asian-inspired menu at the Lobby Bar the purpose of which, in Becky\u2019s words, is to \u2018take you away to some exotic locale.\u2019 First up: an order of \u2018Edamame\u2019 (with togarashi spice & sea salt flakes), the \u2018Black Tiger Shrimp Bowl\u2019 (poached shrimp, iceberg, rice, edamame, broccoli, scallion, mango, sesame, avocado ginger aioli), and the \u2018Chicken Satay\u2019 (roasted skewered chicken breast, rice, yellow curry, chive, scallion sesame aioli). While the edamame is seasoned perfectly (with a pleasing amount of heat) and the shrimp bowl is fantastic (because shrimp), it\u2019s the chicken dish \u2013 and especially its aioli, which gives me tahini vibes \u2013 that wows me. I pair these shared plates with a \u2018Jungle Bird\u2019 (dark rum, aperol, pineapple juice, lime juice, brown sugar cinnamon syrup) and excitedly await the arrival of more delectable dishes. It\u2019s not a long wait. Next up: \u2018Tuna Tataki\u2019 (seared tuna, edamame, cress, sesame, yuzu dressing), \u2018Vegetable Udon Noodle\u2019 (shiitake mushroom, edamame, broccoli, bok choy, chili, scallion, soft tofu, sesame, sweet chili soy sauce), and \u2018Saikoro Wagyu Tenderloin\u2019 (seared wagyu tenderloin, bok choy, red chili, chive, sesame, honey soy glaze). Again, all fantastic. It\u2019s the tuna dish, though, that I fall hard for. Meticulously seared. Wonderfully balanced. Perfect with chopsticks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By now the place is packed. Tables filled. The bar jammed. Above the din I make out a Tears For Fears track on the stereo. I scan the crowd and imagine that I\u2019m at some distant hotel lobby bar \u2013 and that all of these people\u00a0are just passing in the night. Many of them are. Chef Mark brings out dessert: three flavours of mochi ice cream (matcha, coconut, and passion fruit) and a slice of Japanese cheesecake. And three spoons. And espressos too. Delicious. And, just when I think the night might be wrapping up, Ardin orders more drinks for the table \u2013 boulevardiers \u2013 and we keep the evening going. Liz and her crew decide to join us, and before long someone is spinning old big band classics on the place\u2019s record player. I feel like I\u2019ve been transported once more to some distant exotic sanctuary. It\u2019s a wonderful feeling to have. In this beautiful village. At this terrific lobby bar \u2013 another gift to Elora from Becky and Ardin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With or without a hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE LOBBY BAR\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>143 METCALFE ST UNIT A, ELORA\u00a0thelobbybar.ca<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A WORLD AWAY:ELORA\u2019S LOBBY BAR  WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHRIS TIESSEN  I tend to think of hotel lobby bars as exotic sanctuaries: places where shrewd dealsare made, great novels are written, stolen glances are met, and fashionable strangers\u2013 international jet-setters fresh off flights from distant ports of call \u2013 might be seen quietly sipping stiff […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[93,2,118,53,142],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-community","category-elora","category-food-drink","category-toque-25"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1DSC_4437.jpg?fit=1920%2C1279&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8KDF5-1mz","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5243"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5271,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5243\/revisions\/5271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toquemagazine.com\/hello\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}