If you ever needed a sign of Yorkville’s culinary credentials, look no further than Sofia restaurant, Christine Mast’s swanky new Italian – the Toronto-based chef is checking all the boxes when it comes to setting, ambience and menu. Particular applause, please, for local outfit Studio Munge which created a sophisticated progression of spaces, beginning with a foyer lined with rich red wall panels and black and white marble.
This leads into a lounge inspired by Italian art deco which is anchored by a circular bar wrapped in leather, and eventually into a dining room whose dimensions are exaggerated by rectangular columns clad in mirrors and a dozen Barovier & Toso chandeliers, alongside tables topped with Rosso Levanto stone. And with the city bathed in summer sun, the south-facing garden makes for a louche pit-stop with a pre-prandial Negroni spiked with limoncello.
In the Sofia kitchen, Mast masterminds a smart menu that blends Italian standards with modern flourishes – think Sardinian flatbreads topped with mozzarella and fava; spot prawns paired with melon, cucumber and dill; zucchini flowers stuffed with crab and truffles; coffee-scented duck breast; and Florentine steak warmed with Calabrian chili and lemon. Desserts are equally imaginative, not least the clementine semolina cake draped with basil cream.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
99 Yorkville Avenue
Toronto
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS
-
How Ichio Matsuzawa designed the almost-invisible bar defining Art Week Tokyo 2025During the art fair’s latest instalment, Wallpaper* met the Japanese architect to explore architecture as sensation, not structure
-
The story behind rebellious New York fashion label-cum-art collective, Women’s History MuseumMattie Barringer and Amanda McGowan’s multidisciplinary label has been challenging fashion’s status quo for the past decade. As they open a new exhibition at Amant, Brooklyn, the pair sit down with Wallpaper* to discuss their provocative approach
-
Mark+Fold Turns 10 with first Shoreditch pop-upBritish stationery brand Mark+Fold celebrates ten years in business with a Brick Lane pop-up featuring new products, small-batch editions and conversations with creatives
-
Matteo Thun carves a masterful thermal retreat into the Canadian RockiesBasin Glacial Waters, a project two decades in the making, finally surfaces at Lake Louise, blurring the boundaries between architecture and terrain
-
A new café-bar in Vancouver reawakens a modernist landmarkArthur Erickson’s Waterfall Building enters a new chapter with Ellipsis, a day-to-night gastronomic concept designed for conviviality
-
Has the ice cream parlour come of age?A global wave of architecture studios is treating the scoop as spectacle, turning parlours into immersive social spaces
-
The ultimate amenity in this Canadian apartment building? A trio of scene-stealing restaurantsPart of Citizen on Jasper, a new residential tower, Va!, Olia, and Mimi offer a thrilling day-to-night dining experience
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel deskWallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
-
Montreal Navigator: a guide to the city, from modernist marvels to gastronomic gemsMontreal, Quebec’s largest city, is a creative whirlwind, offering up a vibrant mix of arts and design venues, great restaurants, and a crowd-pulling cultural calendar
-
Vancouver restaurant Elio Volpe evokes a sun-drenched Italian beach clubExperience the laid-back feel of coastal Italy in Elio Volpe, a transportive new restaurant designed by Ste. Marie Studio
-
Take off with Wallpaper* June 2024: The Travel IssueThe Wallpaper* June 2024 Travel Issue is on sale now, ready to whisk you to the best of Ho Chi Minh City, Caracas’ modernist marvels, classy Canadian cabins, a Swiss sleep retreat, and more
