Daisy Toronto
Daisy is a destination for a baller girls' night out, seeking to appeal to women with everything from the name to the decor.
Formerly home to widely-reputed cocktail bar Rush Lane, you'll still find some drinks here that are experimental, but perhaps not as complex.
The space has gotten a total revamp, once a speakeasy that held a tight 33, now a 130-seat bar with a front lounge area and DJ booth.
An elevator has even been repurposed as a mirrored infinity room that's perfect for snapping selfies all night long.
When it comes to food here, it's all shareable tapas-style cold apps that remind me a little of catering at a fancy party.
Items like a fruit board ($13) are a perfectly basic example, but this is my kind of vegan and it's pretty fairly priced for a basic option presented lovingly.
All the fruit is fresh and tasty, and pineapple would really pop with some hard liquor, whereas strawberries and raspberries make for sweet palate cleansers between sips of champagne.
Guac and chips come in a pretty stingy portion for $10 but offer something a little different with salty veggie chips, adding shallot, sesame seeds, sesame oil, ginger and garlic to an otherwise standard chunky guacamole.
For $120 you can order "The Whole Nine Yards," everything on the menu except the guac and fruit.
Lobster rolls can be ordered a la carte for $19, an order of three brioche rolls stuffed with a homemade lobster salad with celery, lemon, organic mayo and garlic. The lobster to bread ratio could be a bit higher, but the shellfish itself is fresh and succulent.
Mortadella or turkey sliders are $11 a la carte, also served in orders of three. Shiny, sweet mini brioche buns sandwich mortadella, provolone, greens, marinated peppers and mustard, or smoked turkey, smoked cheddar, an apple slice, grainy mustard, greens and a lemon garlic aioli.
Steak tartare bites are $13 a la carte, orders of six teeny crostini topped with local AAA striploin marinated in soy, sweet chilli, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar for a light Asian take on a classic bar snack.
A jumbo shrimp cocktail ($12) sees four shrimp marinated in parsley, chilli oil, lemon zest and lemon juice so they're extra flavourful and juicy, served in a cocktail glass with house cocktail sauce.
Pretty much all cocktails are $15, like a Hazy Daisy made with Botanist gin, mezcal and lemon topped up with soda and garnished with a lemon peel and spritz of floral rosewater.
The garden-themed Perennial has Grey Goose, elderflower, a raspberry hibiscus puree, plus lemon, egg white and saffron.
Ball out on bottle service with Dom Perignon Rose for $1,100, or opt for comparatively-cheaper selections starting at $200 like Veuve, Bombay, Tanqueray or Crown Royal.
The people behind Daisy previously had club Liar Liar.
Hector Vasquez