Grand Bizarre
Grand Bizarre is Toronto’s Saturday-only supper club, as unlike other restaurant or nightlife experiences as the name suggests, and every weekend is different.
It’s an ideal venue for larger groups of friends celebrating, as reservations are required for groups of eight or more and a currency system allows you to try anything you want from a number of vendors without having to split a complicated bill at the end of the night.
The 41,000-square-foot that houses the 500-seat Grand Bizarre is formally known as the Toronto Event Centre, crowned by a 60-foot-high dome.
Lighting and displays enhance the space, a live DJ, dancers and aerial acrobats taking the stage at various points.
Poker chips called “Bizarre Chips” are used as currency to purchase food items from vendors, though you still need real money to purchase booze. One Bizarre Chip can be purchased for $3.75, with price breaks at three for $10, 9 for $30 and so on.
Kimono Japanese Grill and Sushi has a setup with a paper lantern to mark its presence, serving beautifully-plated and torched sushi rolls with flowers and dry ice so they look as good as they taste.
Jalapeno salmon torched sushi (6 chips) has avocado, tempura bits and salmon with spicy house mayo and jalapeno on top, and the “Spicy Girl Flower” (8 chips) has avocado and spicy salmon with white quinoa and rice wrapped in pink soy paper.
Food Dudes miniaturizes an upgraded cheeseburger with a prime beef patty, bacon onion jam, cheddar, “frizzled” onion, iceberg, pickles, chipotle mayo, and an herb cheddar brioche bun (3 chips) and truffle fries (2 chips).
Carole’s Cheesecake stiks and slices cost 2 chips apiece. Stiks are build-your-own style, a base of matcha or original cheesecake dipped in white chocolate, Belgium chocolate or matcha chocolate, with rainbow sprinkle, candy cane or red velvet crumble options for toppings. The matcha flavour is rich and grassy and the element of choice is fun.
Grand Bizarre skews way more toward a nightclub than a bar beverage-wise, bottle service the main offering with options ranging all the way up to six litres of Ace of Spades Methusaleh champagne for $16,990.
A Grey Goose Grand Express Martini ($15) is essentially a standard espresso martini with Grand Marnier, Kahlua, Grey Goose and espresso, intended to suit the high energy environment. There’s actually Starbucks coffee available as well.
Around 10 p.m. five Caribana-style dancers hit the floor, starting out on the main stage and eventually making their way down to interact with the crowd. Apparently these various routines change week to week.
Hector Vasquez