New Restaurant: Yellow Door Bistro

Another new addition to our city’s dining scene, Yellow Door Bistro brings a breath of fresh air to what has long been a vacant space in the Hotel Arts. The bright yellow door opens at 7 a.m. and closes around 10 p.m. in the evenings, with the restaurant offering patrons…

Another new addition to our city’s dining scene, Yellow Door Bistro brings a breath of fresh air to what has long been a vacant space in the Hotel Arts. The bright yellow door opens at 7 a.m. and closes around 10 p.m. in the evenings, with the restaurant offering patrons breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

The interior of Yellow Door is a direct juxtapose to Hotel Arts’ other establishment, Raw Bar, the dimly lit cocktail hotspot just a few steps away. During the day, sun floods the dining room highlighting the eclectic window shutter walls and the white and metallic grey design accents.

The eclectic shutters on the walls at Yellow Door Bistro are antique, collected in Holland by the designers.

While the Alice through the Looking Glass-esque decor may be a bit much for some, it can’t be argued that the room exudes an imaginative playfulness. Whether you like the ornate rabbit lamps and gigantic black horse greeting you at the front door is up to you, but I did. At the very least, the room makes for an excellent conversation starter.

Now that spring has officially sprung, light, fresh-tasting seafood dishes like executive chef Duncan Ly’s wild prawn cocktail or the crab salad with brled grapefruit, butter lettuce and sliced apples in a sweet coconut lime dressing, are perfect choices to enjoy during the lunch hour or for a lighter dinner.

On the more filling side of things, the mushroom flatbread, a crispy thin crust layered with rich pesto, roasted wild mushrooms, confit garlic and gooey mozzarella, is deceivingly filling – and most definitely a bargain for $14. The sous-vide chicken breast comes out juicy, with a perfecty crisp skin and soft, flavourful polenta, accented by truffle jus.

To appease your sweet tooth look no further than the bright citrus notes of Ly’s lemon curd tart with berry sorbet, which reminds us all that warmer weather is on it’s way.

If you’re planning to come buy for some aprs-work drinks, Yellow Door has a nice selection of wines, port and whiskey. The small selection of specialty alcohols are well-crafted, but that said, Raw Bar is just a hop, skip and a jump away and with Christina Mah behind the bar there, you can always pop over there to sip on something a tad more elevated. I mean, after all, they’re family.

(119 12 Ave. S.W., 403-266-4611, yellowdoorbistro.ca, @YellowDoorYYC)

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