Toronto's newest culinary hotspot is Black + Blue from Vancouver, which has been operating downtown for several months, bringing a unique classic steakhouse experience to the city with a modern twist and a vibrant twist. It has a spacious two-level space and an outdoor terrace. Black+Blue is part of the Glowbal Restaurant Group, which owns many well-known restaurants, such as Glowbal, Coast, Italian Kitchen, Trattoria, etc. Emad Yacoub, CEO and founder of Glowbal Restaurant Group, is the driving force behind this restaurant. His culinary journey began in Toronto, and now he returns to where he was to share industry trends and the group’s future plans.
Black + Blue is one of the only restaurants in Canada to be certified as authentic Kobe beef, and its menu is thoughtfully designed to allow guests to pick their favorite cuts from a Himalayan salt-lined meat case, offering high-quality meat selections. The menu cleverly presents meat and traditional steakhouse features, while adding new elements such as sushi and sashimi, such as yellowtail snapper, salmon, bluefin tuna, scallops, etc., paired with salmon roe and sweet shrimp. Normally, traditional steakhouses don't offer sushi, but Emad has always prided itself on the concept of combining steak and sushi.
The restaurant offers a variety of traditional dishes, including Caesar salad, Beef Wellington and crepes, all crafted on site by experienced chefs. The Caesar Salad is hand-mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, anchovies, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco, then topped with Parmesan cheese and topped with crispy Romaine lettuce. , topped with toasted crispy croutons. The Beef Wellington is cooked for up to four hours, using Canada's top tenderloin, wrapped in mushroom Duxell puff pastry, paired with heirloom carrots and Robuchon potato mashed, showing the ultimate smooth butter and richness. The perfect combination of cream. Finally, the Crêpes Suzette is also served tableside, paired with fresh strawberries and ice cream for a perfect finish.
Treat guests like friends
Emad Yacoub looked back on his entrepreneurial journey: "I still remember that time, I opened the first small coffee shop in Toronto, located on Yonge Street, and the business was booming, and then I opened the second one next to it. Then, because of My ex-wife's family got sick, and we had to return to Vancouver and open Glowbal, which became one of the most popular restaurants in Vancouver," continued Yacoub. To open a store in Toronto, we had to find a location that was the perfect fit for our brand, and I didn't want to slowly build momentum, which would have cost a lot of money and time in a downtown location where the owners didn't understand our potential as a Vancouver restaurant. I didn’t dare to take risks, so the deal couldn’t be concluded. Then when the epidemic came, no one was willing to sign the agreement, but I was the only one who took the risk, so we successfully got the opportunity.”
He was very excited to return to Toronto, saying, "My family lives in Toronto, and I feel very happy to be back in my hometown. When we successfully opened a store in Toronto, it opened up more store opportunities, and now people keep suggesting that we open a store in Toronto." New store, but we will make sure to only pick the most suitable location that fits our concept." Talking about Black + Blue's personality and unique concept, Yacoub described: "Our philosophy is to treat guests as if they were entertaining friends at home. Traditional. Steakhouses are usually dark and full of smoke, but what we created is a fun place with bright lights and you can see people laughing, many with happy smiles, and that's what we're going for."
Restaurants help lure people back to the office
Regarding the challenge of finding suitable locations in Toronto, Yacoub mentioned: "Previous owners were more inclined to rent locations to large institutions such as multinational companies or banks, but now they view restaurants as entertainment venues and they feel that if there are more downtown entertainment venues, bars and restaurants, then the chances of attracting people back to the office will be greatly increased. Whether the office in the commercial building is fully occupied is more important to the owner, because there is only 6,000 square feet below ground, but there are 1 million square feet upstairs. "They have to make sure that the area is vibrant and that's where the restaurant brings value to the owners."
Regarding the future of the restaurant industry, Yacoub put forward a thoughtful outlook: "The restaurant industry has experienced many fluctuations. Whenever the economy is down, the restaurant industry will be affected. But these fluctuations sometimes also bring about a self-purification of the industry. Now , people get very excited about opening their own restaurants because they regularly go to their favorite restaurants, spend thousands of dollars every week, and then start thinking that maybe they should open their own restaurant and be a place for friends to hang out. A restaurant is nothing more than running a business, and many people enter the restaurant industry without any business sense. Looking into the future of the restaurant industry, we will see many small restaurants flourishing, which is exciting because they are full of delicious food and innovation. .
He continued, "However, the impact of inflation will increase prices, which may eliminate many small restaurants as they struggle to survive. Especially after the epidemic, consumers have higher demands for dining out and they want to ensure that they get the maximum The satisfaction and expectation of walking into a grand venue, with ambience and musical accompaniment, full of interior decoration and performances, and enjoying an all-round customer experience means that people are more willing to spend money in these large restaurants. Small restaurants may face greater challenges. Survival pressure. "Yacoub revealed: "We are actively looking for new locations. In the next five years, our goal is to open three to four new stores in Toronto, including Italian restaurants and American restaurants. At the same time, we are looking for suitable locations in Miami, USA. Open restaurants in various locations. Let’s look forward to these delicious journeys together.
