Like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes of the inferno, Salad King (340 Yonge, at Elm, 416-593-0333, saladking.com) is back in business. After several delays and a trial run last weekend, the reborn Ryerson cafeteria threw finally open its doors this morning.
The 20 year-old Thai trat was shuttered last spring when the heritage building at Yonge and Gould in which it was located partially collapsed. Six months later, a subsequent fire destroyed any chance of restoring the one-time Empress Hotel. Investigators have since labeled the highly suspicious six-alarm blaze as arson.
Now a half a block north of its original digs in the old Riley’s pub, the new 160-seat room was packed from the get-go with a mixed bag of returning Rye High regulars and TV news crews. Designed by Munge Leung, the unusually stylish second storey space overlooks the Yonge Street strip and its now-leveled former home.
“We only got our hydro service in 12 days ago after applying last July,” says a clearly relieved Salad honcho Ernest Liu.
Work transforming the ex-sports bar – located in another heritage building – took longer than expected. The results were worth the wait.
“Everything on the menu is exactly like it was before, though some of the prices have gone up a little bit,” says Liu. “About 85% of my kitchen staff have all come back and most of the servers, too. It’s like we never closed!”
