Prolific Toronto chef opens new space above one of her top restaurants

One of Toronto’s most prolific chefs is opening a private dining lounge in the city.

Chef Nuit Regular, best known as the culinary powerhouse behind PAI, Sukothai, and Makilala (and as a major culinary player who has earned considerable recognition from the Michelin Guide), has just announced her new private dining space, UP Events.

Named for being directly above the flagship PAI location in Toronto’s Entertainment District, the space functions as an extension of Regular’s desire to innovate in Toronto’s food scene — not just offer more of the same.

Beyond that, UP Events also serves the public’s needs; as private dining locales become increasingly popular in Toronto, many have wanted big players to accommodate them quickly.

“We’ve received so many requests over the years for buy-outs and large parties, but we’re not always able to accommodate them due to how busy the restaurants are, or there is not enough space to accommodate them,” Regular told yourcitywithIN via email.

“We wanted to create a space where we could bring together everything we have learned across our restaurants and hospitality experiences, but with more flexibility to make the space truly about the guest and their occasion.”

In lockstep with her vision, every menu curated for guests will pull inspiration directly from all of Regular’s restaurants and will not be limited to just the ingredients downstairs at PAI.

This approach also impacts how menus are presented, as the team at UP is eager to tinker with everything at their disposal, meaning guests can anticipate just about anything, from canapés to family-style dining and multi-course menus.

“We wanted the space to have its own personality, but also enough flexibility for each client to make it their own,” says Regular.

“At the same time, we want the menu at UP Events to have its own identity and not feel like we are simply taking a restaurant menu and putting it into an event space.”

As a result, a balancing act relatively exclusive to the world of private dining is in full swing, as Regular and her team have to ensure that their culinary repertoire does not get washed out by the risk of blandness that comes with accommodating both larger and exclusive audiences.

To futureproof UP Events against potential monotony, Regular is ensuring that, from the ground up, all Thai and Filipino options in rotation will be adaptable to the needs of each party, while also making sure some Western classics stay in rotation as well.

[Rendering of the interior of UP Events. Courtesy of Chef Nuit Regular] 

“The process is really about building flexibility into the menu. We want clients to be able to customize their experience and have choices that feel appropriate for their guests, while still maintaining the quality and attention to detail that we are known for,” says Regular.

At the same time, Regular had to kill some darlings, saying that while the menus across all her restaurants are expansive, not every single one made the cut because it didn’t fit well in a large-group dining setting. Using this hurdle as an invitation, Regular and her team are now curating dishes exclusive to UP which evoke the flavours of ones that didn’t make the cut.

“Rather than forcing those dishes into an event format, we are exploring how we can take the flavours and spirit of those dishes and create something that works beautifully for a larger party,” says Regular.

As for the space’s launch, Regular thinks the timing couldn’t be better, as autumn is when people start to crave more intimate spaces, cuisine with some kick, and ambience that helps fight off the cold weather.

However, with social inclinations now leaning toward more private dining spaces — especially in Toronto — Regular knows she can’t rest on the laurels of her reputation and has to make UP one of the primary contenders in a market that is already growing fast.

“The room is only one part of the experience. We want people to feel looked after from the moment they begin planning their event until the last guest leaves… We have years of experience hosting guests, running restaurants, working with corporate partners and catering different types of events. We can bring that experience together under one roof,” says Regular.

As for the space, correspondence from Regular’s team says guests can expect a room designed to accommodate 100 to 200 people, with a contemporary vibe built on warm wood and marble interiors.

Beyond all the moving parts under Regular’s own purview, she also hinted that as UP gets into its rhythm, guests can anticipate some major collaborations with other heavy hitters in Toronto’s expansive dining scene.

As for what Regular wants people to take away from the new space, she simply stated, “We want people to feel looked after from the moment they begin planning their event until the last guest leaves.”

UP Events is now open at 22 Duncan St. for booking inquiries and is just upstairs from PAI.

[Headline photo: Jeff and Nuit Regular, courtesy of Jelena Subotic]