Aioli ups its game: Maraval restaurant adds fun dishes to menu

Covid19 has changed the way restaurants operate, and Aioli has made major changes to adjust to the new normal.

These include a new design for physical distancing, and a focus on comfort food that can easily be had at home.

The Aioli Marketplace in Ellerslie Plaza, Maraval carried pre-made and frozen food pre-covid19. However, when at-home dining became necessary with the advent of the virus, the range of items was expanded.

“This year has made a seismic shift in how we live and even in how we relate to food. Our circles have gotten smaller and our physical options reduced, but we still want to live well. That is what Aioli is about,” said executive chef John Aboud.

He said with covid19 there has been a bias toward comfort food – meals that can be eaten alone, with family and friends, while watching a favourite movie or show, in a bed or couch, out of a favourite bowl or the container it came in with no judgement.

With restaurants re-opening for dining, and because of the relatively small space of “upmarket,” so called by staff because of the restaurant’s upstairs location, the owners felt more needed to be done.

So, from Monday, customers will have the choice to customise made-to-order meals of pasta, pizza, sushi and more to take home.

Customers can build their own pasta dish, choosing from 12 styles of pastas, nine sauces, and various seafood and meats. There is also a new cheeseburger pizza that is expected to be a hit.

Chef Aboud playfully created fun, new sushi rolls that reflect his “mild obsession” with video games. They include the thick and meaty Sho-Ryu-Ken, inspired by Streetfighter; a colourful roll called Rick and Morty after the animated science fiction sitcom; and the smoked rabbit-filled Who Framed Roger, named after the live-action/animated film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

“What we did here is to take a more playful approach to food, like the fun sushi names. It frees the consumer to not feel guilty about eating this in their PJs at home or on their Zoom end of year meeting. You just have to call ahead, place your order, decide if you want to pick up a wine or chocolate to accompany it, and enjoy at home.”

The original Aioli was designed by Karen Aboud and she is at the helm of the redesign.

The space now has much fewer tables, but is also more open with three new counters where people can sit and watch chefs and bartenders at work.

The design includes a lot of stainless steel, shades of grey, a dramatic chandelier cluster reminiscent of a restaurant ticket holder, hints of Italy and Paris on the walls, and functional aspects such as the air conditioning and vents are exposed. Yet, it all feels warm and welcoming.

Karen described the look as “industrial and quirky.” However, she said the aesthetic is true to the brand and many of the customers’ favourite design elements remain.

“The challenge of course is that it is a small space, so the design and the experience had to consider the new realities caused by covid19. We will manage the number of persons who can come up, the stations are separated and the experience is geared toward the marketplace model – buy and consume off premise rather than dining in.

“The intent was to be true to the spirit of Aioli and to make customers feel comfortable in an alternative retail experience! It’s almost as if you are shopping in a huge kitchen. People will love it!”

Business development consultant Leslie Ann St John added, “The best way to describe the new Aioli Marketplace experience is to say it’s not a restaurant. It’s a gourmet shopping dream situated in a show kitchen.”

She told Sunday Newsday that during the lockdown earlier this year, the Aioli kitchen staff had to shift focus from fine dining meals to a buffet hot-line and frozen food options available at the marketplace.

It was during that time the idea of a new experience that incorporates “the new distance” came about. It is a move away from in-house dining, while giving customers the same quality food they enjoy from Aioli.

“Aioli Marketplace has been a go-to for many during the pandemic and this new space was developed with this new lifestyle in mind. Apart from the spectre of future lockdowns and circuit breakers, people have become used to entertaining at home and in small groups. We expect that to continue into the foreseeable future.”