John Belknap, a longtime server at Rodney's Oyster House on King Street West, has transformed a former carport on Temperance Street into Rodney's by Bay—a new oyster saloon in the heart of the financial district. The space, designed by Brad Denton (Le Petit Castor, Harbord Room, and Czehoski), has concrete floors, accents made from reclaimed wood, and a marble-topped bar.
“It’s an intimate spot,” said Belknap, who is hoping to secure this week a liquor license for the restaurant, which can hold groups of 40. “It will be good for private parties.” The large marble-topped bar sits in the centre of the restaurant. Tan leather chairs provide seating at small tables along the front window, and a distressed brown leather banquette lines the frosted glass wall that divides the space from the entrance to the neighbouring office building.
“I wanted people to recognize that it was a Rodney’s, but I didn’t want lobster traps hanging from the ceiling," said Belknap. "I wanted a more subtle, East Coast feel.” The decor features a number of reclaimed materials, he said. The façade on the bar was reclaimed from an old insurance building in Guelph; the restroom doors are from a church; and tarnished tin ceiling tiles left over from Denton's renovation of Czehoski run along the base of the leather banquette.
The menu, which is still being finalized, will focus on oysters and daily seafood specials, with items like lobster rolls and fish and chips. Rodney's by Bay is expected to open within the coming week.
