As the founder of the popular Toronto-based lifestyle magazine View The Vibe, Veronique Laborie is currently cooking up big plans for Manhattan.
Veronique, who goes by Nicki, founded View The Vibe in Toronto in 2010. Covering the latest in news, events, fashion, gossip, and of course food, View The Vibe quickly became one of Toronto’s hottest lifestyle guides. Often edgy but always informative, View The Vibe is known for its witty voice and unique perspective on hospitality.
Nicki’s experience in the industry taught her everything she needed to know about running a bar of her own. A graduate of FIT and a General Manager of various restaurants around the world, by 2016 Nicki had acquired all the experience she needed to set out on her own and Bar Reyna was born.
Bar Reyna is a popular Toronto-based Mediterranean restaurant that features an eclectic mélange of table snacks and larger plates sourced from across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Designed as an “energetic gathering place where the vibe, food, and drinks intermix to create a wholly unique restaurant experience,” Bar Reyna is consistently innovating with exciting new cocktails and new plates to serve them with.
Now, on the heels of the successful launch of her second bar – Reyna on King – it appears that Nicki will be bringing her concept stateside. Tentatively titled Reyna, Nicki’s latest concept will be be a full service restaurant offering unique Mediterranean fare that combines flavors from Lebanon, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and France – an extension of the original Bar Reyna concept in Toronto.
Reyna is expected to replace Le Midi at 9 East 13th Street. Le Midi was a popular French restaurant known for hosting private events and for offering a diverse selection of wines. The space is quite expansive, offering over 4,500 square feet of space to guests, capable of seating up to 150 people at one time. Reyna is scheduled to open by the end of Spring 2022 – for further updates be sure to follow Nicki on Instagram.
