Canoe – Winterlicious

So before last night, I’ve never dined at Canoe (@Oliver_Bonacini) before. Reason being is that its too pricey for me on a regular day and everyone knows its impossible to get a reservation during Licious (@LiciousTO) – so I’ve never really made an effort to visit for the past years. Thankfully, my friend had an AMEX card and was willing to deal with the whole reservation thing so YES! I can finally cross Canoe off my list!

(sorry for the grainy photo) Canoe is located on the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower on Wellington St. It’s really a breathtaking view of the city if you’re sitting close to the window.

We made dinner reservations for 7pm and ended up waiting at the bar for a few minutes before being seated. Service was a tad slow when it came to filling our glasses and taking our order but picked up shortly after our orders were in.

Bread Basket:

Roasted Squash & Parsnip Soup

  • Charred Yarmouth Lobster & Birch Yoghurt
  • I ordered this soup as my starter and loved it to pieces.
  • Few chunks of squash and lobster pieces were floating in this hot and creamy parsnip soup
  • Executed how I hoped it would be: creamy, smooth and aromatic

St-Canut Pork Rillettes

  • Wild Mustard Aioli, Watercress & Cider Jelly
  • My friend ordered this as her starter. I didn’t get to taste it but she really seem to enjoy it

Roasted Rock Cornish Hen

  • Ancient Algonquin Grits, Pingue Bacon & Northern Woods Mushrooms
  • For my main, I went with the cornish hen. At first. I thought there was only 1 piece of hen, but underneath it was a substantial piece.
  • The Cornish hen was cooked perfectly – meat was juicy – nowhere near dry. Sauce was good.
  • Normally I don’t prefer mushrooms but it was infused with the grits – which was a perfect combination. Though, as I was almost finished with my meal, the grits started to feel a bit heavy and rich.

Duo of Ontario Beef

  • Green Beans, Creamy Alliston Spuds & Bone Marrow Jus
  • When you order beef at Canoe, the chef prepares it medium to medium rare unless you specify. Otherwise they will assume that is your preference
  • My friend was glad with the way the beef was presented. However I noticed the table beside mine, the beef was overcooked – so it was sent back to the kitchen

Spiced Chocolate Panna  Cotta

  • Marshmallow, Graham Cracker Crumb & White Chocolate Ice Cream
  • I love panna cotta’s so this was an obvious choice for me!
  • The Spiced chocolate panna cotta was not too sweet but very rich and decadent
  • Unexpectedly, the most memorable part of this dish was the roasted marshmallow – It was warm and fluffy. The cracker crumbs gave the white chocolate ice cream some texture
  • It was truly an amazing dish to end the meal

I was surprisingly full from this meal. I was overall satisfied and was glad it ended on a great note. My favourite dish was definitely the Spiced Chocolate panna cotta dessert. I would personally come back in a heartbeat just to indulge in it again. My Cornish hen entree, like I expected, was good but it didn’t exceed my expectations – I was hoping for something more. Lastly, many people have warned me about the service at Canoe during Licious season, there were a few hiccups here & there (i.e. our server was oddly quiet). Anyways, it was a slight bummer we couldn’t get a window seat to see the stunning view – Maybe next time….  I would love to come back for that Panna Cotta!

Price: $45 + taxes + gratuity

Canoe Restaurant & Bar on Urbanspoon

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