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
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