CANOE I Summerlicious 2017
By Naomi August 24, 2017 canada, canoe, culinary, friends, reviews, travel
CANOE
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I still vividly remember the first time I stepped foot into Canoe.
I had just finished my second year of University at Queen's and my girlfriend and I had spent the entire morning at Yorkdale window shopping. Exhausted, we decided to stop for some late lunch and both of us had had heard about this restaurant on the 54th floor of the TD tower on our radar, so we dragged out tired selves all the way over and I vaguely remember one of us being in uggs and the other wearing flip flops, but we felt so grown up and fancy (and clearly out of place) amongst the suits and pearls.
I had just finished my second year of University at Queen's and my girlfriend and I had spent the entire morning at Yorkdale window shopping. Exhausted, we decided to stop for some late lunch and both of us had had heard about this restaurant on the 54th floor of the TD tower on our radar, so we dragged out tired selves all the way over and I vaguely remember one of us being in uggs and the other wearing flip flops, but we felt so grown up and fancy (and clearly out of place) amongst the suits and pearls.
Fast forward 4 years later, Canoe still holds a special place in my heart as one of my first fine-dining experiences, and I've since graduated from foam flip flops to plastic ones.
Some things never change.
My friend's from Winnipeg had just landed the night before, so some unpretentious fine-dining is an easy start to the day, but we definitely did a bit of pre-fooding at Beavertails down by the waterfront - which deserves a post of its own.
Canoe is a great way to show off the city because it not only showcases the best and freshest Ontario has to offer in terms of ingredients, but it also had the most breathtaking view of the CN tower, which was perfect because I had no intention of actually taking them up the CN tower (gotta fit that tourist sightseeing in somewhere). Often times though these gimmicky places don't have the greatest food, but Canoe completely shatters that stereotype.
They had flown in just in time for Summerlicious and it was too tempting not to take advantage of their menu. As always, Canoe exceeded expectations not just in the food served but also in service and atmosphere.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Summerlicious, it's a city wide restaurant event where eaters can go around to try different tasting menus at a set price. Some sets will be more expensive than others, depending on which restaurant you choose, but universally they will usually be cheaper than going to the restaurant any other day and ordering three courses on the menu.
The girls and I each chose different apps, entrees and desserts for each course, just so we could taste a bit of everything.
Not only were the portions generous, the flavor combinations were so unique that it felt like pure umami in the mouth. Think smoked trout paired with bitter nori.
My three favorite courses were the cured rainbow trout, haiwa gwaii albacore tuna, and lemon tart. Protip: If you make reservation early enough, you can request certain off the menu items that they will re-create for you depending on the availability. These three items are worth the pre-book and their guest relations manager Chloe is an absolute gem.
The full Summerlicious 2017 menu can be found here for Canoe.
Canoe outdoes itself again.
naomi
For those of you who aren't familiar with Summerlicious, it's a city wide restaurant event where eaters can go around to try different tasting menus at a set price. Some sets will be more expensive than others, depending on which restaurant you choose, but universally they will usually be cheaper than going to the restaurant any other day and ordering three courses on the menu.
The girls and I each chose different apps, entrees and desserts for each course, just so we could taste a bit of everything.
Not only were the portions generous, the flavor combinations were so unique that it felt like pure umami in the mouth. Think smoked trout paired with bitter nori.
My three favorite courses were the cured rainbow trout, haiwa gwaii albacore tuna, and lemon tart. Protip: If you make reservation early enough, you can request certain off the menu items that they will re-create for you depending on the availability. These three items are worth the pre-book and their guest relations manager Chloe is an absolute gem.
The full Summerlicious 2017 menu can be found here for Canoe.
Canoe outdoes itself again.
naomi
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For more information and reviews on Canoe, please visit the following link.
