This was published 5 years ago
Your in-the-know guide to Canada’s best places to eat and drink
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When visitors go looking for Canada's gourmet capital, they quickly discover there is no such thing. Every city has its own culinary style, from Montreal's French flair to Vancouver's hipster groove. You don't even have to head for the big towns to enjoy fine food. Far-flung destinations from Prince Edward Island and Lake Louise to the tiny surf town of Tofino all offer one-of-a-kind dining experiences.
Kissa Tanto, Vancouver
Tucked away in the heart of Chinatown, Kissa Tanto lures you in with its dusty-rose banquettes, mood lighting and old-school LPs stacked behind the bar. It's not all about the ambience, however: Kissa Tanto's sophisticated menu is an unexpected mash-up of Japanese and Italian cuisines. Depending on the night, you might feast on porchetta-stuffed agnolotti teamed with smoked cream and kombu-cured olives, or parmesan tortellini served in a seaweed-strewn dashi broth. Don't leave without trying the cocktails: the tangy salted-plum sour is a stand-out.
Awai, Toronto
Nathan Isberg is one of Toronto's most unconventional chefs; so much so, that he has taken meat off the menu entirely. Equipped with a wood-fired oven and inspirations from right around the globe, he delivers dish after dish of vegetable-based hits. Highlights include the velvety porcini mushroom and cauliflower soup, the charcoal gnocchi made with coal-roasted potatoes, served with black kale and Baharat spice, and the crisp-fried baby eggplant, crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside.
Kozu, Montreal
Don't let the leather banquettes and marble-topped tables fool you: this is a long way from being just another upmarket brasserie. Chef Olivier Vigneault's menu of share plates channels plenty of Asian inspiration. Along with classics such as pork and shrimp gyoza and agedashi tofu wrapped in seaweed, there are more edgy creations such as the raw Hamachi, lightly seared with a blowtorch and served with sweet soy, jalapeno and puffed rice. The cocktail menu also works the Asian influence; try the Kung Fu Panda, which blends rum, lime and coconut with pandan mousse.
Wolf in Kitchen, Tofino
With less than 2000 inhabitants, surrounded by sandy beaches and verdant forests, the British Columbia town of Tofino is better known as a holiday hotspot than a gourmet retreat. However, the tiny Wolf in Kitchen – perched above a surf shop and right across the road from the wharf where fishermen pull up with their catch – has hit the headlines across Canada for its flavour-packed dishes. Seafood features heavily, from potato-wrapped oysters served with truffle mayonnaise to hot smoked steelhead trout, but carnivores are also catered for, with dishes such as pork belly with tamarind and tomato curry.
Post Hotel, Lake Louise
Anybody hungry? Whether you come in summer for the hiking or in winter for the skiing, a day spent outdoors builds up an appetite. Fortunately, Lake Louise has no shortage of places to dine, although none can compete with the venerable Post Hotel. The main dining room in this elegant alpine lodge has a sophisticated menu featuring everything from Atlantic rock lobster risotto to bison and caribou, the latter teamed with Saskatoon berry cream sauce. It also boasts one of Canada's largest wine cellars, with more than 25,500 bottles. Feel like something more casual? The hotel also has a cosy fondue restaurant, Fondue Stübli.
Deer + almond, Winnipeg
It is not just the food that is local at deer + almond; the whole restaurant is built on the idea of community. That means works by local artists on the walls, and food served on plates by local ceramicists. The menu of share plates takes in everything from roasted apple and parsnip, pepped up with blue cheese and hazelnuts, to deer tartare with blueberry. Chef Mandel Hitzer's creativity doesn't stop there, however; every winter, he launches RAW: Almond, recruiting a team of chefs to run a pop-up restaurant perched on the frozen river.
Miradoro Restaurant, Okanagan Valley
Good food and good wine go together, so it is no surprise that the Okanagan Valley – British Columbia's under-the-radar wine region – excels at both. One of the valley's best eateries is Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn Creek winery. Chef Jeff Van Geest excels at sophisticated dishes such as Arctic char served with sweet pea and clam ragu, but brings just as much attention to detail to more casual options. His grilled cheese sandwich, served with stonefruit mostarda and crispy onions, is irresistible.
FireWorks, Inn at Bay Fortune, Prince Edward Island
Bring your wildest escape-to-the-country fantasies to life at this charming Prince Edward Island eatery. Around an hour out of Charlottetown, this pretty country inn, set amid bucolic grounds, is also home to the island's best eatery. Canadian cooking legend Michael Smith – veteran of five TV shows and 10 cookbooks – focuses on cooking with fire, everything from smoking and grilling to rotisserie. Arrive at 5pm for a garden tour and sit down at 6pm for oyster hour before tucking into dinner, served family-style, at 7pm. Our tip: save room for the legendary seafood chowder.
This article has been produced in association with Destination Canada.
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