Atelier, Ottawa, Ontario
Atelier’s Marc Lepine at work, and a stunningly presented dish typical of the restaurant
Chef Marc Lepine, who has twice been named Canadian Culinary Champion and, earlier this year, Canada’s most innovative chef, opened Atelier in 2008. There’s no sign on the unassuming brick building, close to Ottawa’s Commissioners Park, that houses this chic 22-seat restaurant. Set aside at least three hours to enjoy the 12-course tasting menu, which focuses on molecular gastronomy and is priced at a rather good value CAD$125 (£75) – the optional pairing of nine wines costs an additional CAD$75 (£45). Expect playfully clever dishes – updated regularly – and exquisite presentation. You could be tucking into anything from a “duck terrarium” to an edible balloon – even an emoji fondant, made with a food printer. “We’re kind of rewriting the whole language of restaurants,” says Lepine. He’s not wrong.
Shokunin, Calgary, Alberta
Shokunin’s exquisite seafood
The farm-to-fork movement has played a role in raising awareness of the flavours and quality of Alberta’s seasonal produce, which chef Darren MacLean utilises at Shokunin, along with seafood flown fresh from Canada’s west coast, to create exquisitely presented Japanese-style dishes that are big on flavour. Anime artwork adorns one of the otherwise black walls of this casual-dining restaurant with an L-shaped open kitchen, which was voted one of Canada’s top 50 restaurants by Canada’s 100 Best website. Sake and punchy cocktails pair well with yakitori skewers, sashimi and chicken skin crisps. Can’t get a seat? Ordering take-out at the window is an option. Late nights are where Shokunin really sets itself apart in Calgary’s restaurant scene – swing by after 10pm to grab a bowl of shio ramen as the music turns to hip-hop; the spot stays open until 1am to satisfy late-night cravings.
Wolf in the Fog, Tofino, British Columbia
A bartender at the laid-back Wolf in the Fog prepares one of its signature cocktails.
Outstanding surf is not the only draw for this western peninsula of Vancouver Island. Perched above a surf shop, the Wolf in the Fog opened in mid-2014; within months, the loft-like and laid-back eatery had been named the country’s best new restaurant by Air Canada’s influential enRoute Magazine. It has since featured in Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list. Chef Nicholas Nutting continues to win praise for bringing the best out of foraged ingredients and seafood landed at Tofino’s harbour, a block away. The albacore tuna poke and harissa-spiced octopus, served with lentils, are two established favourites. Wild salmon and baked halibut feature among the plates designed for two. Local seafood also garnishes the Caesar-like Pickle and Smoke, one of the Wolf in the Fog’s signature cocktails.
Passero, Winnipeg, Manitoba
The Italian-influenced dishes at Passero are attracting rave reviews
Passero, in Winnipeg, is on the 2018 enRoute shortlist for Canada’s best new restaurant. Reserve a seat at the marble countertop to watch Italian-influenced dishes being prepared in the open kitchen of this buzzing, compact dining space on the ground floor of The Forks Market. Scott Bagshaw, Passero’s executive chef and owner, lived and worked in Australia before returning to the city where he grew up and studied for his bachelor’s degree. Within Manitoba he already has a glowing reputation for the food served at his Enoteca and Máquè restaurants. At Passero, the gnocchi, made with wild mushroom and black garlic, and arancini, served in an intense tomato sauce, are ideal for sharing. Meat fan? Don’t miss the egg-topped beef tartare, served on a bed of white anchovy cream, with freshly baked focaccia.
Nightingale, Vancouver, British Columbia
A chef at Nightingale makes pasta by hand
Nightingale is a lively dual-level bar and restaurant a couple of blocks from Vancouver harbour. Local craft beer, something the city excels at, and cool variations on classic cocktails are served until midnight, seven days a week. Operated by David Hawksworth – the chef who made his name with Hawksworth, a restaurant that remains one of Vancouver’s top fine-dining establishments – Nightingale is more casual, offering a menu influenced by Italian cuisine and Pacific Rim ingredients. The thin-crust pizzas and small plates – including buttermilk roasted chicken, roasted apricots with burrata and toast topped with wild salmon – are ideal for sharing while sipping drinks in the slick, airy space.
Le Caveau Restaurant, Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Le Caveau overlooks the vines of the Annapolis Valley, famous for producing white wine
Set on the Domaine de Grand Pré wine estate in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, a region known for fruit production and, more recently, cold-climate white wines that pair well with seafood, Le Caveau consistently dazzles. Patio tables have views of the vines and the rolling landscape over which the sun spectacularly sets. Chef Jason Lynch favours local ingredients in his seasonally changing menus. Bay of Fundy lobster is a constituent of their chowder, a Nova Scotian delicacy. The stuffed rabbit loin and crusted rack of lamb are excellent if you’re looking for an alternative to seafood while touring this part of Atlantic Canada.
La Maison du Bootlegger, Quebec City, Quebec
The Maison du Bootlegger has a history as lively as its house band
This popular bar and restaurant is in a wood-built house, dating from 1860, that originally stood north of the Malbaie River. It was dismantled and re-erected in Quebec City with additional features, including a secret stairway. Guided tours, costing CAD$10 (£6) explain how the building operated successfully as a speakeasy during prohibition, with its maze of rooms and hidden attic. Steaks cooked over a charcoal pit and served with spicy Backfire Sauce form the mainstay of the food served before Joey Tardif and The Bootlegger House Band put on their rocking evening show.
Pub Saint Pierre, Montreal, Quebec
Enjoy craft beer and comfort food at Pub Saint Pierre
With a philosophy stating that this is “not your ordinary pub”, the welcoming St Pierre is named after the street in which it stands, occupying one of the stone buildings of Old Montreal. It serves craft beer, brewed within the city, and comfort food, plus variations on classic cocktails. Look out for their Caesars, a Canadian twist on the Bloody Mary – Clamato juice, made from clams and tomatoes, replaces tomato juice. Pub Saint Pierre’s striking seafood and swine Caesars are topped with maple bacon, cheddar cheese, green beans, pickled mushrooms, king prawn, horseradish and an oyster. Don’t drink (or even eat) it all at once.
A typical Spanish-style dish and cocktail from the Gaudí-esque Bar Raval
Appreciate eye-catching interiors? Pause to drink in the unique sweeping curves and polished mahogany surfaces of Bar Raval upon entering this magnificent, Gaudí-esque space. The brainchild of chef and restaurateur Grant van Gameren, alongside partners Robin Goodfellow and Mike Webster, the Toronto cafe morphs into a classy drinking den that stays open into the small hours. Tinto Fino – with a sherry base – is the bar’s signature cocktail, but it’s worth asking about daily specials if the classics don’t appeal; you could find yourself sipping on anything from a Malibu Barbie to an Ohm Zone. Grilled chorizo plus croquettes filled with serrano ham and béchamel are typical of the kitchen’s regularly changing menu of pintxos – originally skewered finger-food from the Basque region.
Café Linnea, Edmonton, Alberta
Gravlax beet potato pancake at Café Linnea
Last year, this pared-back, minimalist, French and Scandi- influenced eatery in Edmonton made it on to Canada’s 10 best new restaurants list. And no wonder; chef and owner Kelsey Johnson has served up a delight of a space with a menu to match. Brunch dishes flit between Johnson’s take on Swedish skagen toast, house-cured gravlax, and roasted banana crepes, while dinner has a more Gallic bias; think charcuterie boards, hearty pork belly and tartes flambee. While her food reflects her mixed European heritage, Johnson was born in Edmonton and raised in nearby Pigeon Lake, and is committed to using local and organic ingredients to showcase the best of what the area has to offer.
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