Torontonians sometimes forget about the restaurants that populates their hotels, with the exception of those manned by celebrity chef imports. Perhaps it’s the sentiment that the restaurants are for tourists and travelers, those where expense isn’t an issue, surely not for you and I that inhabit the city daily?
It’s nice to be reminded that there are benefits to visiting
these establishments: there’s generally tables available for walk-ins (after
all, it’d be in poor taste to have to turn down hotel guests), the menus tend
to be varied (allowing groups to accommodate tastes and dietary restrictions),
and their dining rooms are oh so comfortable.
At Azure, the flagship restaurant in the Intercontinental Toronto
Centre, their window canopy opens up the space and offers a great people-watching
vantage point. The dark wood and plush velvet furnishings helps keep the dining
room cozy and comfortable – you can sit at the table for hours. Unlike the
current trend of cramming small tables (sometimes communal *shudder*) together making for a horribly loud atmosphere, Azure
gives you space to converse and a sense of privacy that I often crave. Ah…
tranquility.
Their service is impeccably polished and efficient, common
traits of the hotel industry, yet still down-to-earth and approachable. Even
before asking what we wanted to drink, our server Coco chatted care freely with
us, giving us time to settle down and build a rapport. In quick succession, a
basket of warm rolls were presented and a generous glass of red wine to fully
take the winter chills out of my bones.
In no time, the first Winterlicious ($48) course was served.
Similar to a ceviche, the escabeche
marinates the octopus and scallop in an acidic solution. However, in this case,
the seafood is poached first before the marinade so the texture remains tender
and the tartness is mellow and manageable. I did find it a tad under seasoned (a
sprinkle of salt from the table helped rectify this), given the citrus vinaigrette
is light.
Amongst the meaty octopus and delicate scallop were crunchy
shaved fennel and endives, juicy orange and lime segments, and creamy avocado.
A delicate and surprisingly bright start – a glimpse into the warmer spring
months ahead of us.
Despite being cooked through (my first instinct is to look
for the slightly translucent rose centre), the grainy mustard coated salmon was
still moist. The sear from a high heat helped develop a lovely golden crunchy
crust and locked in its fatty juices. It sat on top of a bed of crunchy shaved
fennel and radicchio that just ever so slightly wilts from the salmon’s heat.
All the juices and flavours meld into the fluffy savoury citrusy couscous on
the bottom.
Azure certainly doesn’t skimp on portions. A huge port and
black cherry osso bucco arrives with
an equally sizeable marscarpone crispy risotto cake. The veal shank was braised
just long enough to make the meat tender, but not overly done so that the bone
marrow disintegrated (save a piece of bread to scoop the gelee marrow onto).
Although I found the centre of the risotto cake too mushy,
it was my husband’s favourite part of the dish. Mine, aside from the osso bucco, was the wilted arugula that
had a lemony gremolata mixed into it.
After a heavy meal, it was exactly the last savoury bite I needed.
If only the tiramisu parfait had more espresso (or in this
case the boozy Kahlúa liqueur) and less of the powdery cocoa on top the dessert
would have been lovely. The mascarpone mousse was creamy and luxurious, the savoiardi cookies adding a bit of cake
to the tiramisu.
A perfect sphere of ice cold honeycomb ice cream sat atop
the slightly warm apple tart. The pastry was good – the shortbread crust not
overly buttery, large chunks of apples and a sweet enough crumble. I felt bad
leaving some unfinished, but what a huge portion after the substantial mains.
Even if the comfortable atmosphere doesn’t convince you that
hotel dining isn’t just for tourists, the generously proportioned dishes could –
mains are pricier but you won’t leave hungry. Of course, you can always visit
them during special occasions when they have prix fixe deals: aside from
Winter/Summerlicious there’s also drink and menu specials on key dates (this
Valentine’s Azure is offering a $70 menu with $14 cocktails).
Torontonians, next time you’re looking for a comfortable
dining experience, consider a hotel. After all, why would you only treat
yourself while travelling?
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.
Is Winterlicious worth it (based on my meal selection)?
Winterlicious - $48
Regular menu - $63 - octopus ($18), salmon ($31) and dessert ($14)
Savings - $15 or 24%
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 225 Front Street West (in the Intercontinental Hotel)
Address: 225 Front Street West (in the Intercontinental Hotel)
Website: http://www.azurerestaurant.ca/
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
