Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2011

For a number of years I’ve been representing BC as a “Canada’s Best New Restaurants” panelist. Each year, along with other food professionals from across the country, we recommend the restaurants the EnRoute writer visits. BC always ranks high in the top ten and there has always been a restaurant from Vancouver Island.

This year is no exception. Congratulations to Hawksworth and L’Abattoir (Vancouver) and Ulla (Victoria).  – Gary Hynes, Editor, EAT

Jeremy Bonia and Jeremy Charles of Raymonds, Canada’s Best New Restaurant 2011. Photo by Virginia Macdonald

“Air Canada’s enRoute magazine announces the winner of

Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2011

 

October 17, 2011, Montreal – One journalist, one country, one month. For the 10th-anniversary edition of Canada’s Best New Restaurants, enRoute magazine and its contributing food writer Sarah Musgrave embarked on a nationwide expedition and discovered the most exciting new additions to this country’s culinary world. We had a special anniversary surprise with a chef taking the top spot for the second time! This year’s winning restaurants offered patrons an exceptional dining experience and once again confirmed the astounding creativity and flair of Canada’s top culinary visionaries. Air Canada’s enRoute magazine is proud to honour the winning restaurant.

Raymonds

(St John’s, Newfoundland)

Canada’s Best New Restaurant 2011

“These are uncharted waters. For all of us, a bold new horizon.”

Sarah Musgrave on Raymonds, Canada’s Best New Restaurant 2011

The Top 10 best new restaurants in Canada on enRoute’s 2011 list are:

2. Hawksworth Vancouver. “Equal parts romance and risk, this gambit is an ambitious chef’s love letter to a city that

has grown up alongside him. This could be Paris or London, yes, but the point is this is Vancouver right now.”

3. L’Abattoir Vancouver. “It’s the nucleus of modern Vancouver cuisine, the place to take the post-Olympic pulse of

the city.”

4. Les 400 coups Montreal. “Les 400 coups… is a French expression meaning to push the limits. The notoriously

restless team of chef Marc-André Jetté, pastry chef Patrice Demers and sommelière Marie-Josée Beaudoin… put

themselves to the test here.”

5. Ici Bistro Toronto. “Challet floats tantrically through labour-intensive courses, plopping shrimp frite into a whispery

yet intense fish soup…. This is a kitchen of complete confidence: He even trusts the dishwasher to torch the

meringue.”

6. Van Horne Montreal. “If art challenges our ways of seeing, consider Dion’s study in grey: ethereal squid-ink

hollandaise that looks like liquid concrete, over luscious pink snapper and pewter-toned mushroom lasagna. Truly a

limited edition.”

7. Campagnolo Toronto. “With all due respect to Harding’s grandma, this isn’t cucina della nonna. It’s youthful, loose,

sophisticated and at its best when relaxed – more like an Italian on vacation.”

8. Le Comptoir charcuteries et vins Montreal. “Montreal’s buvettes occupy a particular cozy-chic niche –

somewhere between wine bars and gastropubs – and this one has the city’s heartbeat at rest.”

9. Ulla Victoria. “Holmes snaps up his ingredients in the prime of life…. Fresh chickpeas – picked green, deep-fired in

their skins and gently salted – are B.C.’s own edamame. …Left Coast cuisine has a new home.”

10. Corso 32 Edmonton. “Ricotta may be easy to make in-house, but not every kitchen should; it’s rare to find it as

dreamily creamy as this whipped goat cheese with Maldon salt and crostini…. Costa, 27, likes to show off, but he

knows how to keep it simple.”

Air Canada’s enRoute magazine looks for new restaurants that advance the Canadian culinary identity; they are places where the overall dining experience will have a lasting and significant impact on our restaurant culture. Pick up a copy of enRoute’s November issue or visit the magazine at www.enroute.aircanda.com to read the full article and discover the latest trends in Canadian dining. Readers can also follow on Twitter @enrouteonline. And as of November 1, readers can download the enRoute Eats app, which includes details of this year’s Top 10 restaurants and previous years’ winners, along with enRouterecommended restaurants across the country. The top-ranking new establishments, from Canada’s best chefs and restaurateurs, are changing the way we will dine in the coming year and beyond.