Elem (Tasting Menu)

It's been awhile since I've been back to Elem.  I think it has been 2 months!  All kidding aside, the reason for this recent visit was to celebrate ipanemagirl's birthday!  She's been having a great time during her birthday month by dining at Okeya Kyujiro and AnnaLena.  So up next was Vancouver's best new restaurant (according to Vanmag)!  For the first time ever, I didn't go for the à la carte and went for the tasting menu (aka "Let us cook for you").  There are 2 price points for this at $95.00 and $125.00.  We decided on the latter.

Things kicked off with a few bevvies including the Mango Rasmalai and the Roasted Corn Highball.  The Rasmalai has been on the cocktail menu from the very start (thanks to Winnie Sun).  With a combination of gin, mango, saffron milk and cardamomo, the drink was light, floral and somewhat sweet.  Saffron white chocolate paint provided even more sweetness if needed.  For the highball, it was made with roasted corn tequila, corn extract and aperol.  As expected, this was a bit stronger than the rasmalai, but not considerably.  I wasn't sure that the corn was the main flavour I got as the aperol was rather dominant, especially with the finish.  Loved the popcorn on the side!

It was fitting to start the meal with Sungold Tomatoes as they just came into season.  This was a tomato-forward dish with the natural sweetness and brightness coming through.  However, there was still restraint and balance so that the white peach gazpacho was able to stand out with its bright sweetness.  To balance out the acidity, we found marinated burrata balls.  Rounding out the dish, more fresh tomatoes and fresh strawberries.  Some basil oil provided a bit more layering to the flavours with obvious herbaceousness.

I don't think I've ever dined at Elem without ordering their parker rolls.  This time around, we were served Milk Brioche Buns which were beautifully toasted.  Nicely crispy and with a toasty-tasting exterior encasing a warm and fluffy interior.  On the side, we found a quenelle of berry butter with black pepper.  Naturally, this added a creamy sweetness to the bread with just the a slight pepper aftertaste.

When the Elk Tartare sitting atop a large piece of roasted bone marrow showed up, I was elated.  Yes, that is right, I was elated.  Why?  Well this particular dish is wickedly delicious!  For such a lean cut of meat, the elk was tender and buttery.  It wasn't gamy at all (in my opinion at least) and the buttery bone marrow added that luxurious fattiness that made each bite memorable.  Seasoning was balanced and offered up just enough saltiness and a touch of background acidity.  The side of fresh potato chips were light and crispy.

Another dish I was happy to see was the Lamb Skewers.  Believe it or not, for all the times I've been to Elem, I've only had this dish 3 times (including this time).  Problem being is that most people I eat with do not enjoy lamb (including Viv).  However, ipanemagirl was all game for this (sorry for the pun...).  Love this dish as the lamb belly is cured for 24 hours and cooked for 18 hours, then sits in its own fat for another day before being trimmed and cubed.  Finally it is grilled and glazed with medjool date.  This results in a buttery and melt-in-my-mouth lamb with smokiness, sweetness and meatiness atop a ginger labneh with crunchy buckwheat.

Another dish that celebrates tomatoes is the Rolled Pappardelle stuffed with charred corn and ricotta.  Firm with a lovely chew, the pasta had a nice elasticity.  Inside, the sweetness and smokiness of the corn came through, but make no mistake, the star of the dish was the fresh and natural-tasting tomato sauce.  They took 25 pounds of stony paradise tomatoes and cooked it down to four litres of sauce with just a bit of garlic and salt.  After straining, the sauce was smooth and silky.

For my second cocktail, I went back to the well and had the Mai Tai.  Their take on the classic drink consisted of 3 types of rum, pistachio orgeat, dry curacao and lime.  I've had this many times and when mixed with the passionfruit ice, the drink trends towards floral and sweet with a caramel woodsiness finish.  Ipanemagirl went for a mocktail this time with the Clarified Mango Lassi topped with half a mango mochi.  As expected, this was fruity and refreshing.

Moving onto the proteins of the meal, we had the King Fish sitting atop a warm tartar sauce with BC chanterelles, cipollinis, peas and dill.  As evidenced in the picture above, the fish skin was totally seared where it was crispy and also well-seasoned.  Flaky and firm, the king fish was still succulent and slightly buttery.  With just a bit of acidity and being lightly creamy, the sauce helped compliment the fish without taking away from it.  Loved the bevy of chanterelles and sweet peas.  The dill provide its usual brightness.

Arriving as one of the largest pieces I've ever seen, the Quebec Margret Duck Breast was super plump and prepared expertly.  It was aged for 5 days and then seared until the skin was well-rendered.  The duck was prepared medium in this application and turned out to be super tender and juicy.  We found more chanterelles here along with lightly cooked apricots and a jus.  The most impactful ingredient, other than the duck, was the apricot as it added a light crunch and sweetness that helped lighten up the dish.

Served with the duck was a Southern Italian-style Polenta topped with mushroom hollandaise.  This was described as being a lot looser than the polenta we've been accustomed with.  Sure enough, the whole thing collapsed as we dug into it.  Yet, it was delightful as it wasn't as heavy as it appeared.  With that being said, this combined with the duck was trending towards a fall combo.  This whole dish was a bit creamy with pops of sweetness from the charred corn.  With the addition of mushroom powder, the hollandaise was totally woodsy and packed with umami.  

We were presented with one of their newest desserts on the menu - Strawberry.  Well, with the considerable topping of cream, it was obviously strawberries and cream.  Hidden in the middle was a scoop of basil ice cream.  Underneath, we found macerated strawberries along with more basil.  Unlike the usual iteration of this dessert, this one had herbaceousness thanks to the basil (in all applications).  The creaminess of the ice cream added more body to the fresh cream.

To be honest, it took me awhile to take a liking to the Popcorn.  Vish's ode to Chicago mix with caramel popcorn, cheese and caramel, he made a dessert that captured every component.  There was caramelized sweetness combined with the aroma of popcorn and then the cheddar cheese added that something something.  Great for people who like something savoury with their sweets.  One last treat was the 2 White Chocolates with a tinge of citrus.  Overall, this was a really solid tasting-like menu with a bit of the old and a bit of the new.  A great way to get an overview of the menu at 2 price points - $95.00pp for around 6 dishes and $125.00pp for around 10 dishes like we had.

The Good:

- Well-executed proteins

- Really captured the natural flavours of tomato

- That elk tartare!

The Bad:

- Maybe a la carte can be more expensive, so choosing the tasting might be better?

- On weekends, the parking situation in the neighbourhood can be challenging, weekdays are much easier, got a spot right in front 

Campfire

So my kids are older now, hence theme parks and the sort are not really in the cards when it comes to travel.  However, the immature person that I am really enjoys theme parks.  Seeing how a friend of mine was travelling to both Legoland and Disneyland with her 5-year old, I volunteered to accompanying them.  Of course, we still had to eat and I had no interest in crappy food, especially out near Legoland.  That brought us to Campfire, which is kid-friendly, yet still dishes up tasty and composed dishes.  Yep, they cook everything over an open fire!  

Unlike many of the other Cornbreads I've had, the one here was super fluffy and crumbly.  It was a bit difficult to eat without the use of a spoon, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.   Loved the tanginess from the blood orange as well as the creaminess of the hibiscus butter.  Just a bit of bite from the pink peppercorn.  As you can see in the picture, there was a nice crispy crust on the outside.

We got two of the Ember Roasted Prawns which were perfectly executed.   The shell was crispy while smoky and charred.  Inside, the prawn was just cooked through being meaty and a bit bouncy.  It was naturally sweet and had all of the natural prawn aroma.  The sauce was the best part as it was sweet with great acidity and herbaceousness.

Beautifully plated with bright colors, the Ahi Tuna Crudo was delicious.  The fish itself was fresh with the taste of the sea as well as sweetness.  It was bright and also great texturally.   Once again, the sauce was the highlight.  Bright flavours once again with acidity.  The guava added some real tang and aroma.  Charred avocado was buttery and smoky.  That pepper was pretty spicy.

Their signature dish is the whole head of Broccoli that was aggressively roasted on the open fire.  As such, the florets were crispy and light while also smoky.  Interesting texture which became more appealing with each bite.  Sounding like a broken record, that chermoula was so vibrant and tangy.   Underneath, the hummus was buttery and flavorful.  Loved the crunch from the peanuts.

Off to the larger dishes, the Steelhead Trout was served in a large portion.  Although the skin was perfectly crispy and well-salted, the fish itself was slightly over.  Difficult to regulate the temperature over an open fire...  No matter, as the miso and black garlic provided all the umaminess the plate needed.  Such rich fermented flavors to go with the wild mushrooms.  

Loved the tender, yet meaty nuggets of Octopus.  Nice smokiness and caramelization.  The Spanish chorizo added a smoked paprika hit while also being meaty and a bit spicy.  Underneath, we found some smoked celery root puree which was smooth and well, smoky.  Some basil chimichurri added some brightness while the grapefruit segments added acidity.

Originally, we weren't going to order any dessert, but we witnessed the table beside us ordering the Yes, we have S'mores and well, we followed suit.  As you can see, this was DIY where we found a pile of hot coals with graham crackers, chocolate and a large marshmallow.  Yes, the 5-year old really enjoyed making his own s'mores!  Overall, we quite enjoyed our meal at Campfire where the vibes were lively.  Great place for parents to grab some elevated eats with their kids or anyone else for all that matters.

The Good:

- Elevated eats

- Kid-friendly with a kid's menu

- Nice vibes

The Bad:

- Cooking with an unregulated open flame can lead to some things overcooking

Panacée

Here we go, our last dinner in Montreal for this trip.  Instead of a heavily awarded spot, we opted for something upstart and new with Panacée.  Nominated for Air Canada's Best New Restaurant, they are also Michelin-recommended.  Chef Catherine Couvet Desrosiers, formerly of Foxy and Bouillon Blik, uses only seasonal ingredients that are vegetable forward.  There is only a tasting menu available either in 3 or 5 services (courses), but the bonus here is that you can choose your own adventure.  For every course, there are at least 2 options (some with a surcharge).  This way, you can tailor make your experience and also have something different than the rest of your party.

On that note, we decided to have 2 completely different tasting menus.  That was achieved by each of us taking a different item for each of the 5 courses.  Yes, that also meant we weren't paying the base $80.00 per person.  Our tasting menus ended up to be $99.00 each as a reasult of choosing surcharge items.  Regardless of that, we were both served the same Amuse Bouche being the Beet Tartlette with herbed cashew cream.  This was a good start to the meal as it was light herbaceous and sweet with a crispy shell.  As another surcharge, we added the Bread from Boulangerie Aube for an extra $5.00.

For our first course, we had the default choice in the La Pelletée Tomato.   This featured super fresh and vibrant marigold tomatoes with saffron jelly and buttermilk with herb oil.  These tomatoes had a mild natural sweetness as well as a light tang.  We find some skinless cherry tomatoes that were super sweet while the little dried tomatoes were super concentrated in flavour.   Our other dish, which was a $7.00 supplement, was the Gaspésie Tuna.  The slices of bluefin akami were buttery and sweet while sitting on a cilantro puree that was bright and not too pungent.  Ribbons of crunchy Kohlrabi added texture and brightness.  Some herbaceous shishitos completed the dish.

Next up, the default dish was the Oyster Mushroom with corn sabayon, Jimmy Nardello peppers and almonds.  This was fabulous where the mushroom was grilled over charcoal.  Smoky with some crispy bits, the mushroom was already quite tasty itself.  However, the corn sabayon added such intense sweetness, especially with the pops from the niblets.  Nice crunch from the almonds and sweetness from the peppers.  With a $4.00 surcharge, the Grilled Artichokes were worth it in my opinion.  They were also smoky from the kiss on the grill while still tender.  Extra smoky nuttiness was provided by the pine nuts.  We had some aromatic shallots and some sweetness from the gooseberries.  Underneath, we had yogurt with cilantro for some brightness.

Onto the "main course" we didn't opt for the default option in the Cappelletti and went for the meat dishes instead.  The first was the Kenauk Trout for an extra $8.00.  It actually took the place of the cod (which was originally on the menu).  Further proof that they only cook with fresh ingredients.  It was surely fresh with a buttery texture from the rare centre.  It was beautifully plated with one side holding a bright and only lightly spicy habadoux sauce.  We had some intensely smoky carrots also prepared on the charcoal grill.  Some pickled carrots provided acidity while basil completed the plate.  With a surcharge of $4.00, we got the Ferme D'Orée Pork.  It was fatty while still a bit pink in the middle.  The result was juicy and tender meat with an exterior that was the beneficiary from the charcoal grill.  Hence we had smokiness complimenting the well-salted pork.  Even the beans were smoky due to the mix with the charred pumpkin seeds.  Tanginess was thanks to the pickled and diced wax beans.  Sweet gooseberries complimented the pork well.

For our pre-dessert course, the default item was the Olive Oil Ice Cream with concorde grape, laurel and hazelnut.  I thought this was really good where the ice cream was silky while being aromatic.  The grapes were sweet and impactful manipulating the EVOO ice cream into being sweeter.  Crunch was provided by the nutty hazelnuts.  Some herbal notes were added by the laurel leaves.  At $4.00 more, the Beurrasse consisted of sheep's milk yogurt, cherries, salted almond and Avonlea cheddar.  Definitely a bit savoury due to the cheese, but plenty influenced by the tangy sheep's milk yogurt.  The sweet cherries were the dominant component to this as it was intensely sweet.  Crunch and a burst of salt (to heighten all of the other flavours) was thanks to the salted almonds.

Last course had the Peach for the regular dish with opalys, brown sugar and sheeps milk yogurt.   Everything on the plate sat in a rich and thick opalys cream.  Some crispy sweet crackers added texture and aromatics.  In the middle, we found macerated peaches with brown sugar where things were richly sweet.  Again, the sheep's milk yogurt provided the necessary bright tanginess.  The Mignardise was $4.00 more and consisted of Earl Grey Ice Cream Sandwich, Chocolate Macaron, Financier, Lemon Tartlette and Blueberry caramel.  Really nice bites with the ice cream sandwich being that "it" factor of the bunch.  Creamy and light with the aroma of earl grey.  Not too sweet either.  Macaron had a crispy shell and the chocolate inside was also just sweet enough.  Of course I loved the lemon tartlette as that is always my favourite.  Nice tanginess on this one.  Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Panacée.  The food is on point and the use of a charcoal grill affords rich flavours that are smoky and full-of-depth.  Pricing is reasonable and the fact you can customize each course helps appeal to a wider audience.

The Good:

- On point execution

- That charcoal grilling!

- Reasonable pricing and the option to customize

The Bad:

- Most of the best courses we had were subject to an supplemental charge (but worth it IMO)