The Westin Harbour Castle may be part of the old guard of Toronto’s hotel landscape, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a few tricks up its sleeve.
In fact, it’s undergoing a restaurant makeover. As a CAA/AAA four diamond hotel, this elegant hotel on the edge of Lake Ontario has been hosting guests since 1975, and in 2015, guests will notice a few new things coming to the hotel’s dining offerings.
The Westin Harbour Castle has a new partnership with Chef Corbin Tomaszeski. The well-known chef and Food Network TV star have created a new brand for hotel – Chef Corbin at The Westin Harbour Castle.
Chef Tomaszeski will be working with the hotel’s culinary team to update dining menus, reinventing some classics and creating some tasty new offerings, keeping in mind the Westin’s Superfoods program (a focus on antioxidant rich ingredients and beautiful presentation).
The first rumour? The best burger in town will be served here (look out Burger’s Priest) says Chef Corbin, with his version coming this January: the Brioche Burger with Clothbound Cheddar. “It’s all about the beef,” says Chef Corbin.
Other menu additions will be a Carbon Steel Seared House Smoked Salmon Tart, served with fingerling potato salad, Harbour Salad greens with de puy lentils in red wine vinaigrette and the Westin Cobbler, with Madgascar Vanilla Bean ice cream.
Chef Corbin’s goal is to not just focus on good ingredients, but to encourage locals to want to dine at the hotel. For us lucky media types, we got to taste some of the new additions to the breakfast menu such as the Two Egg Cassolette in a potato bird’s nest with chorizo, tomato and spinach, Lemon Ricotta Blueberry hotcakes, Caramelized Grapefruit with spices or the incredibly cute (and definitely tasty) Organic Eggs with Soldiers. For diners heading to Mizzen Restaurant and Chart Room and Bar, Chef Corbin’s already left his mark on the menus.
But the new doesn’t stop there: the hotel has added a new dining option: Savoury – just don’t call it a chef’s table. Chef Corbin believes this phrase has become overused and lost its special aura – so Savoury aims to create a unique dining experience for a small group (maximum 10 diners) that is catered to their tastes in a semi-private space.
VIP diners will be led through the hotel’s kitchens to this modern dining room, a high top dining area of black and silver, set within a full kitchen with all the chef’s tricks of the trade. Diners can work with the chef to tailor the menu, which showcases local ingredients and wines, to their diet preferences, allergies and any other requests. Sample menu items of the five course meal include Warm Goat Cheese and Roasted Squash Salad, Wild Mushroom Bisque with crispy Enoki and Prime Beef Tenderloin with Quebec foie gras, chanterelles and black truffle.
Savoury is now open for reservations, and as of January, more menu items will be featured at the hotel’s four other dining options.
The Details:
Westin Harbour Castle Hotel
1 Harbour Square (at Yonge Street)
Toronto
http://www.westinharbourcastletoronto.com/forms/savoury
Reservations required for dining at Savoury.
Robert Hudder says
We had a staff retreat there a few weeks ago and if the catering is being lead by the same kitchen, then there is definitely a change. Some of the catered items were good. We had a slightly Asian themed lunch with a decent soup and salads. I agree, there is something a little different going on.