Winterlicious round 5 (lol I know, Winterlicious is a thing because people like me make it a big deal) was at Cluny Bistro in the Distillery District. Headed by Chef Paul Benallick, this modern French bistro came to be.
The first thing you notice when walking into Cluny is the picturesque space that the restaurant encompasses. Cluny was designed by one of Canada's Top Hospitality Design Firm, and I can really see why. From the ceilings to the tiling, there was no bad spot in the restaurant to sit.
Anyways, back to the reason why you're still reading this - here is what we ordered:
The first thing you notice when walking into Cluny is the picturesque space that the restaurant encompasses. Cluny was designed by one of Canada's Top Hospitality Design Firm, and I can really see why. From the ceilings to the tiling, there was no bad spot in the restaurant to sit.
Anyways, back to the reason why you're still reading this - here is what we ordered:
We were given a couple pieces of bread from their bread table (pictured above). They had many different types and they cut them right there for you. I'm sure if you asked, they would bring you whichever one you wanted. Since I'm not a huge fan of bread, I didn't :)
Spice Roasted Pumpkin Bisque | puffed wheat berries, almond milk chantilly
Cluny Black Kale Caesar | balsamic dressing, smoked cheddar and chick peas
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Tangine | couscous, harissa and apricot
Alsatian Choucroute Sandwich | braised pork shank, sauerkraut, mustard, frites
Pomegranate Granita
Roasted Hazelnut Profiterole | chocolate chantilly
In summary, I really enjoyed it here! The decor really did it for me.
The service was great, but I feel like they weren't at their best on the day we were there. For example, they did not give us our food in sync. This seems like such a small thing but it does have an impact (for example, they gave me my soup 5-10 minutes before V got her salad. By the time her salad came, my soup was already cold).
About the food, it was alright. I had no complains about the bisque (they gave me a new one). The salad was good, but they had added a little too much dressing. The tangine was very tomato-y and got cold too fast for my pace of eating haha. The sandwich was very difficult to eat but the fries were really good with the aoili sauce on the side. The granita was refreshing and the profiterole was presented nicely. But as I was looking over their regular menu, I already pointed out many things I wanted to try. I can't wait to be back and try their beef bourguignon poutine (yeah, that exists...)!!
