Cafe North Hatley

I had an absolutely amazing meal at a hidden gem that felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. The restaurant is located right on the lake and offers top-notch fine dining service. The menu is exceptional and the wine selection is impressive yet accessible. Overall, a fantastic dining experience!

You know you 're at a fancy restaurant when... 1. They use crumb sweepers. 2. They have a sommelier. 3. Neither you nor the waiter know the names of the ingredients on your plate! 4. They 're part of the Relais Chateau The menu changes with the seasons and they use fresh and unique ingredients from the province of Quebec. Among them were sea lettuce, sea parsley, sea asparagus, sea buckthorn berries, camrise berries, etc. It almost sounded like every veggie or fruit was slapped with sea and that made it special . The clientele is predominately an older, Caucasian crowd with some folks from the US. Overhearing the conversations on the table next to us, it sounds like the types that spend time at the Hamptons (I 've never been, but that 's how I image it 'd be like! The restaurant overlooks the beautiful garden and lake the tables by the windows are best! The server distributes sliced bread one piece at a time from a basket they carry over. Butter with buckwheat seeds is shaped into two really smooth domes. For a moment, I questioned whether they were butter or white chocolates... Thankfully I didn 't just pop one into my mouth! Bread was very ordinary. I kind of expected to have better. We 're served fresh gerkin in a dill cream sauce, fresh mustard grains and edible Bernette flowers. This was definitely an intriguing start. The appetizers The potted kale is a unique surprise. It 's literally grown in a pot! We had fun snipping kale leaves into a bowl. Alas, a whole kale plant lost its life for my salad. The flavor of the bison, cheese, yolk and herring really pack a umami punch so cut up the whole plant and mix well. Great flavors and fun to try. The razor clams are a must try. The server brought the dish to the table, named a bunch of unknown ingredients and proceeded to baptize my razor clam dish with a delicious, warm, creamy green leek sauce. The flavors like I 've never tasted before marry together with chanterelles, garlic scapes, sea plantain leaves, two clusters of seaweed are just delightful!!! You 'll want to lick up the sauce cause I almost did. The mains Duck Magret was decent tasting but I fought some tendon in each piece. I would 've wanted a more tender experience. I think the better part of the plate was the Haskap berry (aka Camerise sauce and the foie gras mousse. I found the mangly turnip roots somewhat tough to eat and they didn 't add much visual appeal to the plate! The Berkshire Pork went much better. Tender and grilled to perfection. Accompanied with chanterelles, edible flowers and a wrapped meat thingy that was so tasty. Definitely go with this plate! The desserts The sweet grass ice pop was delightful. Tasted like yogurt candy exterior and the light sweetness was balanced with the tangy pop of the sea buckthorn berries. The biscuit base added a nice crunch. The rhubarb tartlet had milder flavor and was enjoyable but less interesting. Complementary dessert They provided a free dessert Overall, very unique accompanying ingredients found in the region of Quebec. When the server described the slew of novel sounding ingredients, I thought I was hearing Charlie Brown 's teacher talking cause none of the words made sense!! Some things were delicious and intriguing but others could 've been better given the price, such as the duck magret.

You can eat here on the stunning terrace of Manoir Hovey with a view over the lake and the Manori's beautiful gardens. The views are incredible. The menu is quite compact but offers burger, steak, salmon tartar and 4 or 5 other main courses. Service is attentive. Free flowing bubbly water and French stick with butter. They even let us bring our dog on the lower terrace.

This restaurant offered an amazing dining experience from beginning to end. The meal started with a tasty amuse-bouche to prepare the palate for a full tasting menu. Be sure to come hungry as the zucchini and ricotta filled soup was delicious, the halibut was perfectly cooked with amazing flavor, and the chocolate lava cake was the perfect way to end the meal. (Carrot cheesecake is also shown in the picture.)

The food at this restaurant is fantastic and made with the freshest local ingredients. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and breakfast while staying at Le Manoir Hovey. The service is top notch and dining here feels like a truly special experience. The atmosphere is lovely and charming. While it may not be inexpensive, dining here is definitely worth the cost for the exceptional quality.