No. 40: Atelier

No. 40: Atelier

540 ROCHESTER ST, OTTAWA, ON
ATELIERRESTAURANT.CA
613-321-3537

ACIDULATED APRICOTS, sous-vide salsify, aerated mustard, olive brine gel—Marc Lepine is as much a scientist as he is a chef.

Ten years in, the kitchen at Atelier is as inventive as ever. There’s little giveaway, either in the unmarked door that leads to the restaurant or in stripped-down menu descriptions such as “sweet pea globe,” “celeriac and hock,” and “venison,” but the cooking is exuberant. Gazpacho comes looking more like a floral arrangement, duck is served in a terrarium, and there are even edible balloons for dessert.If the dishes are unfamiliar and wildly inventive, they are always tasty and unmistakably beautiful. A typical plate, bright with colour, might include an orb, some hoops, a few splashes and plenty of crumbles. When the restaurant opened, it seemed outrageous to operate in Ottawa with only a tasting menu, but the concept has proven remarkably popular, and reservations in the 22-seat dining room remain as rare as duck teeth in a terrarium.
HOURS

Monday to Sunday
6:00 PM until 8:00 PM

Photos by: Miv Photography

Alo_2018_photo

No. 1: Alo

The Alo experience begins with a discreet doorway on a gritty stretch of downtown Toronto.

No. 2: Toqué!

Drop by for a meal here in April and you might get started with a princess scallop farmed off the Magdalen Islands.

No. 3: Joe Beef

Even more unlikely than Joe Beef ’s evolution to culinary institution is the fact that it made the transition with its original ideals intact.
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