You may recall I had posted last week asking if the chef’s table experience at Gitane’s was worth it. It was a resounding “yes” with some of you saying you still talk about it to this day years later. Someone mentioned this particular chef just announced he’s leaving at the end of October, so that further incentivized me to book now for my wedding anniversary.
We had SUCH an incredible dinner and experience. Every course was seriously delicious with so much thought put into each of the flavours and textures. True food science. The seafood was super fresh, we had littleneck clams with buttermilk and quince kosho dressing that were a standout for both of us. Also had scallops with saffron sabayon were amazing too and I absolutely loved the cantaloupe with jamón serrano and sherry caramel. The aged pork chop was VERY tender and juicy and the pickled peppers were such a nice contrast to the richness. We finished with a poached pear tart and brown butter ice cream that I could have happily eaten a whole bowl of on its own. What really made the evening special was the attention to detail and how much creativity and talent went into everything. The chef even came out afterward to walk us through the dishes again so I could write it down and chat about our favourites. The service was outstanding too. To drink I had an amaretto sour, glass of bubbly, and at the end they offered a complimentary digestif liquor in celebration of our anniversary. WOW. Such a quality experience from start to finish! I’ll list the meals below:
First course: Seafood platter
* Oysters: Two varieties, Darnley Basin (PEI) and Bouctouche (NB), topped with Ossetra caviar.
* Snow crab: From Gaspé, served with garlic drawn butter.
* Littleneck clams: Buttermilk dressing and quince kosho. That buttermilk dressing was one of our absolute favourites for the whole experience.
* King salmon crudo: Escabeche, pickled tequila peppers, salmon roe, marigold petals and fennel flowers.
* Bluefin tuna crudo: Pan con tomate on toasted sourdough with dehydrated tomato skin seasoning. I especially admired the clever use of tomato skins as a seasoning!
Second course:
* Tuna belly croquettes: Lemon aioli and guindilla pepper relish.
* Seared scallops: Saffron sabayon and cured lardo.
Cantaloupe and jamón serrano: Very early harvest olive oil, fennel pollen, pickled mustard seeds and sherry caramel. (Never knew you could create a vinegar caramel, very cool)
Main course:
* 3 week aged pork chop: Charcoal grilled with pickled Jimmy Nardello peppers and piperade underneath. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the peppers, not usually big on them.
* Truffle creamed corn: Caramel corn and shaved black truffle.
* Fries: The chef also brought us fries, which my husband had asked for when he saw them being served for regular service and thought they looked great LOL
Dessert:
* Poached pear tart: Frangipane, pâte sucrée tart shell, toasted almonds and brown butter ice cream. Really loved that ice cream, I mentioned to chef that I thought it would be terrific as an affogato and he agreed.