The remodeled Confederation Lounge is open, and the makeover of the grand old gathering space in the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald is not nearly as radical as I had feared.
In 2019, when plans were announced that the stately room, with its fireplace and wood-paneled walls, was going to be updated, it became a hot news topic. Renderings were leaked — and they weren’t pretty. They showed a white lounge with mirrored ceilings that, frankly, looked a lot like white, minimalist-design restaurants that had become boilerplate rather than inspired. Hotel general manager Garrett Turta said those renderings were never meant to be placed in front of the eyes of the general public, and the resulting public furore was to be expected.
So, on the opening night of the “new” Confederation Lounge, featuring an updated menu from executive chef Jiju Paul, my wife and I were happy to see flames in the fireplace, and a room that still felt very familiar. The updates make the space feel more like a lounge than ever before, with long dark couches and orange soft chairs. The wood accents are darker, but, most important to us all, there still is a heavy use of wood in the decor and design of the space. The bar feels more open, with bright orb lights. The light fixtures have been updated, but, thankfully, lean more to Art Deco than thoroughly modern.
And, there are no televisions. “We’re not a sports bar,” Turta said. And, he said he receives far more compliments about the TVs being removed than he’s heard complaints about them not being there.
After all, who needs the distraction of sports highlights when you’re going through the updated food and cocktail menus?
The winners, for us: The surprising jackfruit tacos come in hard shells. And despite the fact there’s no meat in the dish, it’s filled with Indian flavours, with a buttery sauce and raita adding both richness and freshness to it all. It screams summer patio food — so, Mother Nature, let’s have an early spring, shall we?
The bao (steamed buns) are filled with Alberta beef, and are substantial. And, the lobster roll is buttery to the max. The salmon is served with a coconut curry sauce, that is a world away from the usual lemon-and-butter combo. And that’s the thing about Paul’s menu — he’s sourcing organic salmon, Alberta beef, but there are influences from all over the world.
The cocktail menu has a couple of can’t-miss additions. The Accidental Beach is a liquor-forward sipper with Dalmore 12-year-old Scotch, rum, with sour grape juice, pineapple and coconut adding tang to the back end of each taste.
And the deadly, goes-down-way-too-easy creation is the High Level, a combination of lychee juice and lime with Bayou XO, creme de banane, Disaronno and Pandan, an Asian herb. It is a fruit explosion that demands to be sipped alongside something that’s spicy — and is the kind of thing that can end up with you being taken out of the room in a wheelbarrow.
Confederation Lounge
Downtown | 10065 100 St NW, Edmonton | 780.429.6424 | fairmont.com/…/theconfederationlounge/
