Photography Adrien Veczan
The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald’s new executive chef, Mridul Bhatt, recently launched a new menu which focuses on big flavours and the use of local products. There are international twists, from Moroccan spices to Asian influences, in the menu. As well, the hotel has made its signature restaurant, The Harvest Room more of a standalone operation.
Look for crunchy cauliflower and jackfruit tacos (Bhatt says jackfruit can be braised and pulled like pork) from the chef, who previously worked at the Fairmont Vancouver Waterfront and Fairmont Jaipur in India.
The restaurant is also serving a Beast Board, a wooden plate stacked with three proteins and accompanying sides. I tried it and the highlights were the lamb, perfectly cooked and given some sweetness thanks to the Moroccan spice rub, and the tandoori black cod. Most of us have tried chicken or beef done in this Indian cooking style. But the decadent black cod was moist and flaky under a wonderfully balanced bright red coating. There was spice, but not enough to put the diner into competitive-eating territory.
10065 100 St., 780-424-5181, fairmont.com/macdonald-edmonton
This article appears in the January 2018 issue of Avenue Edmonton.
