Hot bites - Canada's top ten new restaurants

From surf to turf, these new eateries are adding sizzle to Canada’s blossoming culinary scene. Be forewarned: reading any further will whet your appetite for fabulous food.

1. Atelier Restaurant, Ottawa, ON.
Chef Marc Lepin puts the fun back into fine dining with a non-traditional approach to cooking. His tools of choice include liquid nitrogen and induction burners for creating crabapple nitro spaetzle and a whipped caviar creamsicle. In Lepin’s hands, the methodology isn’t gimmickry; it’s delicious. The service is swift, but not rushed, and the kitchen welcomes curious diners to witness its culinary experiments.

2. Play Food & Wine, Ottawa, ON.
If you’ve ever been paralyzed by indecision about what to order, this restaurant solves the dilemma. On offer: a variety of small plates that showcase a bevy of flavours. Love the elk kielbasa or the Digby scallops? Order more. This is the perfect spot to eat with friends. Pile up the table with plates, nibble from this one and that ‘til your belly is happy—which it’ll be after the final bite of a banana split with gelato and pineapple-rum sauce.

3. Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, Toronto, ON.
You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief when chef Donna Dooher and Kevin Gallagher opened this latest restaurant. The TO dining scene had been in mourning ever since she shut the doors of Mildred Pierce. There’s much to celebrate at her latest venture in Liberty Village. The faves are back, including those impossibly fluffy blueberry pancakes, handmade ricotta gnudi with bacon, and savoury burgers topped with Irish cheddar. Welcome back!

4. Hank’s Café, Toronto, ON.
Here’s positive proof that dining doesn’t need to be fancy to be fabulous. The traditional café is boosted to new levels of yummy, thanks to Jamie Kennedy. You can grab a coffee and a chocolate croissant to go, or sit and relax over a lunch of beer-braised beef stew with root vegetables or a satisfying roast beef sandwich with homemade mayo. By evening, it’s hangout central with bar snacks and old-school cocktails.

5. Campagnolo, Vancouver, BC.
Italian is the ultimate comfort food, so it’s not surprising that diners are flocking to Campagnolo for its casual, affordable fare, from simple thin-crust pizzas and chef de cuisine Alvin Pillay’s housemade salumi to fresh pastas like tagliarini with pork ragu. You’re going to love the 25-seat wine bar, perfect for lingering before and after feasting.

6. DNA Restaurant, Montréal, QC.
At home and abroad, there’s been a flood of kudos for chef Derek Dammann, and with good reason. He demonstrates a knack for turning not-so-everyday ingredients (squid and pork belly) into things of beauty. Situated in Old Montréal, this eatery presents world-class cuisine in a homey environment that says to diners, “Sip, savour, stay a while.”

7. Lot 30, Charlottetown, PEI.
Celebrated chef Gordon Bailey gets fresh at his latest eatery. The kitchen doesn’t even have a freezer. That means plenty of surprises, pleasant ones, on a menu that constantly changes according to what’s available. You could be slurping chilled strawberry and peach soup or oysters plucked out of Colville Bay that day. The menu isn’t long, but every item listed is a winner.

8. Stage, Victoria, BC.
Take a trip around the world without leaving this laidback bistro, located in the Fernwood neighbourhood. Chef George Szasz pleases locavores with ingredients sourced on the island (Vancouver Island), but it’s the global accents that give these tapas international appeal. Mussels benefit from a zesty kick of coconut milk, lime and chipotle, while pork belly gets a hearty boost from stewed white beans. Can a tummy smile? Uh huh. Tel. 250-388-4222

9. The Only on King, London, ON.
Southwestern Ontario is coming on strong in culinary circles, thank to a bounty of locally sourced produce, meat and dairy products. Chefs Jason Schubert and Paul Harding tap into those flavours with flair. Lake pickerel, along with sautéed wild leeks, brown butter and capers, is melt-in-your mouth delicious, and the asparagus tart flambé with puff pastry, old cheddar and new potatoes is a flaky, scrumptious delight.

10. Chef’s Table, Calgary, AB.
The open kitchen seduces your taste buds even before the first plate has landed at the table. The seven-course tasting menu is a symphony that builds beautifully until the final note, from Queen Charlotte Islands scallops with blood-orange foam to sugar-sprinkled doughnuts with vanilla custard. Chef Theo Yeaman honed his skills at top tables in Europe (interning at The Fat Duck, for example) and Canada. Now he’s Calgary’s newest culinary star, twinkling brightly with great creative and a penchant for bold flavours.

For more about Canada, visit canadatourism.com.