A Culinary Adventure Awaits
The Stirling Grill’s King’s Table makes for an experience to remember
There’s no shortage of exceptional experiences to be had in the Bow Valley. As a renowned destination for mountain adventure, people come from all over the world to play in our backyard. But the adventure isn’t limited to the backcountry. One of our favourite Canmore adventures is a culinary one: The King’s Table dinner at The Stirling Grill in the Malcolm Hotel.
Chef Graham Smith brings years of vast experience to his lovingly-curated and deftly-executed tasting menu, which is different every time you go. With a focus on quality ingredients, creative execution and delightful plating, the King’s Table is an adventure you don’t want to miss.
We began our meal with a house-made herbed brioche roll with cranberry and pink peppercorn butter which was a signal of great things to come.
The first course was a sweet, perfectly done seared scallop in a salty onion broth with cipollini onion and fresh asparagus tips. Garnished with a squid ink coral tuile and baby beet greens, this course was a looker with a taste to match.
Next up was a silky tomato bisque with mascarpone cream and a corn and bacon hash with oyster mushroom and fennel. The dish as uniquely presented as the bisque is poured tableside allowing us to savour the experience of stirring these beautiful ingredients together to create a rich, creamy soup.
Course number three featured a sous vide duck breast, done to medium, nestled into a yellow beet puree alongside roasted red beets, roasted carrots and some crispy beet and carrot chips on top. The dish was a symphony of flavour and texture with each ingredient contributing to the whole.
The piece de la resistance was a bison ribeye done to medium rare topped with a delightful chocolate demi glace with parsnip and squash couscous with roasted parsnip on the side and a crispy, salty, gorgeous kale leaf on top. The kale lent a delightful bit of salt to the tender, juicy ribeye and countered the sweetness of the chocolate demi glace just perfectly. The little couscous pearls were tender and delicious and the earthy parsnips grounded the dish into a strong sense of time and place as snow began to fall outside the window.
Dessert was a delightful chocolate pot de creme with chantilly cream and raspberry coulis and a crispy biscotti on the side. The dreamy texture and not-too-sweet flavour of the creme was a perfect way to end this beautiful meal.
