The Rimrock Hotel’s dining room surprises and delights
A beautiful dining room, in a gorgeous hotel in one of the world’s most spectacular towns is the setting of a delicious experience. The Primrose Dining Room in Banff’s Rimrock Hotel is one of those hidden gems that is worth a visit when you’re looking for a special experience.
From start to finish, the meal we enjoyed here was fabulous. With something special around every culinary corner, we were continuously delighted from the amuse bouche to dessert.
Our server was knowledgeable and made some great suggestions we decided to take him up on. We began with the dark rye sourdough alongside the bouillabaisse. The bread is born of a recipe developed in 1928 and offered a softer experience than a typical sourdough making it gentler on the mouth and a wonderful vehicle for the Maldon-salted, house-churned butter that accompanied it. The bouillabaisse was resplendent with fresh seafood in a delicate tomato rouille broth, which offered just enough tang to balance the rich prawns, salmon and mussels. On the side was a chewy sourdough baguette with saffron sabayon.
As mains, we went with the gorgeous Alberta bison short ribs with fluffy potato dumplings and wild mushrooms including shimeji, maitake and morels. A dried-plum jam lends acidity and freshness to the rich, melt-off-the-bone short rib, which was topped with a crunchy hazelnut.
The pork loin is cooked to the perfect temperature of 128 degrees and served with mushrooms deglazed with white wine and added cream. Fingerling potatoes rounded out the dish, which was topped with some chicharones for salt and crispy texture. The pork was tender and flavourful and the winter mushrooms lent an earthy umami that grounded the dish nicely.
While we were well satiated by the end of the main course, we were tempted into dessert and were very glad we indulged. The cardamom creme brulee was topped with a fig sorbet and came with a crispy hazelnut cookie on the side. This classic-with-a-twist was exquisitely balanced with the right amount of sweet and savoury, rich and bright, creamy and crispy. For the chocolate lovers, we recommend the chocolate mousse covered in both dark and milk chocolate served with a delicate chantilly cream, confit cherries, chocolate fudge and chocolate brownies. It’s a chocoholic’s dream come true and the perfect end to a delightful meal.
The Primrose is open for breakfast and dinner through the spring. Check website for seasonal hours and menu updates.
