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Sit on this
and rotate!
>>
Montreal’s only revolving restaurant offers a Tour de Ville
by SARAH MUSGRAVE
Eating and spinning around in circles are not activities you’d
usually want to combine, but the idea seemed like a good one back in
1961 when the first revolving restaurant was built in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The next year, Seattle’s Space Needle was crowned with a rotating
resto, just in time for the World’s Fair. Soon every city wanted
one, leaving us decades later with “revolutionary” dining
experiences from the headier days of sky-high style.
Tour de Ville, our city’s revolving restaurant, sits atop the Delta
Hotel on the dividing line between downtown and Old Montreal. A glass
elevator whizzes you up to the 30th floor, where a hot and cold buffet
extravaganza awaits (supper $39.95/brunch $26.95). Your first step onto
the revolving disc that holds the tables can be a bit disconcerting
and it’s easy to get lost as your seat sidles away while you’re
loading up your plate. The motion sickness soon turns to awe as you
soak up the 360-degree panorama of the skyline.
Although the big draw is the view, the food fares well in terms of freshness,
quantity and effort. Menus are designed according to somewhat cheesy
international culinary themes—until March 30, it’s the South
American flavours of Following the Incas, followed by From Provence
to the Italian Riviera (April 20–June 22). Despite the waiter cautioning
that some dishes are “quite spicy,” anyone who’s accustomed
to ethnic foods will find it all very safe and very mild. Like most
buffets, the large selection doesn’t mean the chefs take any chances.
The cold buffet is so much more than a salad bar. The chilled potato
and egg casserole, black bean and chorizo salad and pleasantly sharp
chayote were all very good. The sliced papaya was refreshing and the
ceviche was tasty even without much citrus zip. The marinated cactus
strips, mussels and little tortilla shells stuffed with chicken, olives
and avocado weren’t as interesting, while other offerings like
bocconcini and grilled bell peppers, Caesar salad and requisite cocktail
shrimp were far from “Incan.”
The assortment of hot dishes is even more remarkable, all housed under
silver domes. The mole chicken was pretty authentic, perfectly cooked
white meat in a rich brown sauce of cacao mingled with spices. Also
on the second helpings list: tasty pork with sweet and sour sauce, and
lamb with lima beans and almonds accompanied by mint jelly. Another
standout was the Veracruz-style red snapper, with a feathery texture
and tangy tomato sauce dotted with capers—although the other fish
dishes (salmon, scallops and calamari) didn’t look quite as appealing.
Also on offer: quail with pecans and nuts, rabbit with prunes and cumin,
beef tortillas, delicious sweet potato and nicely seasoned rice. What
they call quesadillas are more like empañadas, a light, fluffy,
buttery pastry encasing seasoned pork, corn and freshly sliced mushrooms.
The chef’s station will also carve roast beef or make fresh pasta
to order, with loads of ingredients to customize your plate.
The desserts are just as varied. There’s cheese and crackers for
those who still have wine left to finish. Sweet tooths will savour the
slices of fresh cantaloupe, honeydew melon and pineapple that can be
drizzled with melted chocolate sauce. Multicoloured, multilayered cakes
and mousses abound, along with carambola, mango and cream pastry and
pistachio and cappuccino squares.
Tour de Ville has all the makings of a fun night out, combining the
novelty factor with a constantly replenished buffet. Reservations are
definitely recommended as it gets crowded with people exclaiming, “It’s
always rotating so it’s always moving!” :
Tour de Ville
Address: 777 University, 30th floor (Delta Hotel)
Phone: 879-4777
Hours: Fri & Sat 5:30–11pm; Sun 10:30am–2pm
Best features: mega view, mega meals
Alcohol: yes
Vegetarian friendly: no
Credit cards: yes
Wheelchair access: yes
Price: $39.95/person before tax, drinks or tip
Rating: HHH out of HHHH
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