The Courtney Room recognized as one of Canada’s Best New Restaurants

The Courtney Room is honoured to be awarded #10 best new restaurant in Canada in the annual awards, presented by Air Canada and American Express.

The highly coveted benchmark of Canada’s hospitality industry, Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2018 were announced last night in Toronto, to a crowd of chefs, editors and influencers. Among the guests was the team from Victoria’s The Courtney Room, one of two restaurants representing British Columbia at the event that recognizes Canada’s top ten restaurants and reveals their individual ranking.

“We are so proud of the team that created The Courtney Room from a shared vision for a warm and welcoming space offering exceptional cuisine,” says Bill Lewis, General Manager of the Magnolia Hotel & Spa. “Together with the talented team at St Lawrence, we are thrilled to be the recognized as the pinnacle of new dining experiences in British Columbia.”

“Service is polished, even diplomatic, at this elegant spot, steps from the Inner Harbour,” reports the website adding, “Chef Sam Harris was lured away from celebrated French restaurant Agrius by The Courtney Room’s new owners, who told him they wanted ‘a killer meat program and seafood.’ So he’s pulled a haute take on surf ’n’ turf: sweet, crispy-edged candied sablefish collar and savoury aged duck breast from his high-tech Italian dry-aging chamber; beef tenderloin Oscar with Dungeness crab and Béarnaise.”

Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2018 highlights the top restaurants that have launched across the country over the last 12 months and deliver memorable experiences through the quality of their food, level of service and original contribution to the Canadian dining landscape. Based on the recommendations from a panel of food experts, Air Canada sends one writer on an anonymous, month-long, cross-country dining marathon to determine the most notable new openings that become contenders for the coveted annual Top 10 list.

The Courtney Room, which opened in May 2018, is located in the lobby of the Magnolia Hotel & Spa, a boutique property that is no stranger to awards. The hotel listed as #1 City Hotel in Canada in the Travel + Leisure 2017 World’s Best Awards, and earlier this month secured #6 Top Hotel in Canada in the Condé Nast 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards. After taking ownership of the restaurant space for the first time at the beginning of the year, the management team secured Executive Chef Sam Harris (previously of Agrius Restaurant) and Food & Beverage Manager Adrian Gatt (previously of The Wickanninish Inn) to lead a talented group of dedicated individuals, and unveiled a beautifully re-designed, bright and elegant space that evokes Paris’ grand dame hotels and classic bistros.

Seasonal Vancouver Island produce from land and sea drives the menu, with dishes radiating a classic French flair. Diners benefit from Chef Sam Harris’ strong relationships with local farmers, butchers and foragers, as well as an impressive kitchen of technical equipment including a dry aging and curing fridge, used to age a range of local meats, as well as cure salamis and seafood.

To book breakfast, lunch or dinner, visit www.thecourtneyroom.com or call 250.940.4090. For more details on Canada’s Best New Restaurants, visit www.CanadasBestNewRestaurants.com or see the November issue of enRoute Magazine.