When the Veggies Stole the Show: Maple Leaf Tavern Review

With plates like this “Pumpkin Salad: a composed salad of roasted pumpkin, served with coconut parsnip puree, pickled grapes, arugula and pumpkin seeds” it’s no surprise the veggies stole the show!

I attended a media-event at the historic Maple Leaf Tavern and was blown away by their exceptional vegetarian dishes.  Known for their steaks, unique game meat dishes and family style Sunday dining, Maple Leaf Tavern is now serving stand-alone veggie dishes guaranteed to impress you. 

These glazed carrots are a signature on the menu. They’re seasoned simply with salt and pepper and slow roasted until well browned and cooked through. The carrots are then cut and glazed with honey, butter and toasted cumin seeds and served on top of parsley yoghurt. 

The glazed carrots were my favourite dish of the night! The roasted cumin seeds and parsley yoghurt added a unique flavour to the already delectable carrots. 

A unique vegetarian appetizer I enjoyed more than I expected to was the “Corn Dog”. Fresh baby corn is fried in corndog batter and served with corn pudding, huitlacoche (corn truffle) and corn nuts. Corn truffle is a rare delicacy harvested from an edible fungus that occasionally grows on corn; it has an earthy and smoky flavour. 

Corndog: a course from Maple Leaf Tavern’s vegetable focused kitchen counter menu.

Their veggie burger is an exact replica of Maple Leaf Tavern’s famous burger except with a completely vegetarian patty. The veggie patty features mushrooms, red lentils, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, onion, garlic, celery and fresh herbs. It’s packed with superfoods and is as delicious as it is nutritious. 

Veggie Patty served on a sesame milk bun with house made processed cheese.

I would order the grilled broccoli as a side to any of the mains. The broccoli is charred on Maple Leaf Tavern’s wood burning grill, tossed in a sweet and sour bbq sauce and topped with onion crumble and chopped roasted peanuts.

Grilled Broccoli: charred in wood burning grill, tossed with bbq sauce and topped with onion crumble and chopped peanuts.

I tried Burrata for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by how addictive the mild soft buffalo cheese dish was, I couldn’t get enough. It’s served with a seasonal garnish and dressed at your table with Baco Noir balsamic vinegar and cold pressed canola oil. It’s the perfect starter to share with friends.

Burrata: garnished with quince puree, roasted red pepper, grilled radicchio and beet chips.

Careful thought is put into crafting unique dishes with complex flavour profiles at Maple Leaf Tavern. Currently on their Game Menu is “Elk Shank Pie”, cooked overnight in red wine and aromatics it’s reformed around the bone, wrapped in an elk and blueberry sausage and then covered in a savoury pie dough and baked to perfection. Table-side, the bone marrow is mixed with hot mustard, herbs, shallot, and dry sherry. The sauces and delicious pie crust help balance the robust flavour of the elk shank. Even still, I wouldn’t be able to finish this main by myself as it is rich and very filling. 

Elk Shank Pie: carved off the bone and served with a reduction of the braising jus.

Don’t forget to save room for a cocktail and dessert! The Cup O’Punch was so aromatic I couldn’t wait to try it after watching it be prepared. It smelled like Christmas, when my family does a lot of baking with cinnamon and orange. 

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  Cup O’Punch

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  Martell Cognac, Appleton Rum, Peach Bitters, Fresh Orange, Cava, Nutmeg

To finish off your meal I suggest the Almond Cake, a cream cheese mousse cake featuring an almond crust and seasonal fruit. It’s topped with and airy almond crumble. 

Almond Cake: cream cheese mousse cake with almond crust and seasonal fruit. 

I was impressed by the creativity displayed in the dishes at Maple Leaf Tavern. It’s anything but your traditional steak house. The atmosphere was elegant and romantic, with wood finishings and candlelight. They’re also a family friendly establishment and have a great sounding children’s menu. I’m excited to return with the whole family. It’ll definitely be tough to decide what to order with so many enticing options!

                               
                                Sofia Martimianakis

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