Cookbooks We Love
November 20, 2023
A History Of Canadian Restaurants And How They’ve Shaped Our Cuisine
Turning the pages of Gabby Peyton’s book, Where We Ate: A Field Guide to Canada’s Restaurants, Past and Present, I was excited to see The Arbor, a beachfront spot in Port Dover, Ont., that I know very well. When I was growing up in the ’90s, my family spent every weekend from June to October at our cottage on Lake Erie. Once in a while, if my brother and I were lucky enough, we’d go into town to eat at The Arbor. We’d have foot-long hot dogs, fruit sundaes and Golden Glows, an orange juice–like drink with a secret recipe that dates back to 1929.
Keep reading for a history of Canadian restaurants — including classic recipes!
Other popular Canadian fast-food spots from coast to coast to coast make an appearance in this book, including White Spot (pictured here, circa-1950) in Vancouver, famous for its Triple O Burger, and Mary Brown’s in Newfoundland and Labrador — the author’s home province — renowned for its fried chicken. When I was in St. John’s last summer, I found a thriving food scene, thanks to great restaurants like Mallard Cottage, which Gabby (pictured above) also writes about. “Places like Cottage and Raymonds were able to take dishes your grandmother made and elevate them, which blew people’s minds,” she says.
Montreal’s Auberge Saint-Gabriel (pictured), dating back to 1754, is the oldest restaurant featured. It’s still open to this day, offering a mouthwatering, gooey Swiss Fondue (scroll down for the recipe) paired with Champagne. Gabby says that, historically, restaurants in Quebec have played an important role in our food culture. “They were foundational in how we view high-end dining in Canada.”
And then there are the Prairies! I’ve been dying to try the award-winning River Café in Calgary. A one-time dilapidated concession stand, it was transformed into a restaurant in 1991 and now offers fantastic dishes like Yukon Arctic Char with Broccoli, Sumac, Seared Leeks and Avonlea-buttermilk Sauce (recipe below). This particular recipe nods to almost every region of Canada: the fish is sourced from Yukon, the sauce is made from P.E.I. cows’ cheese and, sumac, an ingredient often seen in Indigenous cuisine, grows across Ontario.
Ches’s Famous Fish and Chips, St. John’s, N.L., circa-1951.
Illustrated by original black and white photography, the book is a love letter to a collection of restaurants — some from more than 150 years ago — that I wish I could have eaten at, though many are long gone. For instance, Stewart’s Dining Room & Oyster House in Halifax, open from 1857 to 1865, brought oysters to our tables, either served on the half shell with hot sauce or fried with a side of dipping sauce (scroll down for the recipe).
The Empress Hotel in Victoria opened in 1908.
I have been lucky enough to sip and savour at some of the famed Canadian Pacific Railway hotels Gabby writes about, such as The Empress in Victoria and Ottawa’s Château Laurier. The Empress still welcomes more than 400 visitors daily for afternoon tea with its Signature Raisin Scones — my favorite (recipe below). “The Pacific Railway hotels were instrumental in shifting the idea of restaurants from a necessity to a luxury,” says Gabby. Personally, I love to wander the lobbies of these grand hotels; if the walls could talk, I’m sure they’d have lots of stories to tell.
The Arbor, Port Dover, Ont., circa-1930
I went back to Port Dover not too long ago and visited The Arbor. It was the first time I’d been since we sold the family cottage more than a decade ago. I watched my partner try his first Golden Glow. For me, that first sip is filled with happy, sun-soaked memories, and it was nice to share that part of my childhood with him. Gabby hopes these kinds of fond memories surface when people read her book. “I want to evoke that nostalgia about all the Canadian restaurants that have impacted who we are and what we love to eat and drink.”
Scroll down for classic recipes from some of these Canadian restaurants!
Fried Oysters: Stewart’s Dining Room & Oyster Saloon, Halifax
Ocean-fresh oysters fried in a light herb-crumb coating are best served with a garlicky aioli dipping sauce.
Get the recipe here.
Signature Raisin Scones: Fairmont Empress, Victoria
Perfect with a cup of tea, these buttery-soft scones are a treat worth indulging in. Don’t forget the strawberry jam and clotted cream!
Get the recipe here.
Swiss Fondue: Auberge Saint-Gabriel, Montreal
“The unctuous and rich Swiss fondue is served with roasted potatoes, cured meats and tons of cubed baguette just begging to be dipped.” — Gabby Peyton
Get the recipe here.
Yukon Arctic Char with Broccoli, Sumac, Seared Leeks and Avonlea-buttermilk Sauce: River Café, Calgary
An arctic char fillet sits atop a silky cream sauce and is topped with a sumac and broccoli crumb, creating a fresh, bright-tasting dish.
Get the recipe here.
These recipes are from Where We Ate: A Field Guide to Canada’s Restaurants, Past and Present by Gabby Peyton. Appetite by Random House, 2023, $36.
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Recipe and images from Where We Ate by Gabby Peyton. ©2023 Gabby Peyton. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved