Almost every year since I was about six or seven, my family would take a trip up to the CN Tower‘s revolving restaurant for our big Lunar New Year Meal. My family sees it as a “spin of luck and good fortune” and the only years we did not go up were when the restaurant was closed for renovations and that one year we were abroad.
Marinated artichoke, fennel and Fiorre di Latte cheese with confit of baby eggplant, harvest beets, black pearl olives, hazelnut vinaigrette
Currently called the 360 Restaurant, it has evolved over the 20-something years that I’ve gone. There has been at least one name change since then – I believe it was called Top of Toronto Restaurant at one point – and the menu has definitely changed as Toronto’s palate became more and more sophisticated. I remember eating burgers or chicken fingers and fries while sipping a Shirley Temple (or some other mocktail) in a CN Tower shaped glass when I was a little girl (a kids’ menu may still be available in the summer, when the restaurant is open for lunch), but currently, the vast majority of the selections are very adult-oriented and definitely not finger-friendly.
Pork tenderloin stuffed with spinach and almonds; Spätzle gratin, braised Savoy cabbage, house dried raisins, apple cider jus
The current menu offers two prix fixe choices (one at $55 and the other at $68, with three courses (or amuse-bouche plus three courses for the $68 menu) as well as a la carte offerings. There is also a large menu of steaks and seafoods. Menus change seasonally. At the dinner last night, I technically ordered items off the $55 menu, but traded my main course (chicken) with my dad as I preferred the pork tenderloin, which was on the other menu.
Spiced pumpkin cheesecake with white chocolate cranberry ice cream
My favourite from the meal last night was the spätzle (an egg noodle dish from Switzerland) gratin that came with the spinach and almond-stuffed pork tenderloin. The appetizer I ordered, the artichoke, fennel and Fiorre di latte cheese, which was served with a confit of baby eggplants, black pearl olives and harvest beats was good as well, but the dessert, a spiced pumpkin cheesecake was a little bit generic for the restaurant, even though it was served with white chocolate cranberry ice cream.
The view!
I highly suggest ordering more than one course, whether it be prix fixe or a la carte, as it takes just over an hour for the restaurant go around 360 degrees. We were lucky that Monday was a very clear night as we got an amazing view of the city.
