I do miss the old Parliamentary Restaurant on the top floor of Centre Block. It was such an elegant space steeped in history.
And the highlight as a staffer was the Friday buffets where, for around $20, they would have a great selection of all you can eat hot and hold dishes. Often, there was a theme. They did each of the provinces one year, with regional specialties. You always had to make a reservation to get a seat, as it was a popular ticket.
With Centre Block closed, the buffets sadly are no more. They have a very nice, if lacking in natural light, spot in the basement of West Block, but unfortunately it's not large enough to recreate the buffet.
Still, it's a nice space, the restaurant staff are still great, and they tend to have tasty Canadian food on offer, albeit at a premium over the cafeteria down the hall. And seeing that that seem to have recently refreshed the menu, the team dropped in for lunch before the House rose for the summer.
I started with the special, which was a very tasty seafood chowder. It was hearty and flavourful. And it was a full bowl, it was just too delicious I was well into it before I remembered to snap a photo.
I have often had the seafood entrees here as they do a good job. I remember one time having a very tasty Ontario pickerel in a beurre blanc that was on special. While there was a fish dish and a shrimp and scallop dish that were tempting options, I ended up going for the beef striploin.
It was served with cheddar and chives croquette balls with broccolini and mushrooms in a jus. I think that tipped it from seafood to beef for me were the potatoes, and they delicious -- crispy outside, creamy inside. The veg was also good, but the beef was both overcooked (more medium-well than the medium-rare I ordered) and lukewarm, like it had been sitting there for awhile.
Looking at my colleagues perfectly cooked scallops, I definitely had order envy.
Thankfully, desert ended the meal on a high note.
I love chocolate and raspberry together, and so the salted chocolate cream tart with coconut raspberry whip and raspberry splash was the easy choice. A tasty sweet treat to end the meal, and not too large a portion.
Next time I'll stick with the seafood.
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