As part of a bid to diversify its food and beverage offerings, the Fairmont Château Laurier has added another concept it hopes will bring a new vibe to the 114-year-old hotel. The former location of La Terrasse, which overlooks the Rideau Canal locks, was reimagined this spring as the hotel’s newest patio offering, Émilie’s Terrace. […]
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As part of a bid to diversify its food and beverage offerings, the Fairmont Château Laurier has added another concept it hopes will bring a new vibe to the 114-year-old hotel.
The former location of La Terrasse, which overlooks the Rideau Canal locks, was reimagined this spring as the hotel’s newest patio offering, Émilie’s Terrace.
Named for Émilie Barthe, a confidante of former prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his wife Zoe, Émilie’s Terrace “will be the social gathering place in Ottawa,” Geneviève Dumas, the hotel’s general manager, told OBJ at the terrace’s launch event Wednesday.
“This is the place where people will want to come. Émilie (Barthe) was a very intelligent, very bright lady from Paris. So, very Emily in Paris. It was not our goal, but it fits the vibe,” she said, referring to the popular Netflix series known for its esthetically pleasing visuals.
Dumas said the inspiration for the terrace’s design, including its floral wall, came from Barthe and the local spirit she inspired. “It was inspired by just a flower. We have a vodka called Émilie and the designer put flowers in Émilie’s hair,” she said referring to the vodka that Dunrobin Distilleries created in partnership with the Château for its speakeasy 1912.
The new terrace will feature shareable plates and cocktails made with local ingredients that complement the space’s summery feel, Dumas said.
Over the past few years, the Château has made an effort to revitalize its food and beverage offerings by revamping Zoe’s Lounge on the Rideau Street side of the building and introducing Japanese restaurant Akira Back and its speakeasy called 1912.
“We started with Zoe’s. It was kind of an old style. We were looking at the reading lounge and saying that we need to create an amazing bar. We convinced our ownership group. They believed in it and it’s super-successful. So when we talked about these other concepts, they jumped right in and trusted us,” Dumas said.
Dumas added that Akira Back was another way to diversify its restaurant portfolio.
“(Akira Back) started that partnership with the (Château Laurier’s) ownership group. They own the W Hotel in Toronto and some other hotels overseas and they have Akira Back (restaurants) there. When they wanted to bring it here, it was a perfect combination. It was a no-brainer,” she said.
Though the Château has been a culinary choice for decades, Dumas said it's trying to appeal to a new generation of hotel guests as well Ottawa’s business and foodie communities.
“That’s always been the goal. Zoe’s has always been renowned. We have generations of grandparents, parents and kids coming to have (afternoon) tea for years. So we have a … mix of guests and locals. We want this to feel like they belong at the Château Laurier and Ottawa,” she said.
David De Bernardi, the hotel’s executive chef, said the Château Laurier has sustainability in mind while also maintaining its standards.
“The big focus for the hotel as a brand … is making sure we’re using as much local as possible. I work with Juniper Farms down the road in Wakefield. We have our own honey on the roof. We just started growing our own garden here for the patio,” he told OBJ at the event Wednesday.
To stick to a seasonal schedule, De Bernardi said his culinary team needs to plan in advance.
“We’re planning ahead and working with the farms as to what they’re going to be planting and basing our menus accordingly. We start planning six months in advance and then just start playing with ideas based on trends,” he added.
In crafting the menu for Émilie’s Terrace, De Bernardi said it was important to focus on seasonality.
“The whole concept (of the terrace) was that we’re in her garden, so we have (food) you would find in her garden. As a child growing up on my grandmother’s farm, we had a huge garden. I remember walking through and being able to pick vegetables and just eat whatever was available. (That) was the inspiration behind the bean dips and watermelon (salad),” he said.
Dumas said her team will continue to look for ways to bring a modern twist to the city’s historic hotel.
“I think the Château Laurier is getting a new life, a new identity and a new vibe,” she said. “Not saying that we want to be trendy, but we want to be the place where people want to be and want to be seen. There’s a bit for everybody.”
