where jess ate

Having been to Azure a couple times, I was back for yet another ‘Licious dinner. Serving up contemporary Canadian fare, the restaurant is located in the lobby of the Intercontinental Toronto Centre (@ICTorontoCentre).

The space features a gorgeous sky-high glass canopy which makes it feel as though you’re sitting outside…with the benefit of enjoying the AC indoors.

Azure’s Summerlicious menu features a three-course prix fixe – $25 for lunch and $45 for dinner. Even though Summerlicious ends July 20th, they’ll be extending the prix fixe special with Azurelicious throughout the month of August.

Without further ado, here’s a look at what you can enjoy at Azure:

Rhubarb Sour – Dillon’s gin, Dillon’s rhubarb bitters, house made rhubarb shrub, fresh lime & Sprite

Watermelon Paloma – Tromba tequila, fresh lime, fresh watermelon juice, house made pear vanilla soda & Dillon’s rhubarb bitters

Heirloom Tomatoes – buffalo mozzarella, basil, figs, balsamic glaze

Seared Tuna & Compressed Watermelon – watercress, avocado, orange, cucumber, micro cress

Ontario Beef Striploin – pink peppercorns, truffle pomme puree, scallions, king mushrooms, au jus

BC Organic Salmon – garlic scapes, arugula, grilled plumps, lavender sour cream

Lindt Milk Chocolate Torte – chocolate mousse, marshmallow crème, ganache, sour cherry, praline

Honey Ginger Panna Cotta – lemongrass consommé, mango gelee, pine nut dentelle

Overall, we had another enjoyable Licious experience at Azure. While the offerings might not be particularly inventive, the food is tasty and well executed. This year’s Summerlicious highlights for me included the seared tuna, beef striploin and honey ginger panna cotta.

I don’t usually order tuna at restaurants but this was prepared perfectly. My main gripe with seared tuna is that it can often be dry but this certainly wasn’t the case here. The tuna had a nice sear on it and was wonderfully moist. The lightness of the dish and the pairing of the tuna with the watercress, avocado and cucumbers made it the perfect summer starter.

As for the beef, the portion was quite impressive. The meat, which was cooked to a nice medium rare as requested, was quite tender and I loved the addition of the king mushrooms to the dish. If you’re looking for something a little heartier, the striploin is definitely the way to go.

When our desserts arrived, it was the honey ginger panna cotta which stole the show. The panna cotta was light and delicate with a subtle ginger flavour and the mango gelee gave it the perfect amount of sweetness.

The three-course prix fixe will be available for the remainder of Summerlicious as well as through the month of August so there’s still time to check it out!

*This was a complimentary meal. The opinions in the post, as always, are my own.*