Alo Canada

It is 7 p.m., New Year’s Eve, I am sitting on a soft round sofa in a dimly lit Alo’s small dining room, being entertained by the meticulously orchestrated play of the open kitchen crew, who are preparing another course for me. I am enjoying a glass of Gamay red meanwhile. In a few seconds, Chef Patrick Kriss comes on duty and stands by the wall a few tables away from me, overviewing back and front of the house flawless dance. He looks extremely focused without a hint of weakness, as a general on a battle field. Alo it seems, is his battle field, and there is no opportunity for mistake, no time for fun, only precise tactical moves in their spotless execution. To no one’s surprise, this French restaurant was on my go-to list for a few months already. Alo is the recurrently “Top restaurant in Canada”, to be precise 2 years in a row, 2017 and 2018. It is clearly aiming at a Michelin star. However, no stars came along just yet. RESERVATION You have to be patient and very quick at the same time, when reserving a table at Alo. It seems like everyone wants to be there and once the reservation process is opened for the next 2 months, all the tables go as hot pastries, being completely booked-out in under an hour. For those people, like me, not a phone type, it is a good plus that the booking can be done online. However, before pre-paying in full for the pricy set-menu dinner, I still had to call the restaurant to confirm a possibility of accommodation for dietary restrictions (more on that, later in the review). Alo also calls a few days before the set date to reconfirm the booking and the food preferences. Overall, smooth and simple process. Thumbs up for that part. [siteorigin_widget class=”WP_Widget_Media_Image”][/siteorigin_widget] ACCOMMODATION FOR DIETARY RESTRICTIONS On the restaurant reservation web-page, at one of the two booking options it is clearly stated that NO accommodations are provided for any dietary restrictions. That is a bit confusing, as nothing is stated at the other option… And that is actually the reason, why I did not book a table there months earlier, being under the impression, that the restaurant is completely accommodations-unfriendly. The dietary restriction that I am always checking for is the most difficult and hated in the industry as I know it. It is getting better these days, but most of the Chefs still vigorously detest the vegan diet, simply as it seems, because they had not been trained to make complete plant-based dishes, and it appears to them virtually impossible to offer the same value (both nutrition and pallet complexity wise) dishes for vegans. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Chef Kriss had a vegan-friendly tasting menu option up in his sleeve. Is it as fully value for money experience for vegans, as the standard tasting menu? Maybe not (keep on reading for more on that), but the fact that a classically French Alo actually does not turn away vegans, is a huge plus for me. I did not ask about any other accommodations. However, I suppose, if Alo can offer a menu for a plant-based diet, it can accommodate any other diet… However, when I think about it now… I am curious about the raw-vegan … that could be a challenge 🙂 [siteorigin_widget class=”WP_Widget_Media_Image”][/siteorigin_widget] SERVICE & HOSPITALITY Service at Alo is on a completely other level from all the other Torontonian restaurants. No doubt, that is a major contribution to Alo being recognized as the “Top restaurant in Canada”. For a 40 sittings restaurant, they seem to have at least 10-15 staff members on the floor at the same time. That is extraordinary for the industry in general, and for Michelin star restaurants as well. I am not sure, how it works financially, but it definitely works operation wise for Chef Kriss. The floor staff is perfectly trained, there is some kind of sign language in place as well, to silently show a colleague if one of the guests needs attention. The attention to details on the floor is actually quite admiring, there seems to be a special person for everything, even to escort you to a washroom… Your cotton napkin will be replaced and folded, every time you stand up from your sit… literally, every time… The table is scanned for the smallest stains after every single course change, which are 10! I had even tested this, by leaving a tiny little spot from the sauce on the same color table, almost invisible even to myself. Surprisingly, our brilliant waiter had spotted it right away and came around to clean it up immediately. Let’s just say, Alo is not one of those places, where your water glass will ever stay even half empty, it will be continuously refilled. As for the hospitality, as defined by Daniel Meyer in his biblical ‘Setting the Table’, I am not so sure. Alo is absolutely technical in the execution of everything they do, from the service to the dishes themselves. However, I cannot say that it feels just as welcoming, as a truly hospitable restaurant does. It feels more like a just-bought, still fresh and unworn pair of shoes, rather than your beloved ones that are so comfy and ready to be worn over and over again. I’d say, it needs just a bit more of human touch to it. At the moment, Alo is more robotic than human. [siteorigin_widget class=”WP_Widget_Media_Image”][/siteorigin_widget] AMBIANCE As the travel to another country starts from the airport, restaurant experience starts from the building entrance. Alo is located in a heritage building near Chinatown. It is easy to access, and also easy to pass by, as there is no apparent signboard on a door. That might be quite annoying when you are desperately trying to find the entrance to escape from the rain outside, but not to be too picky about it… Once you find