Toronto is about to be crawling with celebs this month for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and you don’t have to be an A-lister to get the full movie-star treatment (well, as long as you have relatively deep pockets).
Restaurants and hotels across the city are taking the luxe factor to another level as they roll out TIFF-inspired special menus and experiences, and two in particular have caught our eye.
Among the priciest is The Treasure of Fortune at Lai Wah Heen, the iconic restaurant nestled on the second floor of the DoubleTree Hotel. Executive Chef Heyden Sin’s five-course culinary experience includes a 500-gram tin of caviar and an elaborate main course featuring a Supreme Eight-Treasure Gourd-Shaped Goose!
And it’ll only set you back $8,888.
According to Lai Wah Heen, the dish requires three days of prep (hence, it has to be ordered at least three days in advance) and draws inspo from three Cantonese culinary traditions: the Eight-Treasure Duck, a traditional Guangdong pigeon preparation that releases hot broth when opened, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which is a famously luxurious southern Chinese seafood and broth delicacy known for its prized ingredients (fans of Joseon Era K-Dramas will totally get it).
Chef Sin debones an entire premium goose by hand while keeping its skin intact, then fills it with treasures from the mountains and the sea, including first-harvest Tibetan cordyceps sinensis, Italian white truffle, wild Yunnan black tiger paw mushroom, Tianshan snow lotus seed, Japanese dried abalone, aged fish maw, wild Galapagos spiky sea cucumber and imperial scallop with grouper skin!
The goose is then shaped into a “húlú”, or bottle gourd, which is traditionally associated with prosperity, longevity and good fortune in Chinese culture. When the goose finally reaches the table, it’s presented whole before being opened to release its juices, then ceremonially carved and finished with freshly shaved white truffle!
Even the $8,888 price tag is part of the theme: the number eight is considered auspicious and is strongly associated with prosperity in Chinese culture! Oh, and if the goose isn’t extravagant enough, diners can add a bottle of 1989 Château Margaux for another $3,888.
Moving over to Yorkville, an exclusive cocktail at d|bar takes centre stage at the Four Seasons Hotel. The $1,000 Final Cut XO Sazerac experience is available only once nightly, and includes tableside service and chauffeured transportation in the hotel’s house car (and no, this isn’t a standard SUV, it’s the Four Seasons’ new Rolls-Royce!). The cocktail is available on a first-come, first-served basis after 4 p.m.
Other festival-inspired indulgences at the Yorkville hotel include a five-course tasting menu at Café Boulud, featuring a dedicated caviar course and Japanese A5 Wagyu, as well as movie-inspired treats at Le Café, like popcorn iced lattes and maple-salted popcorn cookies.
TIFF runs from Sept. 10 to 20 this year (and if you’re only interested in the celebs, we’ve got you covered).