Culinary S.
Yelp
Recently we spent three days at a conference at the beautiful Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. The hotel itself is beautiful. It's befitting of its moniker "The Castle in the Rockies" - a truly splendid place to spend time.
However, the conference was jam-packed with sessions and we had little time to take in any of the high-end dining options located in the hotel. However, we did frequent Stock, this informal eatery is located at the left-hand side of the lobby as you enter the hotel, and it's by far and away the best option at the hotel for convenience and price point.
Food:
Available dishes (there are separate options for breakfast and lunch/dinner) are listed on a price board behind the order station, and samples of dishes are tastefully displayed in a a glass case adjacent to the order station.
Breakfast offerings included: oatmeal with walnuts and honey; lamb tagine with fried egg; soft boiled eggs with in-house baked bread; and outstanding breakfast sandwiches.
Lunch/dinner offerings included: a variety of imaginative salads; delicious soups; really good sandwiches (vegetarian and meaty options) and more. They also serve really good coffee in a variety of styles, and some of the best, scratch-baked bread we've enjoyed in a good long while.
You simply order your food and they bring the dish to your table (they are also well equipped to give you your food as take-out).
We enjoyed an outstanding BLT for breakfast one morning. Jam-packed with fresh, crispy lettuce and a flavourful tomato, the highlights were the generous serving of perfectly cooked strip bacon and a truly delicious, toasted multi-grain bread. That same morning we also enjoyed a generous bowl of steel cut oatmeal, perfectly cooked and served with honey, walnuts and fresh, and roasted apple giving it a pie like taste - delicious.
Our other breakfast consisted of the Lamb Tagine. This was a sublime serving of lamb sausage in a rich, perfectly seasoned sauce (this was authentic North African taste - no compromise for homogenized tourists' taste buds), roasted tomato, onion and pepper. All that was served with a perfectly cooked, over-easy egg on top and a side of their delicious bread. This protein-rich breakfast was delicious and kept us happily full right through to lunch!
And speaking of lunch, we enjoyed a couple of great midday meals at Stock.
Day one featured a vegetable curry soup: it boasted a rich and flavourful broth, lots of veggies and more of their amazing bread on the side. This filling soup and a delicious side salad kept us well fed until dinner.
Day two was a sandwich day for us. We opted for a Porchetta sandwich and side salad, and a Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich and a different side salad.
We're huge fans of porchetta, and while this was tasty (it had great crackling) it was a little too fatty for our tastes. In fact some slices in the sandwich were literally just big chunks of pure, roasted fat - just a little too much.
The Montreal Smoked Meat took us back (we love Montreal). We love Montreal smoked meat but haven't been in Montreal for too long so we miss it done well. This one came as near to an authentic Montreal smoked sandwich experience as any we've had in western Canada. The meat was rich and perfectly marbled, and was served with a great mustard. The only downside - the pickles served on the side would not pass muster at any deli in Montreal or New York. While reasonably tasty they were - in a word - flaccid. But that's a niggle - this was a great sammie!
Atmosphere & staff:
Very casual, yet attractively put together. Big shared tables with little tin buckets full of cutlery folded into good quality napkins, chargers easily available. A few more private tables scattered about
Mostly a self serve sort of experience. You are expected to remove your dishes after your done, so the next people can seat themselves quickly. Staff does come around to collect, but when turnover is high, people do it themselves.