ankor restaurant — Restaurant in Alberta

What can I say - an exceptional experience from start to finish. After reading the reviews, my wife and I were excited but had high expectations. Somehow, the team at änkôr managed to exceed them all. The experience was so good I felt compelled to write this review. änkôr earned and deserves every single one of these 5 stars!

We were greeted warmly by Paisley who made us feel welcome and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know us as guests. Our server was Julie, the änkôr sommelier, who was also extremely welcoming, providing professional yet warm and personal service that was outstanding throughout the evening. Julie and Paisley were highly attentive and helpful, with a strong knowledge of the courses being served. Julie had great suggestions for wine pairings with our meal. We also got to chat with Chef Beaulieu over the course of supper, which we enjoyed.

We opted for the 6-course tasting menu which I highly recommend. You can opt to know the courses ahead of time, or have it be a surprise, which we chose, and would also recommend. änkôr is a restaurant for food lovers and every course brought innovative takes on things like rabbit, scallops, foie gras and cod. Each course was elegantly and creatively plated, with the chef team's passion and attention to detail very evident. We were quite impressed by the depth and intensity of the flavours on the plates, as well as the ability to provide balance between acidity, richness and umami using creative foams, fresh picked herbs, sauces and fermented / pickled components. A focus on mouth feel meant each course had wonderful contrasts in texture. We tried a number of the individual plate components on their own and were truly impressed by the depth of flavour that was achieved, making it abundantly clear a lot of work and thought had gone into prep. The individual components on each plate blended and worked beautifully together, ultimately creating a composed dish that still highlighted the star of the plate. The cook on all proteins was flawless, and the ingredients were fresh. Prior to arriving at the restaurant, my wife and I had a long day of hiking, so we showed up very hungry. We both left feeling just sated enough to be full but not overfull, which we appreciated - so the amount of food in the tasting menu was enough to give you a good amount to enjoy but not be overwhelming. The speed of service and time between dishes was just right.

The atmosphere was nice, and we found the chairs comfortable. We enjoyed being able to see the kitchen and watch the chef team at work. From a value standpoint, we felt the $110 price tag was more or less in line with other similar tasting menus we have tried, so given the exceptional quality of the food, we felt that the value was there.

Overall, a 5-star star experience featuring some very memorable and exquisite dishes. To Chef Beaulieu and the team at änkôr - this experience was truly a highlight of our trip to Canmore. Merci beaucoup pour un repas vraiment incroyable. Nous espérons que nous reviendrons...

Canmore’s Finest

I’ve been to so many restaurants in Canmore, heck I’ve been to so many different restaurants around the world. I’ve tried so many different cuisines and when a space has it, tasting menus. I visited Canmore again this Spring with the mission of finding the best restaurant. After trying out multiple tasting menus at different places I was gravely disappointed and under satisfied. As I chef myself I understand every detail that needs to go into a single dish. It’s flavour, it’s texture, it’s appearance. It needs to harmonize with everything else on the plate, yet not be outshone. The staff need to be knowledgeable about what they place in front of you. The atmosphere of the room needs to be cohesive in this too. It’s all these fine details put together that makes spaces truly stand out from one another. änkôr absolutely nailed these finer details. I’ve never been so impressed. The complete harmony in absolutely everything they did. From the staff’s knowledge, professionalism and welcoming demeanour. A beautiful, natural, simple yet sleek room. To an incredible menu where the chef actually understands flavours. Every single dish was consistent in itself, yet lead perfectly in to the next. If I told you that you could eat pure passion on a plate, änkôr is where I would send you. It’s quite easy to pick your favourite dish during a tasting menu, but it was actually difficult to do here, as they were all so perfect in and of themselves. The tasting menu we had went as such:

The Amuse Bouche, a small pastry dough topped with mushroom duxelles.

Foie with house brioche, oranges, smoked almonds, maple

Octopus with potato, smoked chili vinaigrette, compressed lemons, kefir, black lime oil (This was a substitute dish the kitchen allowed as my wife does not eat red meats…also props to the kitchen for doing this as I know it’s an added stress)

Celeriac prepared in three ways, smoked, fermented and roasted with grapes, chili vinaigrette, cashew & seed crunch (at this point the server will ask if you would like to pair this dish with Fukucho, Imada Sake. Also paired with an incredible story about how the Sake came to be. Say yes to the Sake, as it does incredible things with the celeriac in such a complementing way.)

Sable fish and shrimp with potato

Duck, in two ways, dry aged breast and leg confit with black trumpets, kale, haskap demi & gel, puffed grains

Finally dessert

Yam sponge cake with maplewood ganache, canadian berbon infused yam, maple gel, buttermilk foam

(I have attached three photos to this review. The Celeriac, Sable Fish and Yam Dessert.)

Such harmony. Such beautiful flavours and presentations. So meticulous and well thought out. Well done Chef. Keep doing what you are doing and you will accomplish great things. I know you have #76 in Canada’s best restaurants…but you are in the top ten in mine. Thank you for such a lovely dining experience änkôr, that goes for everyone who works there.

…and for those who are still reading this review…you can stop now and go to änkôr. Get ready to...

Ankor is not only a must-go, but a must go-back! I have been holding off on writing this review, frankly because I don't know if I'll be able to do Ankor justice.

I have visited Ankor twice, the first time about a year ago. I have been thinking about it ever since and eagerly anticipating a return visit. I got my wish recently, this time with my husband. I had been raving about Ankor for a year - sufficed to say that expectations were high.

We opted for the six-course tasting menu ($115 per person), which comprised #1) Foie Gras, #2) Veal Tartare, #3) Mackerel, #4) Duck Entree, #5) Cauliflower Entree, #6) Coffee Tart Dessert.

The Fois Gras was so silky and delicious, and quite a generous portion size for a tasting menu. The Tartare was served with sunchoke chips, and black garlic. Such an interesting combination that went so well together! The Mackerel was light and refreshing. For mains, the Duck was the star and what I also had last time I was at Ankor. Just as good as I remember. And kudos to them for making the Cauliflower so good that it could be a standalone main. Dessert was also so delightful.

Simply put, each dish was absolutely delightful in terms of taste, texture, and complex yet perfect complimentary flavours. It has absolutely become my favourite restaurant and I can't wait to go back.

This review would not be complete without shining some spotlight on Ankor's amazing bartender and mixologist, Josh. I love cocktails but have some clear dislikes in terms of flavours (eg. not smokey, not super sweet but also not alcohol forward, tart but not too tart). Nothing on the cocktail menu appealed to me. With just telling Josh my spirit preference and not even all the details I listed above, Josh made me three of the best cocktails I've ever had (each different, manifested from his imagination). He has an uncanny ability to know which ingredients will work well together and create a complexity of flavours that are so complimentary and oh so yummy. My husband, who prefers more alcohol-forward drinks, was similarly wowed by his custom cocktails. Ankor is very, very lucky to have Josh. I called and made sure he would be working when we planned to visit, and, I would do so again.

Atmosphere is warm, intimate, and inviting. Service was absolutely fantastic as well. All the staff are really passionate about the food - they obviously know how good it is.

If you haven't visited Ankor before, you need to! I'm pretty sure you'll...