For half a century, Markland Wood Golf Club, in Toronto’s leafy west end, has provided a scenic and challenging course for expert golfers and duffers alike.
But less well known is the fact that that the private golf club welcomes non-members to book functions and events at the facility, which, after a substantial renovation some years ago, boasts a beautiful dining and function area and an equally welcoming lounge.
With picture windows overlooking the first tee and fairway, the smartly tricked-out lounge splits the difference between formal and casual, with mustard walls, dark-wood wainscoting and beige-patterned tablecloths. A semi-circular bar bisects the room.
Dinner begins with the nightly soup, seafood chowder built on a flavour-packed broth enriched with a touch of cream. Starters also feature a Moroccan power bowl anchored by baby kale, roasted almonds, organic quinoa, fried chickpeas, red bell peppers, dried figs, chopped grilled chicken and honey yogurt dressing. It’s a meal in itself.
Lamb burger.
Among starters, there’s Moroccan-spiced lamb burger, a thick patty garnished with lemon crème fraiche, pickled red onions, lettuce and tomato on a grilled pretzel bun; sweet lobster salad piled onto a toasted buttered bun; medium-rare steak served with skinny frites; and tender half-chicken swimming in fragrant coconut curry broth studded with fried eggplant, dark fried onion, steamed jasmine rice and grilled naan bread.
To finish, there’s key lime pie, and a sky-high slab of mild, creamy cheesecake accessorized with berries.
Group dining options include the main banquet room accommodating 200 people and a boardroom hosting 10. The banquet room can be subdivided into spaces hosting 90 and 50.
— Don Douloff has been a restaurant critic for over 25 years and, during that time, has critiqued more than 1,200 eateries. In 1988, he studied the fundamentals of French cuisine at Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris, France. During his time in France, he furthered his gastronomic education by visiting the country’s bistros, brasseries and Michelin-starred temples of haute cuisine. He relishes exploring the edible universe in his native Toronto and on his travels throughout Canada and abroad.
