When I heard about the Sky Lounge, I was super excited as it sounded like the ultimate foodie experience of the year in Ottawa. As part of the Canada 150 celebrations, the Sky Lounge is a temporary dining experience from July 7-22. With several seatings daily, the Sky Lounge is raised 150 feet in the sky where Chef Stephen La Salle and his outstanding team from Andaz Feast and Revel provide either a cocktail experience or a 3 course gourmet dinner.
I’m already a huge fan of the Andaz in Ottawa, as it happens to be my favorite brunch spot in Ottawa, so I knew the food for the Sky Lounge would be haute cuisine as well.
Opting for the gourmet experience, I spent 1 hour dining over Ottawa with a prime view of the Parliament Buildings and Chateau Laurier at sunset which was truly spectacular.
Everything about the experience was exceptionally done and it began with walking up to the Sky Lounge on the red carpet to where you would be directed to your chair.
The chairs are similar to what you might expect in a racing car with buckles between your legs. So if you plan on wearing a dress as I did make sure to wear some yoga shorts underneath.
The chairs can rotate slightly, with the corner chairs having the space to rotate further. Directly under the chair, there is a small platform to rest your feet on, but I would strongly recommend not wearing flip flops or other shoes that could easily fall off as you can risk losing your shoes.
For those of you who are afraid of heights, the staff did an exceptional job at keeping everyone relaxed. From the moment the Sky Lounge begins to rise off the ground until it lands, the crew from the Andaz led everyone in sing alongs, provided hilarious hats to wear and kept the wine and beer flowing.
The Sky Lounge is shaped like a large O with the staff standing in the center the table going around them, and the chairs hovering outside of the table. This allows for everyone to get a clear view of Stephen La Salle plating the meals, but as well of the city.
To start the meal we had a Labrador cured arctic char with cedar creme fraiche, pickled onions, fennel flowers served on a Montreal bagel chip.
For the main course, it was an elevated braised beef “poutine” served on a fondant potato with a Canadian merlot and birch jus, whipped cheese curd foam, apple cider glazed Ottawa Valley carrots.
Finally, for dessert, there was a maple butter tart topped with spiced Canadian Whiskey soaked sultana raisins.
If you can book your dining experience for sunset, it certainly is the prime time to go up. I had my dinner at 7 pm, so by the end of my dinner closer to 8 pm the sky was stunning.
Once you are back on the ground, there is a lounge area outside of City Hall where you can relax order a cocktail from Top Shelf or a bear from Beaus.
Sky Lounge is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and one that I will never forget as I had so much fun. There are still a few days left, so make sure to buy your ticket – you won’t regret it I promise!