(Another) Return to Langdon Hall
I’ve come round to the idea that Langdon Hall is a place I will return to — even though it’s nearly 600 kilometres away from where I now live. It’s not an adventure on which I can embark often, but it is always a visit that soothes the soul and feeds the spirit (and stomach) exceptionally well.
When we moved from Waterloo Region a couple of years ago, Aubrey and I had thought it would now only be a rare occasion to stay and dine at Langdon. In fact, as we checked in for a visit earlier this spring, we (sadly) thought it might be the last — just because there are so many wonderful choices for restaurants right in our new backyard: Ottawa, Gatineau and Montreal, all of which we are much closer to and which are packed with great dining-and-beverage venues.
However, the atmosphere at LH swept us away, as it always does, and we realized that this might not be the case at all: our recent stay, it turned out, confirmed for us that it was a get-away that we needed to make whenever possible.
There is something in the very air at the Cambridge Relais et Chateaux that draws you in and envelops you. There’s a grandeur to the old building but one that isn’t intimidating; it’s beautiful, but it doesn’t overwhelm. A lot of that is because of its rural and calming bucolic setting in a glorious 75-acre Carolinian forest.
Inside, the detail and ambience in the main house and Wilks’ Bar, for instance, reminds me of our former home in downtown Kitchener. But let me quickly clarify that statement! Our previous, long-time home in the East Ward was a modest Depression-era house built in 1937 and was in no way as glorious (or as large!) as Mr. Wilks’ summer home.
However, some of the architectural details — the woodwork, the baseboards, the mouldings, the windows, the fireplace — resembled what you see at Langdon, and they have always reminded us of our humble abode on Simeon Street.
That fact is in part what makes the Federal Revival-style of Langdon’s architecture so charming. There is an ambience and character here that is truly unique. Like I said, it feeds the soul. And we just feel like Langdon is our home when we visit. It feels so comfortable and accessible. We have never found anything comparable. We stayed in the newly renovated “Cloisters” (very nice indeed) but like equally the country-estate charm of a “Stable” room.
The food and service in LH dining rooms are unparalleled, of course.
Listed as #18 on Canada’s 100 Best restaurants, Jason Bangerter’s cooking is beautiful, inventive and delicious — taking ingredients from the many on-site and local sources, including a 10,000 sq.-ft. garden, they have at hand. I love watching a cook, basket over their arm, wandering through the garden harvesting ingredients.
Tasting menu, a la carte menu or breakfast and brunch, the kitchen puts out terrific dishes with elegance and wonderful flavours and textures. This was certainly the case in our recent visit, one that saw the last preparation of the menu before it moved into the new summer season. Accompanying, of course, was stellar service from each staff member who came to the table. That is just as important as what is presented on your plate.
I’m hard-pressed to think of another restaurant where all of these elements coalesce so naturally and so seamlessly. We can’t visit often, but we discovered that Langdon will always be somewhere on the horizon, an anticipation of something soothing and relaxing on our itinerary.
