The Short Version: Pricey restaurant at the Lac-Leamy Casino. Food was delicious and service was superb. The Long Version: My husband and I had dinner at Arôme and everything was great from start to finish. We had reservations for 5pm so the restaurant was nice and empty when we arrived, but it gradually filled up and was bustling when we left around 7pm. I had a cocktail, the Soleil Spice ($13.05) and my husband had an 8 oz glass of Pinot Noir ($16). We then shared the Duck Confit Wellington ($29) as an appetizer and we shared the Seafood Plate ($129) as our main. I had a second cocktail, the Sur L'eau ($15.22) and my husband had a glass of 20 year old port ($14.50). By this time my husband was stuffed, as he ate more of the seafood plate than me, lol, but I still had room for dessert and when I heard there was a dessert buffet table, I opted for that ($14) haha. The Soleil Spice was easily among the top 5 drinks I've ever had in my life! It was fruity and spicy, but subtle spiciness that builds and only hits the back of your throat. It was so good. It had brown rum, pineapple juice and ginger bear and a "spicy tropical infusion." It was garnished with a slice of dried blood orange. I will dream about this drink. The Duck Confit Wellington was more like a big spring roll, lol. The pastry was very thin and crispy and the filling was like tender pulled duck. It came with some leafy greens with pickled oyster mushrooms and a port reduction. It was very tasty, but pricey at $30 for such a small portion. The Seafood Plate was impressive. It was 2 lobster tails (each cut it half), 4 jumbo shrimp, 4 scallops, 2 pieces of fish (we had our choice of salmon, cod or pickerel and we went with salmon), mussels and clams. All the seafood was laid on top of a bed of risotto and the Seafood Plate also came with asparagus and pickled celeriac, as well as a grilled lemon cut it half and some garlic butter. The seafood was delicious, albeit a bit salty. The lobster tails and shrimp were plump and juicy. The scallops were nicely seared. The salmon had a delicious smokey taste. And the clams and mussels were nice too. I was not a fan of the risotto as it was too cheesy smelling but my husband who enjoys strong cheeses loved it. So he ate pretty much all of the risotto. I liked the al dente asparagus and the slightly pickled celeriac. I did not enjoy my second cocktail, the Sur L'eau, as much as my first. This drink was way too sweet for me. It had Chambord, Rosemont elderflower liqueur, berry and elderflower infusion, and white cranberry juice. It was garnished with 3 raspberries and a wedge of lime. It had good flavours but way too sweet. I should have gotten a second Soleil Spice instead, haha. The dessert table had a lot of options. I wanted to try one of everything but my limited stomach space did not allow this, lol. I still did pretty well though, I tried their cream puffs (pastry was dry and filling was whipped cream and I prefer custard), tiramisu (was good), carrot cake (was moist), macarons (great texture), flan (delicious and not too sweet), lemon meringue tart (tasty, but the crust was a little too hard), and the best dessert was the strawberry pistachio mousse cup (so rich, smooth and delicious). My husband looked at me in disbelief as I ate all these items and said I must have two hollow legs. Haha. Our server was Daniel and he was fantastic. Very attentive but not intrusive. I really appreciated how he advised us that the seafood plate was large. We originally planned on ordering 2 appetizers but he advised that would likely be too much food, and he was right. We would have been bursting had we also ordered the calamari as planned, not to mention then I wouldn't have had room for dessert, lol. He also let me take a look at the dessert table buffet so I could decide if I wanted that option or order dessert from the menu. Overall we had a fantastic dinner at Arôme. The decor is upscale, but there's no dress code. We saw people in tuxedos and we saw people in cargo pants and baseball caps during dinner. It's more casual during breakfast of course. We stayed overnight at the Hilton Lac-Leamy and our room price included the continental breakfast buffet. So we had breakfast there the next morning. The selection was good with cold cuts, cheese, pastries, breads, fruit, yogurt, granola, smoothies, juice and coffee. The continental breakfast listed price was $21/person. The hot breakfast with eggs, and hot meats like bacon and sausages was available for an $11 upgrade (it sells for $32/person), but we did not get this. The food was tasty but not worth the listed price for breakfast, in my opinion. Dinner was worth it though ;) The restaurant is attached to the Lac-Leamy Casino and the Hilton Lac-Leamy Hotel. Lots of free parking. Review #22 (2026) read more

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Best Sunday Brunch! 2 time slots Delicious variety From Breakfast to lunch items For seafood lovers- crab legs, cocktail shrimp, Cured Salmon Gravlax, lots of salads, Incredible roast beef- no knife needed! Cooked salmon dish, and others too! All kinds of fruit -berries etc.. croissants and homemade jams.. yummy Deserts - leave room for bread pudding. Just remember, dinner is optional after this feast! read more

Had an absolutely incredible experience at Arôme for both breakfast and dinner. The service is unparalleled. It is so friendly and attentive. Their food is absolutely delicious. Even something as simple as a bowl of fries, they manage to make delicious. I also highly recommend the prime rib (especially with the accompanying sauce). read more

My dish was unbelievable. Great wine list. Swift service. There is patio but also indoor tables with a view on the Leamy Lake. read more

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Great ambiance, delicious food and impeccable service. Make a reservation and don't rush. read more

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The service was truly professional, and the food was highly enjoyable. A great overall experience.

Housed within the Hilton Lac-Leamy and owned/operated by Loto Quebec, this restaurant is a study in mediocrity. I don't know what else I really expected from a Quebec government run restaurant, but these guys cannot hold a candle to the private sector. They are attempting to be a high end steakhouse and bistro, but the results are amateurish at best and foolish at worst. The first impression is the bread basket. Imagine factory baked ciabatta rolls; the type that are delivered in bulk in a huge plastic bag and were manufactured by a machine and then frozen at some point before shipment. You can buy these at IGA or go to Arome; your choice. Served cold and slightly stale, these put me in a crappy mood right away. How hard is it to throw some bread in the oven for 2 minutes? I started with an 11$ onion soup that was lacklustre and small. It was average and lacked any rich flavouring. The cheese was thin and the broth was weak. Nothing about this dish gave off a homemade vibe. My wife ordered a scallop appetizer which was slightly overseared but quite tasty. For the main course, they purport to specialize in dry aged steaks aged for 70 days. Wow. I was pretty excited to dig into one of those bad boys. The process is supposed to yield a rich, concentrated and slightly nutty flavour. In short, this should be carnivore heaven. I order the bone-in Kansas City strip steak. Yeah. My first hint should have been the fact that the waiter asked me to choose from 4 different sauces to accompany the steak. Sauces?????....I suppose it can be done if handled by an expert at a Gibby's or Peter Luger's. This is not the case here though. I chose the peppercorn sauce which turned out to be a peppercorn Jack Daniel's sauce. The words Jack Daniel's and dry aged beef should never be uttered in the same sentence. If these clowns knew what they were doing, they would know that. When the meal was served, the sauce was presented in a little cup on the plate as if I were at a St. Hubert. It figures that a Quebec government run restaurant considers this to be the pinnacle of fine dining. Actually, St. Hubert sauce would have been a step up. This sauce was amateurish and cloying. The other sauce on the plate was a spicy mayo for the fries for which they added an extra charge without telling me. Let's talk about the steak. This is essentially a NY strip. I ordered it medium rare. The first bite reminded me of the smell of a wet dog.....or maybe it was the smell of wet dog food? Either way, it was strongly canine. These are not the words you want to describe your dry aged steak. In terms of texture, the cut of meat was rubbery as hell and thin. The vegetables were ok. Service was friendly and they did throw in a slice of cake for our anniversary. I had gotten up from the table to take a look at the dessert buffet table. It looked like a collection of mini puddings and other gelatinous monstrosities. I headed back to our table ready to give the waiter a hard no on the dessert when he whispered to me that the restaurant was giving us a free slice of cake. Fortunately, the cake that was served was an adult sized slice. It tasted fine but was entirely forgettable. This is the same restaurant where we had a buffet breakfast in the morning which was somewhat better than the dinner. The omelettes made to order were done properly and the buffet included everything you would expect. Nevertheless, the smoked salmon was in chunks of hardened and tasteless fish rather than actual slices. Furthermore, the watermelon looked and tasted diseased and the rest of the fruit looked like a fruit salad you would get in a hospital cafeteria rather than a fancy hotel. In fairness and for full disclosure, the breakfasts were included in our hotel stay which my wife and I had won from Loto Quebec. The dinner however, was not included and we paid for it ourselves. I'd avoid this restaurant and look for another option next time. Unfortunately, the only other options at the hotel are the 5 star/ multi-course restaurant or the vile casino eatery called Banco which will be the subject of another review coming your way soon. read more

Arôme Seafood & Grill - The dry aged strip steak with tacky sauces. Onion soup in the background. - Seafood Near Me - Gatineau, Quebec

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This was my first time visiting Arome. I attended with a group for a work function. The appetizer that I decided to try was the Chef's inspiration for that day. It was slices of beef with olive bread bread and cheese fondue. It was excellent and the beef melted in your mouth with every bite. For the main course I tried the New York strip with mash potatoes and vegetables. I am one who usually hates mash potatoes, but these were excellent and creamy. The gravy that came with it provided excellent taste. The steak was perfectly cooked and tasted excellent. To top this all off, the meal ended with a buffet dessert bar. There was an excellent variety of cakes, cheesecakes and fruit, which was a perfect way to finish off the meal. read more

Arôme Seafood & Grill - Chef's inspiration appetizer. Slices of beef and olive bread with cheese fondue. The beef melts in your mouth when eating it. - Seafood Near Me - Gatineau, Quebec

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This restaurant for me is a solid 3.5 stars - if only I could award by halves... I don't come here that often - I've been maybe 3 times in all, and only as a work function, always as a buffet. Do they even do à la carte? I don't know; I've never tried that. This place for lunch in December for +/- 100 people is fairly accomodating, with plenty of choices to suit all tastes, and a great desert table to boot. Very happy to see small samples for deserts by the time I got there. I can tell you that I'm full to the brim and then some, although I didn't get to sample everything (ran out of time and space!) the meal was about $35 per person, and included turkey and stuffing, a hot and a cold salmon dish, something with pork in it, different kinds of potatoes - hot or cold, rice - again hot or cold, a splendid salad bar, and so much more. The waiters were attentive and frequently filled up water glasses without being asked to do so. And on top of all this, there's a great view of Ottawa! Unfortunately, they were doing some kind of construction out on the balcony here today, which was a little distracting (not that we were out there in the blustering snow and wind!) - but they were torching a railing or something... I find the place a little loud once it fills up with so many people. That's a good thing, in a way - people are talking to each other. read more

I wish I could give a better review as upon walking in it seemed to have potential. We arrived about 15 minutes before dinner and were told we had to order off the lunch menu. That started things off on a sour note. Thankfully I could still order a steak, which we heard so much about from others visiting the casino. I wasn't very impressed. It wasn't bad but it wasn't very memorable either. Service was on par, but that was all. I doubt I would eat here again if I happen to visit Lac Leamy. read more

Arôme Seafood & Grill - Slightly overcooked filet - Seafood Near Me - Gatineau, Quebec

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I went here for brunch while visiting the area. While the actual restaurant is a bit confusing to find (hint for directions: going into the Hilton hotel entrance, past the lobby and down the spiral staircase!), it was worth finding. The waiter and all staff were friendly and accommodating to my special diet substitutions and requests. I had the eggs benedict (without the English muffin and with bacon strips instead of Canadian bacon), with a side of berries. Everything was well-prepared and the fruit was fresh. My friend noted he was not as happy with his dish: the Asian beef lunch option. We did not feel the menu wa The view on the balcony is incredible in the summer. Note that it is shaded and comfortable and I also noticed there are fans and space heaters above (possibly for when it gets cooler). read more

Arôme Seafood & Grill - View from outside deck (all shaded), overlooking water. Hilton hotel pool area is below (not pictured) - Seafood Near Me - Gatineau, Quebec

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While visiting Casino du Lac Leamy, my lady and I decided to fulfill our nesscity to eat and chose out of the three restaurants in the hotel-casino complex Arôme Seafood and Grill as it seemed to be in between their fine dining option and the buffet. Atmosphere was quite beautiful however their service seemed to be a little in the weeds for a not very busy restaurant. The bread, which came with a roasted red pepper cheese dip sort of stuff was tasty enough and their wine menu was possibly the most extensive I have seen anywhere. For our appetizers, the lady had the 'medley of baby greens, honey and apple cider vinaigrette' which was tasty enough and with decent presentation, where I had some sort of smoked salmon something or other, which tasted a little fishy. For our entrées, the lady had 'pappardelle, sautéed cipollinis confit with herbs, spinach, roasted honey mushrooms and tomatoes, garlic and fresh goat cheese cream' it was tasty enough however the presentation was lacking, served in a giant bowl and the portion was comically large, I had their "kobe" flank steak, the vegetables were decent the bowl of garlic mashed potatoes that came in a bowl on the side was quite tasty however although I know better enough that kobe in Canada is at best wagyu, the cow that steak came off of however was never even humped by a wagyu bull, it was tough and slightly over cooked. Dessert was in buffet style where you could see the kitchen through what I imagine is their breakfast buffet in the mornings, the desserts were indifferent at best and I could imagine terrible at worst though I picked my way through it. Altogether the experience was forgettable and I would definitely not return here, my hopes started out high and in turn I received a mediocre hotel dinner at an exorbitant price, when all said and done a $250 bill and we didn't have any drinks. read more

The food was ok and the selection was much less than before with higher price. Very bad service. The middle age server ( he did not even introduce his name at all) was very impatient - rush to finish our order, super slow - wait forever to get him to bring drinks and desserts, he even got all of our food orders wrong. I could not believe this restaurant would charge this price for the worst service. Definitely not recommended. The quality of the food was getting worse and worse, the steak was not tasty at all. Bring your money to other fine restaurants with better service. read more

Attached to the Hilton/Casino complex. Very nice atmosphere. Real (tiny) oil lamps on the tables, romantically dark, nice amount of room between tables. Starter was a nice flavored cream cheese, butter and several variants of bread. I ordered the 16oz ribeye and garlic mash. Steak was tasty and medium-rare, as requested. Veggies on the plate were excellent, garlic mash was good. I believe the meal was $39CAD. Service was attentive and friendly. I'd go here again, but only if I was in the mood/had the ability to drop $50+ per person. read more

Arôme is so not worth the cost. When a vegetarian entree and a single glass of wine costs more than $50 with tax and gratuities, it better be amazing. It really wasn't. Let me be clear though. I did enjoy my meal (a creamy pasta with mushrooms and asperagus). However, it definitely did not deserve it's price point. The meat dishes were just as egregious. As others have mentioned, the portions were massive. Perhaps Arôme should consider lowering their prices and shrinking their portions? No one needs to eat a steaks as big as some of the ones they were selling. The good parts? Arôme really is a beautiful restaurant. I loved the atmosphere and the amazing very of Ottawa you could see through their large picture windows. It was also a short walk to the Casino du Lac-Leamy. In fact, the Hilton is connected to the casino through a series of passageways so you don't even need to step outdoors if the weather is poor. All in all I can't really envision a situation where I will return here. The food is good but very overpriced, and frankly not very creative. read more

UPDATE: This is my second attempt to review Arôme Seafood and Grill. Yelp removed my first review (word-for-word, as below), likely at the request of the restaurant manager. My review, here, is from an email I sent to the restaurant manager after our experience at Arôme. I sent the email after leaving a voice message at the restaurant, which went unanswered for almost a week. I finally received a call, but only after I published the content of my email on Yelp. During our conversation, the manager never apologized for our treatment but did inform me that her waiters were not trained to behave as I had described. She did ask us to give Arôme a second try: no offer to comp the meals, just a request to come back. I refused. The meal was a gift to my son. I was not trying to scam a freebie, only alert the manager to our poor experience. ORIGINAL REVIEW: The occasion was my son's 20th birthday. He enjoys fine food and wine, so my wife and I like to treat him to a nice restaurant meal on his birthdays. Our meals were very fine: served quite hot, very flavourful, and exquisitely presented. My compliments to the executive and kitchen chefs. Our service, however, was extremely disappointing. Our waiter was actually quite rude. While explaining some of the menu items, I pointed to one that particularly interested me and asked after it. His response was to cut me off: "I'll be happy to tell you about it, if you'd let me finish." I did not appreciate the reprimand. Rather than swarm service, our plates were brought to us separately - my wife's and son's first, together, and then mine about three or four minutes later. I should not have had to wait any appreciable length of time for my principle plate, after my guests had already been served. Our wine service was basically left to us. After corking, our waiter never returned to our table to refill our empty glasses. We had only a single quality check: otherwise, we never saw our waiter and had to repeatedly flag him down if we needed extra attention or our bill. When we completed our meal, the waiter (who never introduced himself to us by name) brought us dessert menus and asked to take our dessert orders. Ordinarily, this would have been perfectly acceptable - except that I had ordered a birthday cake, in advance while I was making my reservations, and had asked it to be brought to our table at the end of our main courses. This was supposed to be a surprise for my son. Instead, I had to ask the waiter, in front of my son, if he was familiar with my cake order. He said that he was, but "it's in a box. We were going to give it to you on your way out. I suppose I can bring it to your table, if that's what you want." His exact words. So there's no misunderstanding: if I wanted a cake handed to me in a box, I would have called a bakery and not visited a restaurant. I told the waiter that I had specifically requested to have the cake delivered to our table. He turned without saying anything, and then came back a few minutes later with a cake and a candle stuck in it, dumped it in front of my son, and left without a word. All three of us just stared at the dish, not really believing how rude our waiter was being. My son said, "Well, at least the cake looks good." We completed our meals and left. None of us was satisfied with the experience. I would think that a fine restaurant such as Arôme, whose prices are supposed to reflect the quality patrons should expect, would better train their service staff. I am not certain if our waiter was having an off day, but I shouldn't have to worry about such things when I'm spending $300 on a meal as a gift for a family member. read more

I took my wife here for our anniversary and I was blown away - probably one of the best restaurants in the NCR. I had one of the best beef tartares I've ever tasted and our mains were incredible. The service was also top notch - they brought us out a dessert on the house when I said that it was our anniversary- highly recommended- we will be back!! read more

I really wanted to try AROME's wild game menu, so came with positive expectations for my first visit. Only one option (deer rib with side of pulled deer) for the Wild Game Festival available on the menu as a main course, despite the advertisement of rabbit, bison, duck, deer, etc. on the menu. The first bite was good but the rest of the deer rib steak ($42) was grisly and too raw near the bone. The small portion of pulled deer under a layer of mashed potato was dried out and flavourless. The accompanying coleslaw was too salty. The New York beef steak ($36) was thick, but not the best ever had. The mashed potatoes were a generous portion but bland and overly thick without the desirable creamy texture. The side order of (two) scallops for $15 were large, but not the best ever had either. The coffee was not hot and had coffee grounds in it. I asked for a refill while waiting for my food to arrive (had to wave the waiter down--took few minutes to get their attention). The second cup had fewer grounds in it. Water was never refilled. Consequently, the service was slightly below-average; however I still tipped 15%. Total bill for two including tip: $130. Disappointing first visit to Casino Lac Leamy's AROME restaurant, because I expected it to be better for the price-range. I finished my plate--why? Because I had skipped breakfast and lunch, and the previous meal I ate light; so I was really hungry. Also, I don't often splurge on expensive meals and didn't want to be wasteful. Having said all this, I'm going to give AROME another chance and go to the breakfast buffet ($44). Perhaps, I will find other items to be better made when I sample items on New Year's Day. read more

The food is always pretty good here. We like the atmosphere and the service. Also, it is close to my home. It would be nice if the menu were changed once in a while. Sometimes we feel like eating there but we practically know the menu by heart, other than the daily specials, so we go elsewhere for a change. read more

we ate breakfast here 11 times over two stays at the Hilton Lac Leamy. pros: *convenient for hotel guests *custom omelettes *apple cinnamon waffles *unbleached (& bleached) sugar lumps--nice touch! *nice table settings *great fresh fruit *pleasant wait staff cons: *hair in lychee's *scrambled eggs were an abomination *some dishes at buffet were not properly served/covered & caused the food to dry out &/or have a hardened surface :( *little to no rotation of buffet choices making repeat daily breakfasts tiresome bottom line: nothing egregious but nothing spectacular. we only eat here because we can roll downstairs without much thought to dress or hair & be back up to the room on our own timeframe. in sum, don't make a special trip. read more

WAY OVER PRICED!!! Went there for a year end work Christmas party and no one liked their main courses. The dry aged steaks are TERRIBLE they did not even have all the steaks on the menu available. One person in the party called in the day before to ask if a vegan meal could be accommodated and they said sure no problem when we get there their options were not vegan at all. So she did not eat anything and watched the rest of us eat. Another person complained that the steak was over done and they simply responded back saying no you don't know what medium rare is this is fine. I am not a very good on the grill but I have easily make a better steak at home with meat from Costco. I love dry aged steak and have had a number of them and all of them have been better than this. The price was absurd for the quality of steak that I received. As far as the positive stuff. The service was OK if you ignore vegan request and the you don't know what medium rare is incidents. It was the minimum of what you would expect for a restaurant claiming to be high end. The mashed potatoes were great I think they have cheese curds mixed in DELICIOUS!! The ambience was quite nice. I did not partake but other people seemed to like the dessert table. Certainly would not recommend this place especially when you factor in the price. There are plenty of other better restaurants that cost much less. read more