The Penstock Lounge, located inside the newly renovated Elora Mill Hotel and Spa, is a beautiful space on the lower level of the main restaurant. Stone-chiselled steps lead you down to this wonderful room with warm tones and stone walls adding to the ambiance and character of the building. There are dining tables and a piano near the bar, and a private dining room close by, but the nicest feature (to me) is the dining room that's built out from the main structure, sitting right over the Grand River and Elora Gorge. Gorgeous! Get it?
JK and I dropped in for lunch on one of our crawls. We chose a table closest to the Tooth of Time (see photo) and waterfall just on the other side of the floor to ceiling windows. We actually switched tables shortly after because the sunlight was so bright. The view of the gorge was just as impressive.
We were wandering around the St. Jacobs Farmers Market earlier, munching on stuff, so we weren't too hungry. The lunch menu had quite a few things that sounded good but we decided to share an order of the Glazed Thatcher Farms Pork Belly (braised cabbage, roasted squash purée, wild mushrooms). The presentation was beautiful and it tasted really good! It was cooked perfectly - tender, moist, flavourful. Excellent dish.
Their cocktail menu had a lot of interesting concoctions but we chose water and coffee. I know, it sounds boring but we still had a few stops planned on our long way home - all breweries. Yes, I was thinking responsibly!
I'll have to come back to sample more of their menu. Our server was recommending their desserts. Next time. I may just have to plan a stay at the hotel so I can go through their cocktail menu.
Highly recommended. read more