Press
History meets culinary genius at the Bala Bay Inn
At almost 100 years old, the Bala Bay Inn is steeped in history. Sitting down for dinner, I was immediately awed by the remnants of the era still retained in the hotel’s original dining room, recently redesigned but which dates back to 1910. Aptly named Ghosts, the room’s 16-foot tin ceiling and refinished hardwood floors evoke nostalgia while the bright, modern décor provides a fresh, airy feel.
This elegant room is only one of the choices available for dining at the inn, which also offers the warm, intimate atmosphere of the Lux Lounge or the Grill, a sports bar, with both an enclosed porch and outdoor patio.
Professionally trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York, the Bala Bay Inn’s Chef Winston Hugh worked as an apprentice at Monsoon in Toronto before the executive chef position lured him to Muskoka.
“Muskoka is quieter, but it gives me time to fine tune my dishes and put in extra care,” he said. “I train my menu around local, fresh ingredients, which is easier to do here than in Toronto. There are so many untapped resources, such as the Milford Bay Trout Farm and the local farmers’ markets. The end product is so much better.”
I began my meal with a chef’s specialty, the scallops. This appetizer presents tender scallops cooked in two delicious ways, sautéed and served with a cool chilli corn salsa and grilled accompanied by a robust tomato fondue. My companion ordered the Warm Goat Cheese Salad and understood immediately why it is a diner favourite. The tangy walnut dressing was offset by the sweetness of pear and candied pecans and the crisp field greens and warm goat cheese provided a mix of textures to delight the palate.
Not a wine connoisseur, I was pleased to see that Chef Winston uses his expertise to provide a wine pairing for each of his main course dishes. Each weekend, a different special is added to the menu and I chose the evening’s Beet-Cured Halibut with curried jicama and horseradish-creamed potatoes. Pleasing to the eye and the taste buds, the fish is cured for 24 hours in a candied beet solution resulting in a surface that is bright pink and sweet tasting.
Having heard about Chef Winston’s aged beef, my partner selected the Seared Beef Tenderloin. Chef Winston chooses only the finest Sterling Silver beef and dry-ages it for 28 days. “You lose 30 per cent of the meat in the process,” he explained, “but the intense flavour and quality is worth it.” The beef was thick but very tender and the taste was as rewarding as promised, the best we’ve had in Muskoka.
Dessert choices varied from the crème brûlée of the day, such as traditional, lemon or raspberry, to warm apple pie. I decided on the flourless chocolate cake, which was moist and delicious, while my partner enjoyed the cheesecake baked fresh that morning. It was light tasting with a crust that was crunchy and sweet.
Proprietor Kim Ward has owned the Bala Bay Inn since 2006 and has gone out of her way to attract summer diners with specials and themes almost every night of the week.
At almost three feet, the Bala Bay Inn has literally the longest martini list in Muskoka and on Martini Mondays they can be enjoyed for only $4.99 each. Tuesdays bring a chef-prepared Italian Buffet with prices and timing geared toward families attending Bala’s weekly water-ski show viewed just across the road. New this year, Haunted Ghost Tours, led by author and former host of Creepy Canada Terry Boyle, appropriately begins at the historic inn and special pricing is offered to diners registered for the Wednesday night tour. Thursdays are a blast back to the disco era of the ’70s with Boogie Nights and for a romantic candlelit dinner, Fridays on the outdoor patio include twinkle lights and live acoustic guitar.
While any of these special events may entice you, even hosting a wedding at the Bala Bay Inn, it is Chef Winston Hugh’s culinary skills that will guarantee your return.
Haunted Ontario
Misty swirls of vapour that float across the room. Eerie orbs of white light. The sound of footsteps in the night when nobody is there. The cackle of laughter, or the lonely desperate sound of someone weeping that echoes from the walls of empty rooms...more
Muskoka Sun
Have you ever seen a
ghost smile? Take a
look at one of the upper
windows the next time
you drive past the Bala
Bay Inn. If you look ever
so carefully, you may
catch a glimpse of the late
E.B. Sutton, who built
that hotel in 1910. Sutton
has supposedly been
haunting the place ever
since his death in August
1917..more
The story of ‘The Three
Knocks’ has been shared
many times on CBC television
and radio and
appeared in a book called
Haunted Ontario, written
by Parry Sound writer
Terry Boyle. (Boyle will
be conducting ghost tours
outside the Bala Bay Inn...
more
Word is slowly getting
out that the Bala Bay Inn
is not what it was a year
ago. Every carpet and
every mattress was
replaced within weeks of
the sale going through.
The interior has undergone
a total restoration in
colour design. Guests can
now use a wireless environment
for their laptop
computers. Soon, there
will be special buffets on...more