Your Table is Ready

Table 10 offers an intimate setting for your next private dinner party

By Rebecca Dumais

If you’re looking for a place to host your next dinner party, there’s a new dining destination in Aldershot, thanks to two local food enthusiasts. Take your seat at Table 10.

Jacqui Cronin, owner of the beloved The Platter Company Gourmet Market and Gluten-Free Market, and Chef Brandon Ashby, formerly head chef of West Plains Bistro, launched Table 10 in July to offer the community something exciting. Cronin brings her flair for high-end
dining and vision that gatherings shouldn’t be rushed, but savoured and enjoyed with good people, good food and good wine. 

Chef Brandon, known for his innovative and mouth-watering creations, leads the kitchen, backed by 25 years of eclectic culinary experience, a love of quality ingredients, and a passion for food, all of which have given him a unique perspective and loyal following.

It’s a dedicated dining experience in a private dining room offering an intimate setting for your dinner party or corporate event. “It’s not a restaurant, so it’s all about the experience,” Cronin says. 

That is where Cronin says they differ from a private dining area in a restaurant: you can enjoy a six- or eight-course menu in a room that is yours for the entire evening. 

You can have a look-see into the kitchen, and enjoy the exclusive services of a private chef and a dedicated server, from the time you’re welcomed with a glass of champagne, to when the table is cleared after savouring your last bite. “It enables you to hear each other, to listen to each other, and you’re not vying for the attention of a server. 

“This is yours for the evening, and we’re super, super excited about it!” 

The menu will change monthly and includes a wine pairing. August’s menu, for example, was an eight-course journey consisting of hors d’oeuvres (heirloom beet, raspberry, whipped ricotta, lemon, pine nut, arugula, crispy shallot); cauliflower and leek soup (mandarin oil, mandarin segments, cauliflower florets, Pommery, dill); chicken appetizers (with saffron-vanilla beurre blanc, tomato, parsnip, basil oil, micro-greens); and a bouquet salad (a variety of leafy greens, pistachio vinaigrette, Cape gooseberry, flowers, potato hay, tarragon, and dill). The main course (number five): beef tenderloin (black pepper dusted, cognac sauce, pea tender, blackberries, puffed wild rice, flowers, pea tenders); a watermelon palate cleanser (lime, mint, pickled watermelon, candied lemon); blueberry cheesecake (whipped blueberry ricotta, vanilla mascarpone, blueberry compote, graham, blueberries, meringue, Brazilnut snow, orange Chantilly, mint); and finally, a mignardise of fruits, cheese, honey, nuts and herbs. 

Wine pairings are available for each course, Cronin notes, or you may buy your glasses of wine à la carte. Non-alcoholic wine and beers are also available. “This isn’t a cocktail lounge, so the focus is really the wine pairings with your meal. But again, if people don’t drink wine, we will have the option of beer as well.” And when it comes to the menu, it will reflect local, seasonal ingredients, creatively presented as the chef intends. And “leave your conceptions at the door. Come on in,” Cronin says. “It’s a tasting experience, and all about having fun and getting back to dining.” 

Table 10 isn’t limited to just friends and family events; corporate gatherings are also welcome. Regardless of who is seated around the table, Cronin also encourages that guests focus on the food and one another. “Let’s put our phones down and let’s get back to talking and and sitting around and having a good time. And it’s not a rushed evening; estimate a good three hours for a tasting of eight courses,” she says. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and your evening will finish no later than 11 p.m.

Cronin couldn’t be happier to have Chef Brandon at her side. “He’s amazing. We collaborate so well. He’s in his element to create, and he’s not restricted to a set menu.” He instead prefers to discuss what’s available locally, and how to create something magical and wonderful for guests. “And I love that it’s all about creativity. It’s pretty exciting for the both of us.”

For a particularly special occasion that requires decoration, Cronin invites a discussion of what’s required. She also reiterates that, as a tasting experience in Table 10’s upscale dining room, “It’s about being comfortable, enjoyment and having fun. If you want to take your shoes off, go ahead. If you want to walk about and sit on the couch, go ahead. This isn’t about being stuffy and pretentious. It’s about getting to really, really good food, enjoying the pairings that are meant to go with it, and having a good time and (doing) something that’s memorable. That’s the essence, really, behind this. This isn’t just a tasting room… This is Table 10.”

For more information, visit ThePlatterCompany.ca