Azure Restaurant dinged for false menu claims

Many Toronto menus feature tantalizing descriptions and promise to deliver a palate-pleasing feast filled with artisanal and locally sourced foodstuffs. But sometimes, what you read isn't what you end up getting on your plate.

According to a Toronto Star report, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) found that after three separate inspections, Azure Restaurant, in the Intercontinental Toronto Centre, had "misrepresented" or incorrectly described food items 20 times between 2013 and 2015.

An Intercontinental employee tipped off the CFIA, writing, as the Star says, "The public is being mislead to believe they are getting a high quality product when they are actually getting a much cheaper lower quality food product."

In response, the Intercontinental's general manager Alexi Hakim told the Toronto paper that Azure now has a policy to ensure accuracy on all of its menus. And, as the Star notes, the CFIA emailed restaurant employees in October 2015, saying all menus had been corrected.

Here are some of the "misrepresentations" the Star describes in its report:

• Wild salmon was farmed Atlantic salmon
• Buffalo mozzarella on one dish was actually bocconcini cheese
• Wagyu steak was skirt steak
• Organic oatmeal was actually Quaker Harvest Crunch
• Homemade salad dressing was Renee's Gourmet
• Some items were incorrectly described as local or homemade

Are you surprised by these claims? Let us know in the comments.