Food Notes for March 1, 2021

King Noodle House Announces Forthcoming Closure

Last week, the family behind King Noodle House Pho Hoang announced that their building has been listed for sale and they are preparing for the closure of the restaurant.

Unfortunately, owners Hoa Sen Dao and Tan Hoang (also known to regulars as the “Moustache Man”) weathered the worst year of business in their 26 years of operation, and shared that the pandemic accelerated their retirement plans.

Their noodle soups have been a fixture in the local food scene since 1995, simmered for up to fourteen hours per day. King Noodle’s soup recipe had been passed down for three generations, and though their three children had discussed the possibility of taking over the business one day, the couple had been adamant this wasn’t what they wanted.

“It is bittersweet for the whole family to see the legacy come to an end,” said Linda Hoang, daughter of Hoa Sen and Tan. “Our parents didn’t want any of the kids to take over the restaurant because the last 26 years of business have been so challenging for them in terms of very long work hours, poor work/life balance, and just general restaurant industry stress and hardships—they worked hard in the hopes that their kids wouldn’t need to work as hard.”

Unlike Hathaway’s Diner, who posted their restaurant for sale last February with the hope that someone would want to take over the business, King Noodle House wants to keep their recipes in the family. “It was very important to us to ensure only family would take over the actual restaurant, recipes,” said Linda Hoang. “We are hopeful that even after the building sells, there would be opportunities in the future for pho pop ups and other ways to keep the legacy and recipes in Edmonton.”

As the restaurant closure will depend on the speed at which the building is purchased, the early announcement provides ample notice for those hoping for one last bowl of soup before the doors close for the last time. “It could be two years, it could be two months,” Tan Hoang said.

COVID-19-related News

• HanJan’s Oliver location had a staff test positive for COVID-19, but found it frustrating that Alberta Health Services was not able to provide clear instructions on next steps for their other staff and business operations.
• Katy Ingraham of Cartago and Fleisch continues to advocate against indoor dining in spaces with poor ventilation.
• The Journal covered Tiramisu Bistro’s outdoor heated dining domes, while CTV covered some additional outdoor dining spaces, including Little Brick and the Courtyard Marriot.
• Lynsae Moon of The Nook Cafe opened up on Instagram on the challenge of keeping her social media accounts active and engaged, “This has been challenging for me to reconcile as I have this narrative telling me I can do it all and this capitalistic idea of productivity eating away at me but the truth is I don’t have the capacity to show up 100% in every area right now.”
• Alberta Health Services is no longer pursuing legal action against a small town cafe in Mirror, Alberta which defied public health orders by re-opening for dine-in services back in January. In addition, AHS is paying for the legal costs incurred by the restaurant.

Openings

• Shree Restaurant promises a “modern Indian gourmet experience”. They opened on February 25, 2021 at 5025 Mullen Road.
• XO Bistro opened up their second location on the south side at 5021 Mullen Road.
• Downtown has added another Mexican restaurant called Maria which shares a kitchen with Haweli at 10220 103 Street.
• Barcelos, an international Peri chicken chain not unlike Nando’s, is adding to its Edmonton area locations with a second restaurant in the Windermere Currents (6189 Currents Drive SW).
• Chain quick-serve strEATS Kitchen serving up “globally inspired street foods” is now open in Oliver at 11327 104 Avenue.
• International ghost kitchen concepts continue to proliferate – the latest is Man vs Fries.
• Awn Kitchen Workshop + Cafe will be opening up later this spring in Landsdowne at 104, 5124 122 Street.

Upcoming Events

• Save Hospitality is hosting LocalLicious! from February 25-March 7, 2021, with participating restaurants offering 3-course menus and donating $1 from each menu to a charity. Braven is the only local participant.
• The menus for Eats on 118, running March 1-31, 2021, are now live. Half of the Tour and Taste boxes are sold out, so if you’re keen on one, don’t wait!
• You Need a BBQ! posted their schedule of spring/summer classes, some of which are already sold out! There is still room in their upcoming Ultimate Steak Class on May 15, 2021.
• Eats on 118 organizers are also planning a long table outdoor dinner for June 19, 2021, with 8+ participating restaurants. Tickets are $118.

Local News

• The Tomato released their ninth annual list of Best Things to Eat or Drink in Edmonton.
• It’s great to see food success stories, especially during the pandemic – south side bakery Milk and Cookies expanded last June.
• EDify featured one of Edmonton’s newest restaurants, Brew and Bloom, and profiled restauranteur and chef Paul Shufelt.
• EDify opted not to do “best of” lists this year, but have rounded up their Best Restaurants Hall of Fame, harking back to Best Restaurants issues from 2012 onward.
• CBC featured Get Cooking’s successful transition to virtual cooking classes.
• The Cotton Candy Shoppe in Fort Saskatchewan is making cakes out of cotton candy.
• YEG Video is creating a series of videos highlighting independent Edmonton businesses. Among those featured so far are The Art of Cake and Woodshed Burgers.
• The March/April issue of The Tomato featured Aditya Raghavan of Fleur Jaune Cheese.
• MilkCrate is commemorating their second birthday.
• Congratulations to Baba’s Own Ukrainian Food which is celebrating their 30th anniversary!
• The City of Edmonton is “gathering the public’s opinion on whether to allow alcohol consumption at designated picnic sites.” The survey closes March 7, 2021.
• You know you’re a legend when you inspire a beer – Alley Kat is paying tribute to founder Neil Herbst with Neil’s Smoked Porter.
• The Italian Centre is still on track to open their new Sherwood Park store this summer.
• Edmonton’s Food Bank is trying to crowdfund $25,000 to replace a broken forklift, essential in their day-to-day operations. A local group of teens called United4Yeg is also helping the Food Bank with food drives.

Beyond Edmonton

• One of the biggest stories was about butter: specifically, because of Julie van Rosendaal’s excellent reporting about palm oil supplements in the feed of dairy cows. There have been some deniers, but as a whole, the industry has started to pay attention. And in the meantime, if you’re looking for palm oil-less butter locally, head to RGE RD.

What I Ate

• My Toronto-based sister surprised me on Friday with a Doughnut Party delivery. I maintain that one of the silver linings of the pandemic is the increased availability and sharing of food-based care packages.

Doughnut Party delivery

• Our last #yegdt #AdoptAShopYEG was take-out from Tres Carnales Rostizado, including this amazing pizzadilla (pizza +quesadilla). We loved the how the layers of house-made flour tortilla, braised short rib, cheese, and crema came together.

Pizzadilla from Tres Carnales Rostizado