Trio aims to be a ‘catalyst’ in Chinatown with Boa and Hare
Winnie Chen’s next restaurant foray brings her even closer to her roots, and she hopes it can add to the positive momentum of change in Edmonton’s Chinatown.
Boa and Hare, which Chen co-owns with her brother William and business partner Wilson Wong, will open in mid-December in Pacific Mall at 9700 105 Avenue NW.
Chen has received several accolades over the past two years as the head chef of Fu’s Repair Shop. William Chen and Wong, meanwhile, took over Chinatown business Van Loc last year in an effort to help revitalize the neighbourhood.
The trio aspires for Boa and Hare to build on Van Loc’s success in bringing younger clientele to the area.
“Cool places do exist in Chinatown,” said Winnie Chen. “We want people to say, ‘We want to go there and we have to go to Chinatown to go there.'”
Boa and Hare is named after William and Wilson’s respective Chinese zodiac signs. “‘Boa and Hare and Goat’ doesn’t have quite the ring to it,” laughed Chen about why her zodiac animal was left out.
The concept behind Boa and Hare is a dual café and bar. “It’s a day-to-night kind of thing,” said Chen. “As Wilson likes to describe it, a place where you can start your day, and a place where you end your night.” When Boa and Hare opens, it will launch with daily café hours of 9am to 3pm and cocktail hours of 5 to 11pm, Wednesday to Sunday.
Chen has spent a lot of time in the Chinatown area, having grown up nearby in McCauley, near the Italian Centre. She recalls riding her bike to Chinatown often and enjoying dim sum with her family at the banquet restaurant in Pacific Mall as a child.
“One of my fondest memories of being in the mall was when we were done having dim sum, we got to go buy candy at one of the stores,” said Chen. “Now, when people have a family dinner at Dynasty, they can pop downstairs and have a cocktail – the equivalent of sneaking out to buy some candy as an adult. That’s what is most exciting to me about this location and project. We want to breathe more life into this mall.”
Those family connections will also translate into other aspects of Boa and Hare. While Chen is intensely involved in shaping the food and drink menu, the day-to-day execution will be led by chef Tommy Chung, her uncle.
“I’m really excited for my uncle to shine,” said Chen. “[Chung] and my dad were head chefs of a restaurant in Chinatown more than 10 years ago. Some of my favourite dishes from my parents’ restaurant will make a comeback. Back then I remember those dishes were some of my favourite things I ever ate. They get a second chance to be featured again. I don’t think people gave it that chance. It was too ahead of its time.”
Wilson Wong, Winnie Chen, and William Chen in front of the Boa and Hare mural
For example, Boa and Hare will offer a Chinese-style jia jiang mian. Chen said in Edmonton, some restaurants serve a Korean version. By comparison, the Chinese dish is more savoury and less sweet, served with a meatier sauce, and has noodles that are thicker and chewier. “I’m really excited to showcase that style of noodle that people may not be familiar with,” said Chen.
Chung trained as a chef in Japan, and some of the dishes will play up his culinary background, but also include Chen’s own training in a wide variety of cuisines. “A lot of people think because I’m Chinese that my food defaults to Chinese, and I’m trying to break out of that. Fu’s is my first foray into Chinese food,” said Chen. “My background in food is French, Italian, and steakhouses. We’ll have a beef tataki but garnished with ginger granita, so Italian-inspired. And a korokke, a Japanese-style potato croquette. It will marry Japanese flavours with a risotto and gruyere arancini. It will be very different from anything you’d find in the city.”
On the drinks side, the restaurant will have a robust whisky selection because of William’s interest in that spirit, and unlike Fu’s, Boa and Hare will serve wine. For cocktails, Chen has chosen to primarily utilize Chinese ingredients like baijiu and glutinous rice, distinguishing the drinks from Fu’s more pan-Asian approach.
As Chen intended, Boa and Hare will be unlike anything currently in Chinatown. “When I was thinking about writing the menu for this place, I didn’t want to overshadow other places in Chinatown,” said Chen. “This is in addition to other places in Chinatown.”
Ultimately, she hopes that Boa and Hare will encourage more diners to give the neighbourhood a chance. “The coffee is great, the food is going to be really good,” said Chen. “Everything that you are looking for in a great spot to hang out and eat, it’s this place. The added bonus of being a part of something that we’re trying to do, Chinatown revitalization, that is really exciting. All the reasons that you might not want to come, to me it doesn’t outweigh the reasons that you should come. If this were a business somewhere else, there’s absolutely no reason not to come. By coming, you have the potential to help us be a catalyst for the neighbourhood.”
Openings
- The family behind Nara Chicken and Tonkatsu has opened Nara Katsu, its second location in the former NongBu space in Old Strathcona at 8115 104 Street. NongBu owner John Ahn had teased that a Korean family would take over the space, but didn’t reveal the name at the time.
- Fox Burger opened its newest location in Westmount last week at 11003 124 Street. It is the third restaurant in the Edmonton area, joining locations in Highlands and Leduc.
- Three Amigos has opened a sister restaurant, Taqueria El Chingon in the former Waffle Bird space in Old Strathcona, at 8116 101 Street.
- New Korean restaurant Chacha’s Rabokki is now open at 10117 100A Street.
- Southbound Brewing opened up in the fall at 9943 69 Avenue, by Sue Kiernan, the proprietor of Empress Ale House which closed back in 2020. It was featured in Jason’s Foster’s latest segment on CBC Radioactive.
- A new cocktail bar called Golden Sparrow is coming soon to 10704 124 Street, the former Northern Chicken space.
- A century-old store just north of Edmonton, Johnny’s Namao, re-opened on November 28 after closing its doors back in 2018. It has been refreshed by the fourth generation members of the family and now stocked with items from local vendors and house-brewed beer.
- I missed the opening of rolled ice cream shop Rock N Roll Ice Cream back in September on the edge of Chinatown, at 10109 108 Avenue.
- Edmonton’s first Krispy Kreme opens on December 10, to be located at 4614 Gateway Blvd.
Upcoming Events
- The annual Edmonton Christmas Market at Fort Edmonton Park is now on, until December 15. Online tickets for adults start at $20.95.
Local News
- Linda’s latest Chinatown-related project, Chinatown Chow Down, is now live! The project includes $5 monthly group lunches/dinner, food crawls, and a passport-based challenge. Chinatown Chow Down runs December to March.
- Julio’s Barrio had been in the same storefront for more than 30 years, but has since closed it and will be moving a few doors east into the former Malt & Mortar space. No re-opening date has been yet announced.
- Edify checked out Frank’s Community Pub.
- Jacek is celebrating fifteen years in business!
- Luna Mexican Restaurant turned two.
- Happy fifth birthday to Bread Love’s brick and mortar shop.
- Shane Chartrand, who made it to the top 5 on this season’s Top Chef Canada, shared his recipe for Métis Galette with Edify.
- Congratulations to Edmontonian Elora Khanom, who won this season’s Great Canadian Baking Show.
What I Ate
- Mack was craving BaoBao on Friday, so I was happy to oblige with some take-out. Our kids love their spring scallion dry noodles.
Our BaoBao take-out
- It’s been ages since I’ve dined in at King Noodle House (their take-out is on our regular rotation). But there’s nothing like warming up with a steaming bowl of soup there on a snowy day.
Bun Bo Hue from King Noodle House
- It was also a convenient walk to Little Bon Bon, where I picked up my Chinatown Chow Down passport. The Yelo’d Rabbit cookies ‘n’ cream was a delicious treat.
Little Bon Bon
Only Here for the Food 