Author: Sharon Yeo

Sharon is an Edmonton-based blogger who has been writing about food since 2006.

Gifts + Cappuccino = Bling

I love the current trend of cafes in retail spaces, marrying the happy pair of caffeine and shopping. As evidenced by the success of places like The Wired Cup and Zocalo (covered by the Journal in a recent story),  sipping a cup of coffee amongst charming giftware is a nice alternative to the bustling cafe.

Edmonton can add another such establishment to it’s growing list – the cheekily named Bling just opened up on the ground floor of City Square Tower, across the street from the west side of City Hall. It’s easy to miss, particularly given the awning above it still reads “Universal Hobbies”.

There is no trace of the donair joint that occupied the space prior to Bling. Kloy Parker, formerly of The Butler Did It,  has transformed the tiny room into an elegant cafe and shop. In addition to coffee and tea, Bling offers pastries from the Italian Bakery and Handy Bakery, and will soon add panini sandwiches to their menu.

The wares are also noteworthy – Kloy prides himself on sourcing chic, gift-worthy, and best of all, affordable items (everything in the store is priced with the GST already included). He showed me a lovely textured metallic bowl that cost just $8, and a grooved, square pasta bowl priced at $10. I also spied a Dean & Deluca cookbook on my way out.

Kloy inside Bling

Check it out while you’re in the neighbourhood – but don’t blame me if you end up with a few more items for your kitchen!

Bling
10316 100 Street
(780) 421-0000

Food Notes for February 8, 2010

Excellent, non-POTW (patient of the week) episode of House today – great to see Lisa Edelstein getting the opportunity to flex her acting chops. In other news, I’m happy to see America’s Best Dance Crew back on TV! But with the addition of a Canadian crew from Montreal this season, perhaps they should change the name to North America’s Best Dance Crew? Anyway, on to this week’s food notes:

  • Chris and I are organizing the third Edmonton Foodie Meetup, to take place on March 3. Check out the wiki and add your name if you’re interested in attending, and let us know your restaurant choice!
  • I’m looking forward to West Edmonton Mall’s celebration of Mardi Gras, taking place on February 16 from 4-9pm, called the Taste of Bourbon Street. There will be food samples, cooking demonstrations and entertainment.
  • Think you make the best grilled cheese? Slow Food Edmonton just announced their first-ever Grilled Cheese Olympics, to take place on March 13. Judges include Chad Moss from Transcend and the Journal’s Liane Faulder. I think it will be a great event!
  • Bravo to Julie van Rosendaal for putting together the Blog Aid cookbook for Haitian relief. 27 food bloggers contributed recipes and photos to the wonderful book, which, from the preview, looks gorgeous. To order, click here.
  • Three local professionals are repeating their Working Poor Diet challenge in February – spending only $80 on food for a month, and doing their best to adhere to Canada’s Food Guide. Their hope is to raise awareness of the reality those working minimum-wage jobs face, in addition to raising $5000 for the Edmonton Food Bank.
  • Kelly of Crazy White Girl with a Kitchen posted an early review of ZINC. On a related note, I’m disappointed that the restaurant didn’t opt to use OpenTable as their online reservation system.
  • The Journal reviewed Avocado, the first of the Calgary-based franchises to open in the Edmonton area (expect a few more before the year is out). Verdict? Unremarkable.
  • Alberta Venture has a great interview with Julianna Mimande on her side of the Bacon-fallout story (I interviewed Cindy Lazarenko back in November 2008 for Vue).
  • I had read about the chicken + burger + fish + egg burgers at McDonald’s, but didn’t know they would actually serve it here – until Chris posted about his special request. What a combination.
  • Liane wrote about the subject of plating design – L2 Chef Shane Chartrand provides home cooks with some useful pointers.
  • An insightful, must-read piece by NY-based food critic Robert Sietsema on the evolution of the restaurant review in New York. And a response from Grub Street on the future of food media – in their opinion, the next step involves, “reviewers (or bloggers, at least) outright collaborating with chefs and restaurateurs.”
  • With all eyes on Vancouver, NYT critic Sam Sifton provides visitors with a guide of the best restaurants the city has to offer. I’d be keen to visit the re-branded Refuel, and of course, dine again at Vij’s.
  • Also on Vancouver – I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of the Vancouver Barista Bear at Starbucks. But shouldn’t it be wearing a parka, or at least a raincoat?

Too cute!

Marvellous Meat and Potatoes: Kabsa the Divine Dish

Before the most self-aggrandizing Pecha Kucha to date, Mack and I had dinner at the nearby Kabsa the Divine Dish on Jasper Avenue and 103 Street. I had heard good things about the Middle Eastern restaurant from a co-worker, and though its location makes it a prime spot for post-work dining, I hadn’t made the effort to visit prior to that day.

Walking in, the black and white colour scheme is as stark as it is notable. Save for a few tiny black mirrors and framed monochromatic prints, the interior is bare. This drew attention to the fact that the restaurant is extremely well kept (particularly on a day where salted sidewalks meant tracked-in slush), and matched the establishment’s seemingly no-frills philosophy. I have to say I would have appreciated some background music (even the radio would have helped) as overhearing other conversations didn’t make for a pleasant dining experience.

Kabsa doesn’t have a posted menu – instead, the clerk lifted the lid of each of the trays and named each dish underneath. Our choices included Tandoori chicken, chicken with garlic, roasted lamb and smoked lamb. Each entrée is served with rice and the day’s vegetable (kabsa refers to a meal of meat, rice and vegetables), and runs in price from $10-14 (on a side note, I had to laugh when the clerk, instead of accessing a till, calculated my bill total on her iPod).

The portion sizes were huge! The large meat serving was complemented by an even larger mound of rice, as well as a handful of potatoes. My roasted lamb was fork tender, and fell off the bone with no effort at all. I’m almost certain the flavourful meat would turn those unsure of lamb into stalwart fans.

Roasted Lamb

Mack similarly enjoyed his chicken which was equally tender and moist. In particular, he loved the aroma and consistency of the rice. His cardamom-scented rice actually reminded me a lot of the Somali rice I had not too long ago.

Tandoori Chicken

Our meal, with a can of pop, totalled $28.30. While not the cheapest meal in the area, the quality and serving size blew me away. For these reasons, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Kabsa as a dinner destination downtown.

Kabsa the Divine Dish
10345 Jasper Avenue
(780) 421-1366
Monday-Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday-Sunday 6-10pm

Setting the Decor Standard: Basil Leaf

I met up with Dickson, my stalwart pho companion, earlier this week to give the newest addition to Chinatown’s ever-revolving dining scene a spin. Basil Leaf, dubbed a Vietnamese restaurant and sports bar, opened about two weeks ago in an unfortunate location. Not unfortunate so much for the ghosts of the failed restaurants past, but for its sight-unseen building, tucked just far enough down 107 Avenue to be missed by most passing by.

Interior

Though this was my introduction to any incarnation of the space,  it looks like the new operators gutted the place, with stunning results. The dark wood floor, intimate leather banquets, and Cactus Club-esque artichoke lights elevate interior design expectations of Asian restaurants. Moreover, the dish and flatware were surprisingly modern, with beautifully curved tea cups and soup spoons in place of more traditional pieces. Between Basil Leaf and Urban China, the bar for the design of Edmonton’s Asian restaurants has been set. Though Basil Leaf does support a “sports bar” in theory – a high, granite bar encircles a mounted television screen, an area separated from the main dining space by a partition – it seems to be a footnote, and shouldn’t detract would-be diners from visiting.

Table setting

The menu was fairly standard for a Vietnamese restaurant, stretching several pages with numerous stir-fries, vermicelli bowls and soups. Prices also seemed match those found at similar establishments, though I can only really speak to pho, which is always my dish of choice.

My predictable pho with medium rare beef was $7.75, while Dickson’s usual deluxe pho with all of the fixings rang in at $8.25. The green onion cake starter was $4.50.

As in Paula’s review, the service was borderline too attentive, with the servers at numerous points hovering over our table, and constantly checking to see if we needed a hot water refill for our tea. For some reason, it wasn’t off-putting – perhaps because they appeared to be genuinely interested in our dining experience.

Of course, with food being the focal point of our visit: I liked the green onion cakes well enough, though the batter had not been evenly seasoned. The pho also could have been better – the curved bowl my dish was served in was another plus, but the flavour of the broth was one-note, and could have been enhanced with more aromatics and spices. Dickson and I also agreed that the beef was overdone, becoming tough and unpleasantly chewy too quickly.

Green Onion Cakes

Beef Noodle Soup with Medium Rare Beef

Deluxe Noodle Soup

While Basil Leaf may not become my destination for pho, I would gladly visit them again. Perhaps for dinner when I might be able to take advantage of a booth , and when the lighting will better highlight the space.

Basil Leaf
10023 107 Avenue
(780) 756-8880

February in Edmonton is for Variety!

Remember to check out ShareEdmonton for a more comprehensive list of events – I usually just choose the ones I’m interested in. Mack already has 30 events for Family Day entered into the calendar!

  • Need something to read? Check out the Winter Blues Books 2 Buy book sale at Stanley Milner, February 5-7.
  • Celebrate Chinese New Year early at the Lunar New Year Extravaganza, at WEM’s Ice Palace, February 6-7, 10am-9pm each day. Performances and a marketplace are highlights.
  • The John Humphrey Centre began a Human Rights Cafe series last month, “to explore critical human rights issues and how these are a part of our daily lives.” They take place monthly at Three Bananas Cafe. The next one takes place on February 7.
  • The Winter 2010 Edmonton Film Society series is titled “Having a Heat Wave”, and hopes to warm up audiences with film settings in warmer climes. The first movie screens on February 8.
  • The New Works Festival at the University of Alberta is always a great way to check out the city’s up-and-coming theatre talent, and all for just $5 a ticket! Head to the Timms Centre February 9-14 for the shows.
  • The next Winter Light event, Hearts of Fire, takes place on February 13 at Boyle Street Park. The family-friendly event will have entertainment, hot chocolate, and of course, campfires!
  • I remember a time when I would have been excited for an Edmonton Oilers autograph session. Sigh. If you’re interested, head to West Edmonton Mall on February 13, 1-2:30pm.
  • Nevermore, Catalyst Theatre’s stunning take on the life of Edgar Allan Poe, runs for a second time February 13-21. I went last year, and it definitely lived up to the hype. Get your tickets soon, as it will no doubt sell out!
  • Free Family Day (February 15) events are a dime a dozen this year, and they include a free multicultural concert at the Winspear Centre, free admission to the Royal Alberta Museum, a Global Village outdoor celebration at Churchill Square, and a Chinese New Year party at Enterprise Square.
  • The Edmonton Community Foundation is presenting a speakers series titled “The Future of Community”. First up on February 18 is Zaib Shaikh, star of Little Mosque on the Prairie.
  • The second Hey Ladies! infotainment show takes place on February 19 at the Roxy. If the performance we attended was any indication, it’s sure to be a hoot!
  • I’m looking forward to the Silver Skate Festival, on February 19-21 at Hawrelak Park. Billed as “Edmonton’s longest running winter festival”, there will be skating, snowshoeing, and other cold-weather activities.
  • Big Winter, the last Winter Light event for the month, will happen on February 26-27. Included among snow soccer and sledding activities will be “Bark in the Dark”, a dog-friendly affair!

“You win some, you dim sum”: Urban China

You can thank Mack for the eye-rolling title quote.

It’s always nice to have more options within walking distance of the office, so when signs of a new restaurant where Rosie’s used to be on 106 Avenue and 100 Street appeared, I was excited. Urban China opened up in the fall, and I was eager to give them a try.

Dickson and I met up for a dim sum lunch one afternoon. A handful of tables were occupied, with one or two non-Asian groups seated when I entered. The host immediately greeted me in Chinese, to which I ungracefully replied in English, and was led to a table.

The interior had been completely redone, with fabulous results. Unlike most Chinese restaurants that utilize too many gold accents and fake fauna, Urban China chose the sophisticated route of dark wood, leather chairs, bright aquariums and a single red accent wall. It is a sleek space that seems destined to become popular for special occasions and banquets.

Interior

Of course, that previous statement would only be true if the food matched the expectations set by the décor. At Urban China, dim sum is both a cart and paper affair. For the limited number of tables, it seemed rather silly for the restaurant to offer carts at all, even though I prefer the jostling atmosphere incurred by drive-by hawkers. Because of their limited pre-cooked selection, we ultimately ended up ordering a few dishes directly from the kitchen anyway.

The dim sum litmus test of ha gao and siu mai ($4.25 each) wasn’t overly positive for Urban China – the shrimp dumplings were the better of the two, but for the price and wavering quality, we were better off at a cheaper establishment.

Shrimp Dumplings

Pork Dumplings

The rice crepes with shrimp ($4.75) were probably the best of our dishes that day, which contained a fair amount of shrimp encased in a silky wrap. My BBQ pork buns ($3.75) on the other hand were poor, a congealed meat filling with an almost pasty quality in every bite. Dickson was similarly unimpressed with his steamed egg yolk sauce buns ($3.75), commenting that the frozen versions at T & T were better.

Rice Crepe with Shrimp

BBQ Pork Buns

Egg Buns

Sharing small plates for lunch is always a nice way to go, particularly in a clean and chic environment. But at least for dim sum, Urban China doesn’t provide the best value or quality. I’ll have to come back to try their dinner menu to see if it holds up.

Urban China
10604 101 Street
(780) 758-1888

Food Notes for February 1, 2010

Anyone know what the “WHEN?” billboards all around the city are about? Though the campaign seems to be working because I’m asking the question, doesn’t it seem passé to use a similar technique so close to Southgate’s “August 5” campaign? At any rate, here are this week’s food notes:

  • ZINC, the restaurant inside the sparkly new Art Gallery of Alberta, opened for full service today. Menus aren’t up on the website yet, but Liane wrote two articles about the establishment that provide an idea of what to expect. Also worth a read – a NYT article published this weekend about the trend of solid eateries in museums (partly as an effort to help make the museum some money).
  • Though I liked Liane’s article about the current “rock star” quality of local butchers– I couldn’t help but think of this similar article in the NYT, published last summer.
  • I forgot to link to this article last week, but I think it’s a clever idea – kitchen demos are the new showhome hook. Homes By Avi hired a chef to create appetizers for four different showhomes as a means of encouraging visits, and for potential buyers to see the kitchen “in use”.
  • The second annual Winefest returns to the Shaw Conference Centre on February 27. Looks like tickets are available for the afternoon session at this point.
  • Century Room, the revamped Century Grill lounge, is set to open this week.
  • Unfortunate news – Sysco takes over Fin’s.
  • To celebrate their one year anniversary, Flirt Cupcakes is giving away cupcakes to the first 100 visitors on Valentine’s Day!
  • The Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market is hosting a Customer Appreciation Day on February 11.
  • Speaking of farmers’ markets, this is pretty cool – the CBC Broadcast Centre in downtown Toronto will be hosting a farmers’ market every week until April. How great would it be to have access to local food year-round in the core?
  • Valerie (aka A Canadian Foodie) is inviting prosciutto lovers to take her taste challenge – she picked up prosciutto de parma, Serrano ham and Iberico ham for a savoury taste-off.
  • Second Cup is really pushing their coffee – we found a card in our mailbox that entitles one to a free medium coffee after each similar purchase…11 times. Too bad I didn’t have one close to my office, or I’d be heading for numerous coffee breaks during the day.

 

Second Cup’s new loyalty program card

  • Sweet Lollapalooza announced that they will be hosting chocolate making workshops in the coming weeks (February 20 and March 9) – contact them to sign up. I swung by there this evening and picked up some of their chocolate chip cookies I’d been wanting to try. Though the chocolate coating wasn’t as overwhelming as I expected, I think the cookie would have been better if it had been soft and chewy.

 

Sweet Lollapalooza cookies

  • Before the wine tasting last week, I stopped by Blue Plate Diner for a comforting bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese. It was a cheesy bowl of warmth, but surprisingly, the soup of the day (Southwestern potato and sausage), stole the show.

 

My blue plate special

“Bottom Drops” Wine Tasting at deVine’s

Thom, Mack and I met up at deVine Wines & Spirits on Thursday night for their “Bottom Drops” wine tasting. Though Mack and I enjoy wine, the extent of our knowledge goes as far as recognizing our preferences. Thom, more of a vodka and rum man, wanted to learn more about wine as well – so we thought an informal tasting would make a good Christmas gift, and a nice group outing.

Mack and Thom

We were told the evening had sold out of its standing-room only 80 tickets, but once the crowd had been assembled, we didn’t believe that the room was actually that full. Regardless, each $25 ticket granted us seven wine samples, access to a supply of good cheese and bread, and an option to purchase any of the evening’s wines at a 10% discount.

At deVine’s

The evening was introduced as a counterpoint to their pricey “Top Drops” series ($110 per ticket), where all wines sampled were priced at over $100 a bottle. All “Bottom Drops” wines were under $25, though Nick, who led the night’s activities, had tweaked the price of at least one bottle to make it fit the cost window.

“Bottom Drops” selections

While I’ve been to tasting events like the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival and Sip!, this was my first “guided” tasting. I have to say I enjoyed it very much – the colour Nick lent to the wines, from the history of a particular grape, to the nuances of a growing region, enhanced the experience. I particularly enjoyed his anecdote about the carmenere grape, which he had dubbed the “Jurassic grape”, owing to the fact that many thought the varietal was long extinct.

Wine

My favourite (not surprisingly), was the honey-sweet Roumieu dessert wine, while both Mack and Thom liked the 1999 Crianza best, and subsequently picked up a bottle each. The evening was a lucrative one for deVine’s – it seemed like every attendee bought at least one bottle to take home.

The entire tasting lasted about an hour and a half, which was the perfect length of time for a weeknight – and with the relaxed, laid-back atmosphere, I thought  deVine’s was a great venue to learn a little more about wine.

There are ample places to enhance your wine education in Edmonton – here are just a few if you’re looking:

Consistent Quality: Origin India

Given the news that another Indian restaurant is joining the Old Strathcona fray (where New Asian Village, Daawat and Origin India have already staked their claims), it looks like Whyte Avenue is becoming quite the hotbed of Indian cuisine.

Origin India is my favourite in the area, owing to their elegance and attention to detail. Their dining room, accented with spot lighting and dark furniture, is intimate and polished. The naan, prepared fresh to order every time, is excellent, and their service is gracious and timely.

Mack and I dined there again in the late fall, but this time opted to order from the a la carte menu, a departure from our usual buffet harvest. We were told by our server that two dishes would suffice to share, though we ended up having to supplement our basmati rice accompaniment with an additional side ($3.00).

Mack, ever the butter chicken faithful, made that dish a necessity ($16.00), while my personal favourite, mutter paneer ($15.00), rounded out our meal. It was a quiet night at the restaurant (we were the only party early on), but it did allow for quick kitchen-to-table service.

Naan

The plates were beautifully arranged – tiny pomme frites in a rainbow of colours and an artful mound of rice bookended each entrée serving, and made it seem like we had ordered a buffet for two. Their butter chicken is one of the best in the city – moist and tender, I find the heat just perfect for my palate. The mutter paneer was equally good, the velvety cubes of cheese and pop of peas enrobed in a thick and creamy sauce.

Butter Chicken

Mutter Paneer

Even with the competition, I think Origin India will remain my favourite – its consistency and food quality will keep me coming back, regardless of its neighbours.

Origin India
10511 82 Avenue
(780) 436-0558

A Love Letter to Local Food: Farmers’ Market Dinner at Madison’s Grill

When I saw the menu for the third Farmers’ Market Dinner at Madison’s Grill, I couldn’t look away. Sylvan Star Cheese fondue? Nature’s Green Acres short ribs? Greens, Eggs and Ham duck confit? Not only did every dish sound delicious, but the ingredients for nearly the entire dinner had been sourced locally. Moreover, several producers would be joining us for the meal. We were in.

The fact that the dinner cost $70 per person (plus $30 for wine pairings) was a moot point when I made our reservations two weeks prior. But after the fact, I can wholeheartedly say that the experience was worth every dollar.

It was a little comical that we made our way to the Union Bank Inn on Friday via public transportation, but then again, it didn’t make sense to drive, particularly in the dinner’s context of sustainability. After our coats were taken, we joined a couple seated at one of the two tables in the Vintage Room, right by the fireplace. Meals at a communal table have to do with the luck of the draw sometimes, but fortunately for us that night, Monique and Patrick and Slow Foodies Nicole and Steve provided us with good company, and enhanced our evening with lovely conversation.

My only criticism was the packed quarters – I felt bad for the servers who had to work between a too-narrow space between the two tables (resulting in a few dropped dishes). I had to wonder if the decision to include an additional eight seats beyond their original limit of twenty was the right call.

The cocktail hour was accented by dainty hors d’oeuvres – including smoked salmon, beef tartar, and Fairwinds Farm goat cheese tartlets. The beef tartar was particularly excellent.

Smoked salmon tartlets

Before the meal began, Chef Blair Lebsack invited the two producers up to provide some background on their farms. Andres Gruenberg (of Greens, Eggs and Ham) and Eric and Ruby Chen (of Peas on Earth), gave us snapshots of their production, and were ever gracious about the work that they do. Blair then proceeded to introduce the appetizer course – descriptions also accompanied every subsequent dish, and was much appreciated. It was obvious that Blair has a lot of respect for local producers (having visited their farms and all), so it was great to hear about some of the cooking processes he used to create the dishes.

The Sylvan Star Cheese fondue came in individual servings, much to my delight (not that I wouldn’t have shared, heh). The grilled apple, Saskatoon berry compote and spicy pine nuts were fancy accompaniments, but I probably would have been happy just with baguette slices and cheese. Yum.

Sylvan Star Cheese Fondue

The Northern Alberta Pike fillet (from Lesser Slave Lake) was a favourite of some around our table. Wrapped in Pembina Pork bacon and topped with candied bacon(!), it was a surprisingly subtle course, with each element holding its own. The fish had been cooked perfectly, and the underlying shellfish and golden beet broth lent an earthy note to the dish. Not surprisingly, Mack loved the candied bacon.

Northern Alberta Pike Fillet

The cleverly named Duck, Duck, Goose was my personal favourite. Andres had asked Blair why he hadn’t been ordering goose, which spurned experimentation in his kitchen. Both birds were served two ways – in-house smoked duck breast atop potato-onion hash, an absolutely sublime pulled duck confit with braised leeks and parsnip puree, slow roasted goose breast with sour cherry pan jus and goose rillette on toast points. The servings may look deceivingly small, but it packed a hefty punch – and had Mack been momentarily distracted, I would have swiped some of his duck confit.

Duck, Duck, Goose

As I had the chance to visit Nature’s Green Acres last summer, I was looking forward to trying their Nouveau Beef again (butchering at seven months lends the beef its name). The braised short ribs did not disappoint – meltingly tender, the flavour in the meat was inherent. The mushroom confit and mushroom-marrow farce were great accompaniments, and mirrored the beef’s richness.

Braised Nouveau Beef Short Ribs

By that point in the meal, I’m sure I would have been satisfied with flavoured whipped cream for dessert, but of course, Blair did not disappoint, and ended the dinner with a bang. The white chocolate pecan brownie had been doused in a duck egg-EnSante wine sabayon and macerated berries – every bite was a textural firework of nutty, tart sweetness.

White Chocolate Brownie

The dinner was a love letter to local food, no question, and I was especially thankful for the opportunity to share a meal with some of the city’s wonderful producers. Shopping at a farmers’ market or even visiting a farm is one thing, but breaking bread is something else altogether. Blair said that another Farmers’ Market Dinner is in the works for March, though patrons would probably get something similar by ordering the chef’s 6-course “Menu Surprise” – a tasting menu that allows the chef to utilize producers that cannot offer great quantities of ingredients.

Thanks to Blair and the staff at Madison’s Grill for a wonderful evening!

Madison’s Grill (in the Union Bank Inn)
10053 Jasper Avenue
(780) 401-2222