A Tour of Malaysian Cuisine: East

Food often tells a story, and this wasn’t more true than at East, one of the newest restaurant offerings in Edmonton. East opened in December, and comes to us courtesy of Richard Lim, whose also owns L’Azia and Wildflower Grill.

East

Richard immigrated to Canada from Malaysia in 1969. Since then, he’s amassed decades of experience in the field of hospitality, but even with three successful establishments under his belt, he still had yet to bring the flavours of his childhood to the city.

In 2005, Richard returned to Malaysia for the first time in thirty-two years. He really enjoyed reconnecting with his roots and exploring old haunts after such a long period of absence, and being a restauranteur, was especially inspired by the food. The seed had been planted.

In 2009, Richard began thinking more seriously about a Malaysian-centred venture. His trip on this occasion was for research purposes – he toured markets and tasted dishes for inspiration – what would he like to serve in Edmonton? Richard said that the final menu actually took a year to finalize.

Interior

Two weeks ago, Mack and I joined a group of food writers for a tasting of some of those dishes, preceding a grand opening that took place at the end of February. I can’t describe the night better than to say it was an assault of food. Dishes arrived rapid-fire from the kitchen, their overwhelming flurry matching Richard’s obvious enthusiasm and pride in East. We sampled more than a dozen of the menu’s appetizers, mains and desserts, and were fortunate to have both Richard and Executive Chef Nathin Bye on hand to explain them.

Nathin Bye and the Lims

Mack’s favourite appetizer, not surprisingly, was the spring rolls, enhanced with five-spice pork and the crunch of jicama. My soft spot for the roti canai and accompanying curry sauce was obvious – I wouldn’t let the servers take the dish away, try as they might. The roti were chewy and pliable, and eaten with the slightly sweet curry sauce, was the perfect way to start the meal.

Spring rolls and curry puffs

Roti Canai

Our entrees began with several modernized Chinese-Malaysian dishes. The crowd favourite this round was the Alor Street chili mussels (Alor being one of the main street food thoroughfares in Kuala Lumpur). The sweet-spicy glaze complemented the mussels well.

Alor Street chili mussels

Another signature was butter prawns, wok fried and topped with egg floss. It was a bit like having dessert for dinner, as the flaky floss reminded me of crushed up egg rolls.

Butter prawns

The fried crispy sweet and sour pork belly was another show stopper, a decadent version of a dish my Mum makes at home for special occasions. Tham’s family tofu was something I’d never had before – pressed spinach tofu paired with a pumpkin sauce. It had great earthy flavours and as with the previous two dishes, it again exemplified Richard’s view that Malaysian cuisine is “slightly sweet.”

Sweet and sour pork belly

Tham’s family tofu

We then moved into some more pure Malaysian dishes that Richard said the surrounding Malaysian community had embraced, telling him that they were reminded of home. One great example was their beef rendang stew, which had a nice front heat, with tender and slightly fatty meat.

Beef rendang

The KL Hokkein noodle was a dish close to Richard’s heart. After a night of drinking, it was his go-to street eat: Chinese wheat noodles stir-fried with pork, squid, prawns, vegetables and a dark soy sauce. Richard admitted it was a drier, leaner version than the one he ate back in KL, as he removed the key ingredient of pork fat. But Mack in particular still enjoyed it, loving the sauce and the variety of textures.

KL Hokkein noodle

All of the dishes we sampled that night were fairly mild, though Mack and I were expecting otherwise. Richard said that is actually how he prefers it, though I can imagine a request could be made to the kitchen to kick it up a few notches.

Dessert was momochacha and a black glutinous rice. The former, made with sweet potato, was very similar to those I’ve had made by Malaysian family friends. The latter had good texture from the grains, and an interesting twist with the inclusion of orange zest.

Momochacha and black glutinous rice

East is very much a family affair. Richard and his wife are not only introducing Edmontonians to a cuisine not widely available in the city, but they are also passing along their knowledge to a new generation of chefs, including Nathin, who himself comes from a Prairie Ukrainian background. I am already looking forward to my next visit out East, with my own family in tow!

East
16049 97 Street
(780) 457-8833
Lunch: Monday-Friday 11am-2pm; Dinner: Monday-Thursday 4:30-11pm, Friday 4:30-midnight; Weekends: Saturday 11am-midnight, Sundays and Holidays 11am-1opm

Food Notes for March 5, 2012

I’ve been in Toronto for most of the last week – though I was in town for a work conference, it has been nice to get away from Edmonton for a while, and spend some time with my sister! There’s also something about being in a larger city that feels so rejuvenating to me. Here are this week’s food notes:

Downtown Dining Week continues until March 11, 2012. The Downtown Business Association website has been updated with pictures videos.
The 5th Annual High School Culinary Challenge, organized by the Canadian Culinary Federation, took place on February 4, 2012, but the winners won’t be announced until March 7, 2012. Tickets to the public luncheon to be held at the Shaw Conference Centre are $30, and funds raised go towards the Canadian Culinary Fund, which contributes to scholarships for talented students to pursue their food careers.
Also from the Canadian Culinary Federation, “Hot Chefs, Cool Beats,” a fundraiser on April 21, 2012, also at the Shaw Conference Centre, that brings together chefs from some of the most popular restaurants and food trucks in Edmonton. Tickets are $150 and support Culinary Team Canada and their quest for gold in Germany in October.
To gear up for the second season of Top Chef Canada, join Connie DeSousa at Appliance Unlimited on March 11, 2012 for cooking demos at 1 and 3pm.
Jennifer Cockrall-King’s much-anticipated book, Food and the City, was published last week. Her main book launch is taking place at Hardware Grill on March 22, 2012, from 4:30-6:30pm.
Local food/urban farmland preservation advocate Michael Walters is running to become the MLA for Edmonton-Rutherford. Join him for a fundraising dinner featuring a meal prepared by Chefs Rose Scavuzzo of Culina and Jackie Ryan of Cooks Corner made with local food.
Need a reason to attend the Slow Food Canada National Conference, being hosted in Edmonton from May 3-6, 2012? Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food himself, will be attending!
Oliver is the home of Edmonton’s newest neighbourhood cafe – Fresh Cafe & Espresso Bar (10038 – 116th Street). They even serve brunch on Sundays!
From the March/April issue of The Tomato: Brad Smoliak’s new venture, Kitchen, is set to open in “mid-March”.
The March issue of Avenue Edmonton is all about food! You can see the list here.
In case you missed it: Western Living released their 2012 list of “Top 40 Foodies Under 40” last week. Congrats to the Edmontonians that made the list: Ariel del Rosario and Roel Canafranca of Filistix; Annie Dam of Cake Couture; Deependra Singh of Guru; and Daniel Braun, Chris Sills, and Edgar Gutierrez, of Tres Carnales.
Maki and Caroline posted about the second Edmonton Dishcrawl that focused on restaurants on 124 Street. For more about Dishcrawl, and some other on-trend events in Edmonton, check out Linda Hoang’s blog.
Marianne shared some thoughts about Public House’s selection of “craft beers”.
I loved this peek into Doef’s Greenhouse, courtesy of Kevin.
Mack sent this to me: do you want to eat for a living? Tourism Richmond can make that happen, as they are hiring a full-time food blogger position. The salary is $50,000 per year, plus a daily dining-out stipend for two.
Mack also attended Avenue Edmonton’s launch of their 2012 list of the “25 Best Things to Eat” at the Appliance Gallery and Lightform on 124 Street tonight. Check out his full photoset here.

Lightform

Laura Rogerson with her bread – look for her at the St. Albert Farmers’ Market this summer

Coxinha from Transcend Coffee

Pistachio macaron from Duchess

Pho in the ‘Park: Taste of Vietnam

On Family Day, Mack and I made plans to have lunch with Grandma Male. We were hoping to find an independent eatery in Sherwood Park so we could stay close to her neighbourhood, but it proved to be more difficult than one would think. Many of the restaurants were either closed on Mondays or on statutory holidays. Although we did end up finding a place that could accommodate us, it’s a reality that Sherwood Park isn’t exactly a diner’s paradise. With the interest in independent restaurants increasing in Edmonton, with some exception (Cafe Haven and Cafe de Ville come to mind), this trend hasn’t quite hit Sherwood Park yet. Given the average income level in the area, I would think there would be plenty of room for more interesting and unique options, but perhaps the appetite there is still quite conservative?

At any rate, we ended up at A Taste of Vietnam. It turned out Grandma Male had already been there once, albeit years ago, and prior to their renovation. Located in a strip mall on Broadmoor Boulevard, it looks like it had been updated recently. It was sleek and modern inside, with brown panelling, tasteful art on the walls and granite tables. It was also fairly busy inside, with a number of pairs and families taking advantage of the holiday.

To start, we shared an order of green onion cakes ($6.95 for 2). Curiously, they weren’t cut in half, even though it was evident there were more than two of us at the table. Although they were crispy, they weren’t seasoned very well – the accompanying sweet chilli sauce was necessary to add flavour.

Green onion cakes

Mack ordered what I think will become his Vietnamese standby, the bun bo hue ($9.95). It definitely wasn’t as visually pleasing as other spicy noodle soups we’ve come across, but Mack appreciated the heat. He also noted that the kitchen was quite generous with the beef and pork provision.

Bun bo hue

I opted for their special beef noodle soup ($9.95), which, unlike at most Chinatown outlets, only contained a pedestrian selection of meat: medium rare beef, well done beef and beef balls. Similar to Mack’s dish, my bowl contained a great deal of meat. The beef balls were tasty, but the medium and rare done beef bordered on dry and chewy. I also wished the broth had been a little more fragrant.

Special beef noodle soup

Mack’s grandma chose the wor wonton soup ($9.95 for small). She liked that the vegetables were still crisp, and enjoyed the broth.

Wor wonton soup

The prices at Taste of Vietnam were much steeper than what I’m used to paying, but then again, we weren’t in Chinatown anymore! Though it wouldn’t be at the top of my list of favourite pho in the city, at least it adds another family-owned option in the ‘Park. It’s one I might return to but only if I were in the neighbourhood to begin with.

A Taste of Vietnam
56, 975 Broadmoor Blvd, Sherwood Park
(780) 416-4436
Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm, closed Sundays

Calgary Steak-Out: CHARCUT

In addition to commemorating the Stampede’s 100th Anniversary this year, Calgary also co-holds the title of Cultural Capital of Canada in 2012. As a result, Tourism Calgary is seeking different ways of marketing their city, including how to highlight their burgeoning food scene. So for two days in February, Tourism Calgary invited several food bloggers to join them for “a new take on steak”, showcasing how five local restaurants are interpreting the old standard of meat and potatoes. Mack and I were fortunate enough to be a part of this group (which included Calgary bloggers Julie van Rosendaal, Gwendolyn Richards and Dan Clapson), and took part in a junket that saw our accommodations and meals covered. It was a first for both of us, and while we acknowledge that we no doubt received special treatment (which colours the experience in a way that no average dinner could live up to), the trade-off in access to the chefs and behind-the-scenes exposure made it worthwhile. Thanks to Tourism Calgary for the opportunity!

Like many other Canadians, I was excited when the popular American television franchise Top Chef finally started filming a Canadian version. I think we need to develop our own host of culinary celebrities to celebrate home grown talent, and this platform could help do just that. The results thankfully improved with time, and hopefully with its second season will continue to do so.

In spite of the show’s wavering quality, however, as a Prairie-dweller, it was a no-brainer to cheer for Calgary-based Connie DeSousa, who was also one of the few female competitors. Her drive, obsessive attention to detail and her mad butchery skills made her a fan favourite, qualities that I hoped would take her to the end. Connie ended up placing a respectable third, though in many respects, it was as good as first prize. The exposure to an audience of Food Network devotees was invaluable to Connie’s reputation as a chef, and on a wider level, in developing CHARCUT’s brand. Though we’d been to CHARCUT prior Top Chef Canada’s debut, it almost seems like a different restaurant today, enlivened now with that touch of celebrity. I’m sure it also helps that CHARCUT has since expanded their initiatives to include the unique alley burger, food truck and pop-up series.

Needless to say, Mack and I were really looking forward to our second full CHARCUT experience on the third leg of the YYC Steak tour. You can also imagine our delight when we found out we would not only be eating Connie’s food, but would be treated to a private demo, too.

Our group was whisked upstairs to CHARCUT’s fairly spacious prep kitchen for a lesson on blood sausage. There, Connie and her partner John Jackson showed us how to make the delicacy. They started with a panade of white bread and milk, added ground pork, fat back, apple, then the main ingredient, blood. The splatter-free counter was a testament to Connie and John’s skills, who neatly transferred the mixture to a plastic bag to be hand-piped into sausage casings. It was clear the pair had a wonderful rapport with one another, and this translated wonderfully into a teaching capacity – I could see this translating to a larger stage quite easily.

Straining the blood

In goes the blood

Into the casing

Connie also showed us how to trim a bison heart, which would comprise the steak that evening. For most of us, it would be our first time sampling this type of offal.

Trimming the heart

The entire session felt a bit surreal to both Mack and I. Being the Top Chef junkies that we are, we couldn’t help thinking, “It’s Connie!!!” the entire time. We’re huge dorks, I know.

Our view of the kitchen

At our chef’s table seats

We eventually made our way to the chef’s table at the rear of the restaurant so our dinner could be prepared. While we waited for the mains, we were served CHARCUT’s take on ham and cheese: the most exquisite house made pig’s head mortadella, paired with an oozing baked raclette that was good enough to bathe in. Notable also was the beer pairing – Naramata Nut Brown Ale, which, as a non-beer drinker, I found not only tolerable, but enjoyable.

Mortadella, brassica mustard and baked raclette

Naramata Nut Brown Ale

The blood sausage was first, served up with fried eggs – possibly the most unique sausage and eggs I’d ever had. The sausage resembled ground meat more than anything else, having burst out of its casing. It also tasted very similar, albeit with a tinge of iron. Mack and I both agreed that there was nothing to be afraid of, though we weren’t sure it was something we would necessarily seek out.

Blood sausage and eggs

The finale was the bison heart, rustically presented on a wooden board, liberally garnished with chimichurri and arugula, complete with a “stake” knife. The meat, which had been marinated for eight hours in olive oil and red wine vinegar, was like a cross between a flat iron steak and liver – tender consistency, with again a tinge of iron. Mack went all out for the side of CHARCUT’s signature poutine, with potatoes fried in duck fat and curds topped with a chicken-fat gravy. Heart-stoppingly good.

Bison heart and duck fat poutine

Though each of our experiences on the steak tour were unique, because of our soft spot for Connie, I think our stop at CHARCUT was the most memorable.

Just in time for the season two premiere of Top Chef Canada on March 12, 2012, Chef Connie DeSousa will be in Edmonton presenting a cooking demo at 1pm and 3pm on March 11 at Appliances Unlimited (6553-99th Street).

Filistix Pop-up @ The Common

I love that food trucks, who themselves are already on the forefront of one of Edmonton’s most exciting food trends, are also the ones actively pushing another movement – pop-up dinners.

Though I know others have also put together these fleeting events, Big City Sandwich and Nomad have been consistent in their off-seasons to make sure diners don’t forget their names. It’s the perfect fit too, in a winter city like ours, for these entrepreneurs to seek out revenue opportunities (on top of catering) to sustain their businesses year-round. Besides, these pop-up suppers add some welcome spice to a time of year when gathering around a table is a welcome respite from the cold.

Two weeks ago, Filistix joined this list of food-trucks-turned-restaurant captors, taking over the kitchen at The Common for one night only. For a value-laden $30, guests would be treated to a five-course Filipino meal, inspired by dishes chef Ariel del Rosario and Roel Canafranca grew up eating (they have both been recently named part of the 2012 class of Western Living’s Top 40 Foodies Under 40 – congrats, guys!).

Mack and I secured tickets to the first seating to the sold-out event (to ensure we’d still be able to make it to Latitude 53’s Parka Patio Party afterwards), and found ourselves nearly the last table to arrive.

The upscale lounge fixtures of The Common translated really well into an elegant dining room. The server explained to us that our entrees would be served family-style, which for parties larger than two would seem to make more sense. Still, I appreciated the sentiment behind inviting diners to interact through sharing with one another.

The appetizer was right up Mack’s alley: Pembina pork spring rolls. They were crisp and light, just how they should have been. On the side was a mango and jicama salad dressed with a mirin vinaigrette, fresh and vibrant. I would have preferred a julienned slaw instead of the cubes, but Mack disagreed with me.

Pembina pork spring rolls

Filistix’s mains really shone. The Kare-Kare, braised Spring Creek Ranch brisket, was served in a lovely peanut sauce (meaning more for me, as Mack is allergic to peanuts), and the most incredible shrimp paste that elevated each bite with deep umami notes.

Kare-kare

Pancit Canton, a fried noodle dish with chicken and shrimp, was succulent with the addition of a second ingredient – pork skin, which added texture and a bit of deliciously glorious fat. I would have wanted some more vegetables, but I’m probably just used to my Mum’s version of noodles.

Pancit canton

Our hands down favourite was the Adobung Liempo, a Pembina pork belly that had been marinated then slow roasted for four hours. Garnished with calamansi limes and chillies, the pork was sublime, melt-in-your-mouth tender (we were lucky enough to even score a care package of additional pork to take home!).

Adobung liempo

Dessert was a leche flan, a honey-scented version of crème caramel. It was better than those usually found at restaurants.

Leche flan

Ariel said that The Common (who will be relocating to the former Martini’s space on 109 Street and 99 Avenue in March) has expressed interest in having them return. I definitely think there’s an appetite for these suppers, and based on our experience, I do hope they continue!

Make sure to keep up with the adventures of Filistix on their website.

Food Notes for February 27, 2012

Karlynn’s Culinary Cook-Off on March 17, 2012 looks like it will be a blast! But even better, she’s raffling off the opportunity to be the fourth judge – with luck, you’ll get to do your best Tom Collichio impression!
As you know, I love pho, so it’s great to see a website that is singularly about “saving you from a bad bowl of pho”. Gotta love the name too.
The Journal slammed both Five Guys and Fulton Market last week. Though based on their business (and the comments), I doubt the restaurants will be any less busy.
FoodieMcPoon shared her experience in a NAIT chocolate making class.
Mack sent me a link to what the shopping cart of the future may look like – smart enough to know your food preferences and allowing you to pay without ever heading to a till.
Downtown Dining Week kicks off on Friday, March 2 and runs until March 12. 27 restaurants are participating by offering $15, $25 or $50 prix fixe meals. Mack and I attended the launch at the Art Gallery of Alberta on Friday, where eight restaurants sampled some of the dishes on those menus. I have to say my favourite was Wildflower Grill’s mesquite grilled hickory ribs and BBQ beans – so tender I was fine just using a fork to pull the meat apart. I also enjoyed Zinc’s goat cheese perogy, so subtle and springy that it surprised me to find it that it was Chef Omar’s first attempt at making perogies! And Lit’s upscale “bacon wrapped cheese” was after Mack’s own heart (literally) – so no surprise he enjoyed it.

Goat cheese perogy with smoked salmon tartar from Zinc

Prosciutto-wrapped Bocconcini from Lit

Four bloggers walked into a room…

We were really worried that the snow would deter people from taking in IllumiNITE on Saturday, but I really should have given Edmontonians more credit. People were out in spades taking in the lit sculptures in the pocket park on 104 Street, and partying up a storm in 29 Armstrong. The pop-up fashion market next door was also a great idea. As Mack remarked that night, we love living on 104 Street!

IllumiNITE sculpture

One of my favourite sculptures, made using fibre optic cables and concrete

Pop-up market featuring local designers

29 Armstrong

Drift and Nomad providing the catering

Hope you have a good week!

Calgary Steak-Out: Anju

It was a pleasant surprise to find an Edmonton ex-pat at the helm of Anju, the second stop on our steak tour. Roy Oh moved to Calgary from Edmonton nine years ago after completing his study in visual communications, with the hopes of furthering his career. But he started to find that he was drawn not to the studio, but to the kitchen. While Oh isn’t formally trained in the culinary arts, he grew up learning to cook, and as a proud second generation Korean-Canadian, food was a way to connect with his roots.

Go, Edmonton!

In 2008, Oh and his wife opened Anju in a refurbished house on the western edge of downtown Calgary. Their take on Korean cuisine is fresh and modern, inspired by the fact that he has a foot in two cultures. As a result, he doesn’t view “fusion” in a negative way; in fact, he embraces it as the outcome of living as a hyphenated Korean-Canadian. And Calgary is taking note as well – Anju won the award for “best small plates” from Avenue Calgary last year.

Anju translates to “tapas or a dish eaten with alcohol” – at our tasting, we learned first hand about this philosophy as our group was introduced to soju. Distilled from rice instead of wheat, soju is the Korean equivalent of vodka. It was quite smooth, and much less abrasive than vodka, though we were also provided with Sprite and aloe juice if any of us needed to take the edge off.

To enjoy with the soju, we were served a number of plates to be shared around the table, many highlighting Oh’s fusion philosophy. Malpec oysters were accompanied by a kimchi mignonette, which enhanced each bite with additional texture and a bit of heat. Braised oxtail tortellini were dressed with soy, grana padano and truffle oil – incredibly fragrant, with scallions providing a fresh pop. Anju’s version of crispy tofu was perfectly fried on the outside but silky on the inside, highlighted with sauteed kimchi and a citrus aioli.

Malpec oysters with a kimchi mignonette

Braised oxtail tortellini

Crispy tofu

Then came the chicken wings. Our Calgarian tablemates had been vocal in expressing their hopes that one of Anju’s signature dishes would be served that night, so naturally, a cheer erupted when they appeared at our table. Sunworks chicken had been lightly fried, then tossed with a potent Korean hot sauce. The wings had a nice crunch, and the sauce was definitely uncensored – we joked that it was the culinary equivalent to Botox, a natural way to plumper lips.

Chicken wings

But this was the steak tour after all, so Anju’s grand finale was a rib eye that had been marinated in a simple mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, lime, garlic, ginger and sugar. The result was tender meat that had a slightly sweet finish. And Anju’s twist on potatoes? Roasted fingerling potatoes were accompanied by a tangy sesame aioli.

Marinated rib eye with fingerling potatoes

It was great to experience Anju’s take on steak and Korean-influenced cuisine as a whole – more than any of the other meals that weekend, it felt like the most personal. I loved that Oh has been able to merge Prairie inspirations with culinary traditions that honour his heritage. Perhaps we could convince him to move back to Edmonton one day, too.

Anju
507 – 10 Street SW, Calgary
(403) 532-9419

To T.O.: The Rest

When I look back at our Toronto trip, it seemed like all we did was eat! So though I’ve already recapped some of the best meals during our visit, I wanted to capture all of the other great restaurants and food-related experiences we had that week.

Crown Princess

For whatever reason, I was really intent on having dim sum in Toronto. Though Chinatown or Markham might have been the ideal neighbourhoods to locate a suitable restaurant, because of our activities to follow brunch that day, Amanda and I tried to stick to the downtown area. After some digging on Chowhound, we decided on Crown Princess.

Is this just the lobby?

While we didn’t expect it to be busy on a random Tuesday morning, we didn’t anticipate having the restaurant to ourselves either. It was all the more odd because Crown Princess is perhaps the most sumptuous Asian restaurant I’ve ever dined in – from the plush velvet chairs, chandeliers and marble wall coverings to the embroidered tablecloths and patterned china, it felt like we were in store for a very lavish private tasting.

Interior

Not your typical Chinese teapot

Prices were on the high side ($3-6), but not outrageous. Between the two of us, we decided to share four plates. My favourite was the har gao, easily some of the best dumplings I’ve had in some time – the shrimp was plump, and the wrapper was nice and thick. The rice noodle roll was also quite good – the greens added some dimension to the dish, while the pork inside had been diced with uniform consistency – it was clear that these dishes had been made with care.

Har gao

Rice noodle roll

The barbecue pork buns were great as well, with springy, fresh dough. The final dish was interesting, though the English translation of “fried shrimp” probably needed more detail – we expected battered shrimp, but instead, were presented with shrimp and fruit in a cream sauce wrapped and fried.

BBQ pork buns

Fried shrimp

Service was attentive (difficult not to be for the only table in the restaurant), and it was enjoyable for a light lunch. I’m sure the experience as a whole would have been much different had we been amongst other diners though.

LCBO

Ontario still hasn’t moved to a private liquor retailing system, and I’m sure there are pros and cons about this. Walking through an LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) store, however, there seemed to be one big advantage to having a provincially-controlled chain: better marketing of homegrown products.

Go local

It was great to see shelves of Ontario product proudly displayed under a “go local” banner. While many liquor stores in Edmonton do make it easy to locate Canadian wines, this seemed to be one step further.

Local beer

Nathan Phillips Square Farmers’ Market

Farmers’ markets in Edmonton are confined to late afternoon, evening and weekend hours. However, the trend in other large Canadian municipalities seems to be opening up markets during the day, especially in high density areas. Calgary has experimented with their Downtown Green Market on Stephen Avenue, and in Toronto, we encountered a vibrant, well-stocked farmers’ market in front of their City Hall in Nathan Phillips Square.

Nathan Phillips Square

Farmers’ market

In the shadow of City Hall

It wasn’t ideal conditions for a farmers’ market – although tents sheltered the vegetables from the sun, nothing could stop them from wilting in the +40 degree humidity. The heat just radiated from the pavement, and on a day like that, the shade from trees would have been a welcome respite.

Zucchini blossoms

Beans

Berries

Asparagus

Corn

Basil

Meat truck

A hive!

Still, it was great to see so many people out picking up fresh produce on their lunch break, all while enjoying live entertainment.

Fresh Wednesdays

Amanda and I had a lunch reservation that afternoon, but I couldn’t resist buying a basket of raspberries in an effort to cool off. It was definitely handy to have the water truck on-site so we could wash the berries!

Water truck!

Berries

Rosedale Diner and Nadege

While in Toronto, I was able to meet up with Maria for lunch one day. Originally from Sarnia, she had been living in Edmonton for the past few years, but returned to Toronto for a work contract. She steered us to Rosedale Diner, a charming restaurant in Summer Hill.

The menu was made up of comforting dishes, and as soon as I saw the duck confit poutine ($17) on the menu, I knew I would pass up their prix fixe Summerlicious courses. I was disappointed that the Quebec cheese curds didn’t squeak, and that the fries were over-dressed, given they were saturated by the time I started to dig in, but I enjoyed the duck. Maria had ordered the lamb burger and surprisingly, was asked how she wanted it cooked!

Duck confit poutine

Lamb burger

The service was slow (and probably seemed even more so to us because we made the mistake of choosing to sit by the window on the hottest day of the year), but I was glad Maria had chosen Rosedale in part for its location.

After lunch, we wandered over to a quaint row of specialty shops – a high-end grocer, a butcher, a bakery, and a dessert shop. Nadege specializes in the venerable macaron, and though I was beyond full, I had to try one.

Beautiful works of art (love the mini macarons on the Marie Antoinette!)

I bought a salted caramel macaron ($2.10), and while the salty-sweet flavour was spot on, the meringue shell was not – it crumbled almost immediately when I bit into it.

Macarons

Smoke’s Poutinerie

My sampling of poutine in Toronto wasn’t confined only to Summer Hill. After taking in Wishful Drinking at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Mack and I wandered over, hungry, to Smoke’s Poutinerie.

I ordered the Montreal poutine (shaved Montreal smoked meat, dill pickle, mustard, $6.99), to see how it would stack up against my favourite dish at La Poutine. I think Edmonton wins this round – I again encountered cheese curds that didn’t squeak in the least – it had to be more than coincidence at this point, right? I also preferred the meat diced – easier to ensure a bit of the smoky meat in every bite.

Montreal poutine

Mack’s Hogtown poutine ($6.99), with double-smoked bacon, Italian sausage, sautéed mushrooms and caramalized onions was much better, consistency-wise.

Hogtown poutine

Le Petit Dejeuner

When travelling, Mack and I always try to seek out a local diner for brunch. On this occasion, it was a little more difficult – because of time constraints, we had to find one within walking distance of our hotel, as we had to depart for the airport in the early afternoon hours.

Le Petit Dejeuner was our destination, and it seemed to be the right choice as a line-up formed outside the restaurant soon after we were seated. The interior was a bit of a mash-up, with warm wall colours that clashed with the aquamarine vinyl booths, but for brunch, the disharmony worked.

Interior

I ordered Gal, two eggs, toast, potato rosti, apple coleslaw and bacon ($9.75). The scrambled eggs were particularly creamy, and I loved the crunchy rosti, which would have been perfect with just a little more salt. Mack also enjoyed his eggs benedict with peameal bacon ($12.95) well enough.

The Hungry Gal

Eggs benedict with peameal bacon

Because we saw it on the menu, we had to try their liege waffle as well, made with red fife wheat. It was served cold, which we weren’t used to (Eva Sweet had made sure of that), but it was dense and crunchy with pearl sugar throughout.

Liege waffle

In all, I had a great time in Toronto. And I’m happy to say, I’ll be back there very soon – next week, in fact, for a work conference. I’m already looking forward to the food!

Metropolis: A Tough Sell

At the formal reveal of Metropolis back in October 2011, it was clear that this new festival was an ambitious one. Their list of sponsors was long, but necessary given the $1.2 million dollar price tag, with only $215,000 of that amount being covered by civic funds.

Events Edmonton General Manager Giuseppe Albi explains his vision

At the time, Events Edmonton revealed mock-ups of the six pavilions they had planned, snow-white structures stemming from the snow-covered Square. These heated tents would encourage the public to venture out into the cold every weekend from the end of December to mid-February to enjoy programs regardless of the weather. It sounded like Metropolis would have a little bit of everything – a children’s tent, pub, food services, information technology, media – plus a space where the community would have a chance to make their mark on the festival. But what would it look like in reality? Would Edmontonians embrace this new winter event?

Scaffolding

First Impressions

Metropolis had its official debut on New Year’s Eve, one of the busiest days in the downtown Edmonton calendar. Not a bad way to guarantee loads of foot traffic to a new event, but on the downside, we found that the pavilions (now down to four) weren’t able to comfortably accommodate the large crowds. As a result, we felt a little like cattle, being herded in lines from one tent to the next, barely able to take in any of the displays.

That said, the first show in the community pavilion was less than inspiring – a collection of art that could have been mistaken for a holiday gift market.

Night of Artists on December 31

The Taste of Winter pavilion was unfortunately no better. Although most of the restaurants present were independent establishments, with the sheer numbers crowding the aisles, perusing the options and indulging in a meal seemed more like chores than leisurely activities.

Taste of Winter on December 31

Mack and I knew that it wasn’t quite fair to judge the festival on first impressions alone, especially on a day that featured abnormally large crowds. So we made sure to visit periodically over the next seven weekends to see what else Metropolis would have to offer.

Programming

Without a doubt, the biggest criticism of Metropolis has been its lack of programming. Metropolis organizers appeared to rely heavily on partners to program both activity-based children’s and community pavilions, without seeming to provide them with much support.

Children’s pavilion on February 18

For Metropolis to have attracted its desired attendance of over 30,000 visitors every weekend, the programs needed to be interesting and unique. However, the vast majority of activities in the community pavilion had been duplicated elsewhere. The best example of this was the Chinese New Year weekend, where performers shuttled between a stage inside Edmonton City Centre and a smaller one that had been set up in the pavilion on the same afternoon.

Community pavilion on January 21

I can only imagine how difficult it would have been for the partners to have been asked to program an unfamiliar space (particularly challenging for the artists’ collective that first weekend). On the bright side, as the weeks progressed, it seemed that groups were learning how to best use the scaffolding to their advantage.

Scaffolding makes decorating easier

In the end, the biggest hurdle was the pavilion itself – besides the raw, industrial interior, the space was simply an empty hall indistinguishable from a community league, theatre lobby, classroom or any other venue in need of animation.

Handmade Mafia on February 18

The only group that really utilized the potential of the raw space was Firefly Theatre. Aerial specialists, their experimental show Sky Life was reminiscent of last year’s Illuminations with Circus Orange. The audience was asked to move around the tent with the performers in a mostly wordless show, with an interpretation of the ugly duckling fable told through movement and music.

Sky Life

The scaffolding became part of the sky in which personified stars danced and twirled, while the lights helped define the stage for the circus performers.

Acrobats

Metropolis was lucky to have them; we heard that Firefly had to turn people away because the shows were so popular. It was unfortunate in many respects that there were only five performances of Sky Life given it was really the only program that highlighted what Metropolis could be.

Stilt walkers

Metropolis organizers admitted that developing adequate programming would be their priority should the festival continue. Although I agree, I think there are other things that Metropolis could improve upon as well.

Taste of Winter

Although the Taste of Edmonton is far from my favourite festival (for a multitude of reasons), there is no doubt it is a summer tradition for many. So a Taste of Winter seemed like a good idea in principle, trying to build on the familiarity and recognition of a seasoned event.

As mentioned, the first impressions on New Year’s Eve weren’t positive, with attendees packed in like sardines. But even worse was the bleak reality of the following weeks – the crowds vendors had been promised just didn’t materialize.

Taste of Winter on January 7

This was clear the Saturday night we had dinner there – at 7pm, several of the vendors had already shut down for the night, because not a single customer had passed through the doors in the two hours prior. The chicken-egg argument stands – without vendors open for business, would patrons visit? But without customers, how could vendors survive?

The bacon mac and cheese from Molly’s Eats – delicious!

I wouldn’t disagree that Taste of Winter was a good opportunity for food trucks like Molly’s Eats and Eva Sweet to set up shop in the off-season. But the pavilion was essentially just a tented food court, and with a few exceptions, like the programming, there was nothing unique about the food.

Coordination with Ongoing Events

Manning the Downtown Edmonton Community League membership table at the City Market one Saturday in January, we ended up being the de facto information booth because we were situated at the entrance of City Hall. Quite a few people asked us what the hours of Metropolis were – one would only assume that they would try to capture the potential foot traffic from market shoppers, right?

That wasn’t the case – on Saturdays, when the market begins at 10am, Metropolis didn’t open its doors until noon.

Use of Outdoor Space

For a winter festival, Metropolis really didn’t make use of the space surrounding the pavilions. I suppose it wasn’t really their focus, given their already severe lack of programming inside the tents, but it would have better connected the pavilions together, and more importantly, give life to the area.

With visitors shuttered inside the opaque pavilions, a passerby would assume Churchill Square was void of activity. Even small things would have made a difference – skaters performing in front of City Hall for instance (as they did at the kick-off for the WinterCity Symposium), or, as they started to do towards the end of the festival, placing carvers on the Square for the M.A.D.E. snow furniture competition, and inviting ice sculptors to carve right on-site.

WinterCity skaters

Carvers in action on February 11

What’s Next?

It’ll be interesting to see what organizers decide to do next, and what Metropolis might look like should the festival return again. Although I am glad Events Edmonton took a risk, I hope they are able to learn from this initial run and improve in the future.

Food Notes for February 20, 2012

I hope you all had a great Family Day! After Sunday’s snow day, I wasn’t sure what the weather would be like, but it ended up being a pretty great day to spend outdoors. On to this week’s food notes:

Liane stoked the rumours about a possible Whole Foods in Edmonton.
The truck-to-brick-and-mortar trend continues with Nomad’s tweet that they will be opening a take-out window in Oliver Square in May.
Fans of David Adjey should look into La Pisana’s charity dinner, in support of the Leduc Food Bank. $100 will get you a five-course Italian dinner, and the opportunity to rub shoulders with the Food Network star on March 10.
Vue Weekly had a great coffee feature last week, sitting down with the proprietors of Transcend, Credo, Elm Cafe, Cafe Haven on their coffee philosophies and what they think of their chain competition.
Chef Chuck Hughes was in Alberta earlier this week, awarding a $25,000 Real Food grant to an elementary school in Red Deer. Valerie was able to take part in the day, and also had the opportunity to speak with a Hellmann’s representative and Chef Hughes about the company’s “real food” philosophy. Worth a read.
When we visited Bles Wold back in 2010, Tinie had talked about wanting to start a line of yogurt drinks. I noticed them on the shelves at the Italian Centre this weekend, and we bought a few to try – they were thicker than Yop, but less sweet. Bles Wold has also started selling Greek-style yogurt – great for them, since the market for Greek yogurt seems to be on the rise.

Bles Wold’s Sip

Bles Wold’s Greek yogurt

Mack and I stopped by Remedy’s new downtown location on an evening stroll last week. We’re hoping the fluorescents are replaced with warmer lights that match the wall colours, but other than that, it’s a comfortable addition to the neighbourhood. We enjoyed the chai as well!

Chai from Remedy

We headed to Latitude 53’s first ever patio parka party on Saturday night, taking advantage of the mild winter night. With mulled wine and heat lamps, plus the wind-sheltered patio, it actually wasn’t bad! We hope Latitude continues the series!

Partying on the patio!

We loved the branch and light-filled tunnel that connected the indoors with the outdoors

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: