Openings

• The folks behind Bianco and Rosso are opening Nero. It will be located in the former Molson Brewery building in the Brewery District, at 12068 104 Avenue.
• DON’YA Ukraine’s Kitchen is a new Ukrainian café that opened last week, borne from its beginnings as a donation centre, then commercial kitchen. It is located at 12153 Fort Road.
• Ace Coffee’s permanent Manulife location on the second floor opened last week, replacing the temporary kiosk. It is Ace Coffee’s fourth location in Edmonton.

Upcoming Events

• Rosewood Foods’ annual Lunar New Year dinner is scheduled for February 16, with vegetarian and vegan options available. Tickets for the 6-course meal are $88 per person and include a welcome drink.
• As a part of Black History Month, Feed the Soul, Cafe Caribbean and Fu’s Repair Shop  are partnering for a pop-up experience to celebrate Trini-Chinese cuisine. Called Callaloo + Chow, it runs February 19-23. The opening reception takes place February 19 with a 5-course set menu; tickets are $55.

Local News

• Taproot highlighted Intent Coffee’s current iteration as a pop-up called Balay Coffee at Delavoye Chocolate, with an eye towards sustainability.
• Owners of Fawkes Coffee and Doughnuts Jorel and Mikayla Pepin were interviewed on the ARIVL podcast about the origin story behind their café.
• Pact Coffee Co. is the latest to communicate directly about their price increases of 15%, effective February 1.
• Wilfred’s has trimmed their evening hours to focus on brunch.
• Edify checked out Ali Baba Turkish Grill, and Korean eatery Sang.
• Black History Month magazine profiled Felicia Watson, executive chef at the River City Revival House.
• I am late to the Anti-Freeze Patio Party, which was commemorated on February 1, but not to worry – WinterCity Edmonton has a Passport to Winter to complete for your chance to win a WinterCity scarf. Item #1: lounging on a winter patio!
• The Journal wrote its semi-annual article about why American chains continue to open in Edmonton.
• Doughnut Party is opening a second location in Calgary, to open in Marda Loop in March 2025.

What I Ate

• I had my share of desk lunches this week, as we pushed through to meet some work deadlines. The hummus bowl from Vetrina Café was so satisfying (and you can never go wrong with their fresh pita).

Hummus bowl with chicken from Vetrina Cafe

• The nooner pizzas from Coliseum Steak & Pizza are also tried and true, and considering everything, actually make a pretty tidy desk lunch.

My usual pepperoni and mushroom nooner

• Craving Vietnamese food on Friday, Mack picked up some vermicelli bowls from Xu Hue. With the generous portion, I had enough for two meals.

Xu Hue chicken and spring roll vermicelli bowl

• Chocorrant was kind enough to gift me some of their Lunar New Year treats, including these spectacular cream puffs (the honey mandarin was particularly glorious). They are available for pre-order until February 9.

Cream puffs from Chocorrant

• I spent some of the weekend leading Chinatown walking tours (yes, in this weather!) as a part of the Togather festivities. Bravo to the hearty folks who came out in sub 30 degree weather to learn about Edmonton’s two Chinatowns, and visited the Journey of the Horse exhibit at the Mah Society. We also feasted on cake from Hong Kong Bakery and tofu treats from Ying Fat. Until next time!

Hong Kong Bakery’s signature fruit cocktail cake

Openings

• Canadian Chain Smoke’s Poutinerie is now open at 8111 104 Street.
• EggMania is a new restaurant offering “egg-centric Indian street flavours” at 6920 Ellerslie Road SW. It opened last week.
• Culinary Unicorn Kitchen and Bar opens on January 31 at 10009 107 Street (in the Matrix Hotel).
• O’Byrne’s Irish Pub will be opening soon in the MNP Tower (101 Street and 103 Avenue). This joins their other location on Whyte Avenue.

Closures

• Frida Urban Taqueria’s 124 Street location is now closed.

Upcoming Events

• I’m so happy to be a part of this year’s Togather Chinatown Arts Festival, running at the Edmonton Chinatown Multicultural Centre on February 1-2. I’ll be leading one walking tour each morning, complete with food samples and a chance to tour the Mah Society’s fantastic Journey of the Horse exhibit. If you’re interested, please pre-register! Even if you don’t want to go on the tour, do check out the event, which features a variety of vendors, a Chinatown Food Court, and free workshops.
• Winefest returns to the Edmonton Convention Centre on February 14-15. Tickets start at $120 and includes all food and drink samples.

Local News

• It looks like Filistix has launched a catering company called Flavour Agency from their same location, offering their same popular rice meals, as well as party platters and appetizers.
• I eagerly wait for this time all year – LovePizza’s mac and cheeza is back until the end of February.
• CBC Radioactive featured Hong Kong Bakery, one of this year’s Chinatown Dining Week participating businesses.
• Bannock Broz in the Enoch Community Centre is drawing rave reviews for its Indigenous take on the Philly cheesesteak.
• Edify checked out The Ridge Social Eatery in St. Albert.
• Spilt’s JoAnne Pearce will be competing in Canada’s first-ever national mocktail competition, the Beyond NOA 2025 semifinals, on February 17 in Calgary. Their drink entry, the Prairie Berry Patch is currently in Spilt’s menu.
• Chef Doreen Prei discussed representing Edmonton at the upcoming Canadian Culinary Championships in Ottawa.

What I Ate

• I’ve been having many desk lunches these past couple of weeks, during a very busy period at work. The latest was soup and sandwiches from Chocorrant – the very savoury French onion soup really hit the spot, and I adore their croissants.

Chocorrant lunch

• Mack and I stole away for a quick date night at Menya Mori. We’ve been big fans of their ramen kits but it was our first time at their brick and mortar. The verdict: the soup is excellent, and does taste better when someone else prepares it. Their Tonkotsu is my jam.

Tokyo Style Shoyu and Classic Tonkotsu from Menya Mori

• We finished off Chinatown Dining Week with an order from Spirit Bistro. Their big rice noodles with beef is a family favourite, and we had leftovers for days.

Our Spirit Bistro order

• I had a bubble tea date with Emily at Dagu on the weekend – I can’t believe our birthday girl turned 7.

Happy birthday, Emily!

Openings

• Calgary-based Kinjo Sushi has opened a location in Edmonton at South Edmonton Common, 1739 102 Street.
• BB2 All You Can Eat Korean BBQ will soft open on January 23 at 2335 111 Street.
• L’OCA’s second location in Parkview (9106 142 Street), taking over the institution that was Andy’s IGA, will open on January 31. The store will maintain Andy’s tradition of stocking many kosher products.
• The folks behind Spruce Grove’s steakhouse Barbacoa have opened a sister cocktail and wine bar called Barbaretta at 115 First Ave, Spruce Grove.
• It looks like Home and Away in the Mercer Warehouse will be rebranding into The Alfred Bar.
• Last month, Town 82 opened in Old Strathcona at 10401 82 Avenue.

Closures

• Carol’s Quality Sweets has closed after 35 years in business, and was challenged by “mandated pandemic closures, break-ins and city road closures”. Carol and Grant Logan are retiring, but are saying farewell one last time on January 26 at the Glenora Community League with a sale of chocolate and sweets.
• After nearly 3.5 years in business, SoHo has announced their closure as of January 18.

Upcoming Events

• Grounds for Coffee hosts informal coffee tastings. Their second event will be held on January 26 at The Connected Kitchen. Tickets start at $27.
• Last Modern Events is hosting a Lunar New Year event series in January and February, including a kick-off event on January 31 with Mai Mai and Boba Bar popping up with their favourites.
• Edify’s annual Best Restaurants event will be held on April 7 at the Edmonton Convention Centre. Their early bird tickets are on sale until January 31 at $80 each.

Local News

• The Journal has more details about what to expect from Lauren Kyle-McDavid’s forthcoming restaurant Bar Trove. The article mentions she is focusing on local products and is working with a consultant from Toronto to put together the French-inspired menu. Bar Trove is aiming for an April opening.
• El Cortez is temporary closed but will re-open with an “upgrade” in spring 2025.
• Spilt Bar is seeing an increase in business, coinciding with Dry January.
• Happy second birthday to Honi Honi Tiki Lounge.
• Edify checked out new restaurants Nam Siam in Chinatown and Yangming Chinese Restaurant in Wîhkwêntôwin.
• The Downtown Business Association is soliciting applications for vendors for the 2025 Downtown Farmers’ Market, which will run on Saturdays from May 17-October 11, 2025.

What I Ate

• It is Chinatown Dining Week! It runs until January 26, and even though I am not involved this year, we are still planning to enjoy many of its participating restaurants. We started with an order from Syphay. I love their pad thai, and $20 is a great deal for a meal that rounds out with spring rolls and tohm yum soup.

Chinatown Dining Week combo from Syphay

• I also met up with a friend for a catch-up at Pho Tau Bay. It has been too long.

My go-to pho

• Mack also filled our fridge with subs from Van Loc, with their second annual buy one, get one free offer in line with their birthday.

Subs for days

• For a get together this weekend, we had sweet treats from both Farrow and Great North Cookie Co.

Sweet overload

• Linda and I had a great time chatting with Mack and Troy about our Edmonton Food Faves list. You can listen to our conversation starting this week on Speaking Municipally.

Tasting some of our faves

Openings

• Downtown Edmonton has another sushi restaurant called Ester, at 9828 101A Avenue (former Vicki’s Gourmet Bistro in the Citadel Theatre). It is currently only open for pick-up and delivery, with a grand opening soon.
• Cocktail bar Golden Sparrow opened last week in the former Northern Chicken space on 124 Street.
• Toronto-based chain Kinton Ramen will be opening a location in Edmonton in Terra Losa in the summer.
• A second location of Chipotle is now open in Edmonton at Manning Town Centre at 350 Ebbers Boulevard NW, Unit 1.

Closures

• The Mash has closed their Windermere location. Their Whyte Ave and St. Albert locations remain open.

Upcoming Events

• Wyrdstock, billed as “YEG’s Original Wyrdbier Adventure”, is on from January 8-February 16. You can pick up a passport and drink your way through unique beers offered at 19 craft brewers. 
• Great to see that the duo behind Vagabond Pop-ups (Chefs Christine Sandford and Roger Letourneau) are returning to Edmonton’s Monolith Taproom for a fondue experience. Unfortunately, the event on January 26 is already sold out.

Local News

• This year’s nomination form for the Tomato Top 100 Best Things to Eat or Drink list is now open – submit your favourites by January 23.
• Co-owner Rosaly DeVenz was interviewed by CBC about the closure of the Italian Bakery’s Chinatown location. The building will be put up for sale/lease.
• Lucky Supermarket’s new location was also featured on CBC.
• Edmonton AM highlighted forthcoming Chinatown café and bar Boa and Hare, which hopes to open by the end of January.
• Irrational Brewing and Doughnut Party collaborated to create the Raspberry Bismarck Pastry Sour.
• Edify checked out WildRoots Bistro in St. Albert and Lan Noodle in Old Strathcona.
• I love that Pals did their version of “Pals Wrapped”, featuring their year in numbers and favourites, including serving up a total of 29,862 nuggets, and 18,988 orders of take-out.
• I missed sharing a segment Linda and I recorded with CBC Radioactive about our Faves We Crave list.

More To Crave: Updating Edmonton Food Faves We Crave

In 2022, Linda and I published the first Edmonton Food Faves We Crave list. We documented our individual picks and one shared pick in fifteen categories. Most of the places we highlighted were based on great visits over time, so the majority were not new businesses. But as I referenced in my year-end review of the food scene, longevity doesn’t guarantee that independent restaurants can survive the kind of turmoil seen over the past five years.

This year, Linda and I decided to update the list in part because five of the restaurants we highlighted in 2022 had closed. It’s a common refrain heard after restaurants announce their closure that diners rush to support them one last time – but if only a fraction of those customers had frequented it on a regular basis, then the closure may not have been necessary.

In addition to revisiting our previous 15 categories, the 2024 Edmonton Food Faves We Crave list also sees five new categories, including Fave Handheld, Neighbourhood, Noodles, Non-Alcoholic Drink, and Worth the Drive. In total, we recommend 60 places to eat, drink, and enjoy.

I am so grateful to live in a city where Linda and I actually struggled to limit our choices to 60 – there were many debates and discussions, the results of some of which left many restaurants on the cutting room floor. That said, without ongoing patronage, we know that some of these businesses will not survive.

We encourage you to use the list as a starting place to discover something new, or perhaps revisit one of your old favourites.

Openings

• Pho Hoan Pasteur has opened its sixth location in the Edmonton region! Find them now at Manning Town Centre, 3636 153 Avenue.
• Burger restaurant Meat the Bun opened two new locations over the past month: on the north side at 592 Hermitage Road and in Old Strathcona at 10542 Whyte Avenue.
• The Mill Creek neighbourhood has seen some wonderful additions in the past year, including a branch of The Colombian, and Frank’s Community Pub. It will also be home to the third Edmonton location of Made by Marcus behind Mill Creek West (the building with Frank’s).
• Lauren Kyle, Connor McDavid’s wife, posted that she is involved in a new project called Bar Trove. It will be located in the historic Canada Permanent Building at 10126 100 Street.
• It’s always great to see new establishments in Chinatown – this time it is Nam Siam, serving up Vietnamese and Thai cuisine at 9653 107 Avenue.
• I also love learning about cafes opening in mature neighbourhoods – Cloverdale Coffee is opening soon at 9407 98 Avenue, a “cousin” of Little Brick, Dogpatch, and Bread and Butter.
• Square 1 Coffee teased their Windsor Park location a year prior, but it looks like it will finally open this February at 11728 87 Avenue. It will be their fourth café, with a fifth opening in Sherwood Park.
• Darkside is a new pop-up cocktail bar and will open on January 10-11. Reservations are currently full.
• Aura is another new cocktail bar coming soon, located at 3759 Gateway Blvd.
• LA-based Dave’s Hot Chicken will be opening in Edmonton this year.

Closures

• This was a hard week for restaurant closure news, starting with the Italian Bakery, who decided to close their Chinatown location after 64 years. After a devastating fire in 2016, the family rebuilt and re-opened the store in October 2023. Their last day of operation was January 4. The location in Beverly remains open.
• Dalla announced their permanent closure, effective December 31, 2024. The restaurant operated under the Zenari’s banner for 36 years, and in 2020, moved from Manulife Place to Enbridge Centre and rebranded as Dalla: “Letting go isn’t easy, especially because we believe so deeply in what we’ve created, but sometimes the bravest choice is acknowledging you’ve done all you can.”
• The Wîhkwêntôwin location of Brit’s Fish and Chips has closed. Their southside location remains open.
• Reinette Cafe closed its West Edmonton Mall location at the end of December. Its Mill Woods location continues to operate.

Upcoming Events

• Balay Coffee (formerly Intent Coffee) announced their first pop-up dates at Delavoye Chocolate, taking place weekends until January 12.
• The eighth annual Chinatown Dining Week runs January 16-26, 2025. A record 27 restaurants are participating this year, all offering amazing $10 and $20 deals. There are 5 new businesses this year: Little BonBon, One01 Bistro, Rock N Roll, Li Dong Food Products, and Boualouang. Last year, I decided to step away from the planning of the event, but I will definitely be supporting the restaurants as an attendee this year! Go forth and #eatyegchinatown.
• The event is now sold out, but I thought it was still worth noting that Cheata Nao will be hosting a Cambodian Noodle pop-up on January 19 at Get Cooking. I love seeing more diverse cuisines in Edmonton.

Local News

• Die Pie has made
  operational changes, including closing their dining room outside of large
  party reservations and special events. In addition, the adjacent Dahlia’s Cafe
  will be closed on weekday mornings.
• Uproot Food closed their
  114 Street location, but items can now be picked up at South Island Pie’s
  pop-up Hot Pie Shop at 12415 107 Avenue.
• Edify checked out Eleven Eleven, Dong Koi, and featured Junoon Lounge.
• Modern Luxuria profiled The Lingnan in their current issue.
• In a sponsored post, Edify profiled Chris Lachance, owner of the Century Hospitality Group, who was recognized with the Edmonton Chamber’s Business Leader of the Year award.
• Often Restaurant and Tiki Tiki on Whyte were included on an Alberta public registry of employers who are owing amounts outstanding to employees.
• Strathcona Spirits suffered a fire in December. Please consider supporting them through online orders or at their retail partners.
• It’s always great to see hospitality businesses give back to the community – such as Arcadia, who hands out food and hot drinks all year round.
• The founders of The Colombian started a podcast called Welcome to Confluence, “where hospitality, leadership and mindset come together”.

What I Ate

It was not my intention to take a two week break, but boy, was it glorious. Hope your holidays were equally filled with good food and cheer.

• Both of my sisters were able to come home for Christmas, so we had many meals together as a family. A notable one was around the table at Otto – those garlic fries though.

Platter from Otto

• Mack celebrated his birthday during the break, and we threw him a pizza party in his honour. Pies from Fn’za and High Dough were enjoyed.

Pizza from Fn’za

• Mack and I were also able to get away for dinner at Little Wolf. We loved the drinks, and were so impressed with the vegetable-forward menu.

Drinks from Little Wolf

• We understand that Donna’s Eatery, buried in an industrial park on the west end, has its followers, but we didn’t understand it until we visited ourselves. Donna’s has been operating for 21 years, and they do all the little things right. From the warm service to the large portions to the well-prepared food (they are known for their epic fresh sandwiches), it is a quintessential hidden gem.

Mack’s club sandwich

Openings

• Bodega announced its seventh location in the Edmonton region. It will be located in Old Strathcona in what was once an Elephant and Castle (10314 Whyte Avenue).
• Dahlia’s, the plant-based café from the folks behind Die Pie and operated in the same space at 11817 105 Avenue, opened at the end of November. It offers coffee and baked goods.
• Café Aria, the sister establishment to Café Versailles, held its grand opening last week. It is located at 20023 Lessard Road.
• Vetrina Café is now open in the space that formerly housed Vish at 10326 124 Street, and serves a very similar menu to its predecessor. The Vish menu will actually continue to be available for online orders for pick-up from the restaurant.
• Eleven Eleven also opened at the end of November at 10305 100 Avenue (the former Rigoletto’s).
• Krispy Kreme opens its first Edmonton location on December 10 at 4614 Gateway Blvd.
• The 100th No Fills location in Western Canada opened last week in Edmonton at 21546 92 Avenue.

Closures

• Filistix announced that after five and a half years, they are closing their standalone location: “the aftermath of the pandemic has seen this paradigm shift, like no other, where working from home is now the norm and that hit us really hard. The fact that the Government District, and the downtown core in general, no longer has the vibrancy nor the density it once had, has taken its toll on us. It’s no secret that people are spending and eating out less than ever before and these factors make it untenable for a restaurant like ours to survive.” Filistix will continue to operate their locations at the University of Alberta and MacEwan University.

Upcoming Events

• Some will remember Green Onion Cake Man’s Siu To used to run a restaurant called Happy Garden. With a blast to the past, he is cooking up a Happy Garden-inspired menu on six dates in December starting December 14. The eight course meal will be prepared for groups of 5 at the cost of $250.

Local News

• The Journal interviewed Sean Thompson, the owner of new community pub Frank’s, on the inspiration behind the place.
• Julio’s Barrio re-opened in their new location just down the street from their former location at 10416 Whyte Avenue (the former Malt and Mortar space) on December 4.
• Paper Birch Books in Little Italy now has a coffee bar!
• Italian Bakery’s Tesoro (with groceries, a deli, bakery, and café), opened in the fall in the southwest to meet the population growth in that area.
• So happy to see that Pho Tau Bay is back open after closing for renovations.
• Slow Pour Beer Bar celebrated two years in business.
• I love take-and-bake meals over the holidays, so it is great to see more businesses offering different options. Paraiso Tropical is one such place, with Mexican, Salvadorian, and Colombian dishes that can be pre-ordered for larger groups.
• On that note, Edify has a round-up of more mainstream options available.
• Also from Edify, they share some Christmas memories from local chefs, including Blair Lebsack from RGE RD and Winnie Chen from Fu’s Repair Shop.
• Congratulations to Strathcona County’s Bar OA and Nisku’s Rig Hand Distillery, who both won accolades at the Tourism Industry Association of Canada Awards.
• Edmonton’s Food Bank has only reached 20% of its fundraising goal for the year so far.

What I Ate

• We stopped by Nuestra Coffee Shop across from Borden Park over the weekend. It is a beautiful space, and it was great to see so many people inside on a Saturday afternoon. I envision returning in a warmer season to grab a drink to enjoy while the kids play at the playground.

Nuestra Coffee

• I had lunch with a colleague at Vetrina Café today. The menu is almost identical to Vish, which I was happy to see given my opinion that their hummus and pita is the best in the city. I enjoyed the hummus bowl, but I probably would have hoped to see more chicken served with the order. I will say, the staff gave us a sample of a new spread they were working on, a pesto mayo, and it was delicious.

Hummus bowl from Vetrina Café

• Mack and I were invited to attend a preview of Krispy Kreme last week. They dodged the question of why exactly it took so long for them to open in Edmonton (Calgary had one years ago that eventually closed). This location is considered a “factory”, which means that it produces donuts on site (as opposed to a café location which would only serve donuts). Besides the fact that they plan to operate the mostly automated machines for 23.5 hours per day to churn out 55,000 donuts, the benefit of the factory is they can serve warm donuts to customers (look for the “hot now” sign to be lit up). It was a treat to be able to enjoy a signature original glazed donut fresh off the line, but it was interesting that two staff that we talked to actually named the chocolate cake donut their favourite of the Krispy Kreme line-up. At $1.90 each (or $16/dozen) for the original glazed, it is something I can see flying off the shelves when they open on December 10.

Original glazed donut from Krispy Kreme

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

Openings

• Lucky Supermarket is opening their third location in Edmonton (eighth location in Western Canada) on November 28. It is located at 2950 Calgary Trail.
• Tiramisu Bistro has opened up its sister restaurant next door at the Lift Me Up Sandwich Bar, serving up focaccia sandwiches at 12408 108 Avenue.
• The folks behind Panini’s Italian Cucina and Rob’s Famous Fried Chicken have a new ghost kitchen called Michelangelo’s New York Pizza that opened last week. The pizza can be ordered through Uber Eats.
• South Island Pie opened their hot pie pop-up shop at Zwick’s Pretzels on November 20.
• St. Albert bakery BreadLove has opened up a café in the same space called Little Darling Coffee, at 46C St. Michael Street.
• Sawaii Indian Restaurant and OMG Bowls & Wings, serving up Indo-Mexican fusion, had its grand opening last week. It is located at 8656 118 Avenue.
• Tahini’s a Canadian chain serving Mediterranean fusion cuisine, opened its first Edmonton location in October, at #35671, 3535 Gateway Blvd.
• Edmonton’s second Chick-fil-A location is now open at 2060 99 Street.

Local News

• Filistix hosted a pop-up for SiuYeh over the weekend, which offered skewers and a few other dishes.
• Three restaurants made OpenTable’s list of the Top 100 Restaurants in Canada: Bernadette’s, Sabor, and Tzin.
• Edify checked out newly-opened cafe Nuestra.
• CTV wrote an article about food trends in Edmonton, which included an interview with my friend Linda. She also shared a follow-up blog post with additional links about what she discussed.
• Baijiu’s outdoor heated patio is back for a second season.
• I always love seeing local businesses collaborate, like this vanilla confetti cake lotion bar, from Sugared & Spiced and Wild Prairie Soap.
• En Route featured Lessig Ferments’ Strawberry Basil Bomb hot sauce in a piece highlighting products from across Canada.
• Analog Brewing Company is offering a “12 Beers of Christmas” half-advent calendar with $5 from each sold to benefit Edmonton’s Food Bank.
• Members of Edmonton’s Sikh community and My Radio 580 AM raised $50,000 for Edmonton’s Food Bank.

What I Ate

• I met some friends for lunch at Jinya Ramen Bar last week. The room was packed at lunch with others who had braved the snow for some hot soup. Service was excellent, and the space is bright and welcoming during the day. I tried their Tonkotsu Original 2010, and found it to be as hearty and creamy as I was hoping for.

Tonkotsu Original 2010

Openings

• On the heels of opening their fifth location, The Colombian announced that their sixth location is in the works, to open in Sherwood Park in the new year.
• Frank’s Pub, a “casual, inclusive friendly neighbourhood pub” is opening on November 20 at 8815 99 Street.
• Kommune Snack Bar is coming soon to 11931 Jasper Avenue, which previously housed Ikki.
• Eleven Eleven, housed in the former Rigoletto’s spot at 10305 100 Avenue, has delayed their opening.

Closures

• Shogun in Wîhkwêntôwin has announced its closure, with its last day of operation being November 24.

Local News

• South Island Pies will be opening up a “hot pie pop-up shop” at Zwick’s, serving the pies hot out of the oven. It hosted a soft opening on November 15, with details about the official launch to come.
• Sale of the new Coffee Pass – its biggest ever with 40 independent cafes, bakeries, and roasters – is now live.
• Mother by Chartier in Nisku announced they have re-opened, after a closure lasting several weeks due to water line renovation.
• Edify checked out Backyard Smokehouse and An Vat.
• Lakeland Today featured Endeavour Brewing and Endeavour Coffee Roasters.
• The Fort Distillery won at least $150,000 in investment from Startup TNT’s Summit X last week.
• American Rapper Blvck Svm filmed one of his music videos at RGE RD. The song appears on an album alongside other songs inspired by fine dining.

What I Ate

• After some errands, I stopped by Van Loc for some sustenance. Their assorted sub always hit the spot.

My usual from Van Loc

• The soul of Uccellino is alive and well at Olia, its renamed incarnation at the Citizen on Jasper. I found several of my favourites (including the whipped ricotta) on the menu on Friday, and the Caramelle, with the classic flavour combination of pumpkin, brown butter, and sage, was delightful.

Whipped ricotta and arancini from Olia

• My friend and I also had a drink afterwards at Spilt, Edmonton’s first zero-proof bar. We both really enjoyed the cocktails (I had the Whoops-a-Daisy) and felt the prices were reasonable. We learned that although Spilt doesn’t serve food, it is possible to order a pizza from fn’za a few doors down, and staff will walk the pizza over.

Whoops-a-Daisy from Spilt