Tag: Edmonton

Starch Overload: Happy Garden

Due to a dumpling craving, Dickson and I ended up at Happy Garden (6525 111 Street NW) for dinner instead of a pre-planned trip to Il Forno. He had heard from a coworker that their servings were quite generous, and after being unsatisfied with Western interpretations of dumplings at Brewster’s, convinced me to come along for the ride.

I remember reading a review of this off-the-beaten-track Chinese restaurant in the Journal last year, and was happy to hear that it hadn’t shut down, which was a possibility hinted at in the article. It took us long enough to find the place, after a few wrong turns and not having the slightest idea what we were looking for to begin with. We finally ended up at a tiny strip mall in the middle of Parkallen, with every storefront dark with the exception of the restaurant.

Wandering in, I spotted a sign near the door that requested patience from patrons – staff turnover meant the kitchen might still be on training wheels. That wasn’t a good sign – we had tickets to a show across the city, and time would be tight as it were. But in spite of my hesitations, we followed the waitress to a table in the back corner.

Happy Garden was surprisingly busy – for a restaurant that I hadn’t heard much about, it was nearly full, and provided the lively ambiance I have always associated with Chinese establishments. The decor was dated, with a few haphazard Chinese “artifacts” added to the interior as seeming afterthoughts – a lantern, a scroll. Twinkle lights hung from the ceiling – had they been on, I’m sure they would have given the space a touch of charm. The pink vinyl tablecloths were a bit off-putting – I know they meant to assist staff in the clean-up phase, but they were sticky and probably should have been replaced.

I let Dickson do the ordering, based on his friend’s recommendations: Pork Dumplings ($7 for 12), Mu Shu Pork ($9 for 6 “thin cakes”), and Steamed Buns ($7 for 10). I wasn’t expecting to find samosas and “Thai wings” on the menu, but as I was about to find out, Happy Garden specializes in plates meant to be shared.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before our first course arrived – the Pork Dumplings were absolutely massive. Their comparison on the menu to perogies were spot on, though quite frankly, they were larger than any perogy I had ever come across before. Pan-fried to a crisp on the outside, the dough contained a flavourful concoction of meat. I managed to work my way through four before crying for mercy, but Dickson likely could have eaten more than the eight he finished.

Pork Dumplings

The Mu Shu Pork was next – warmed crepe-like wraps accompanied a plate of steaming stir-fried pork and vegetables. Assembling the dish was half the fun, which including drizzling hoisin sauce to taste. It was definitely my favourite of the three courses – the texture of the filling and the sweetness of the sauce had me at my first bite.

Mu Shu Pork

We received our Steamed Buns last. A mixture of pork and crab meat awaited us inside, as did quite a bit of oil that pooled along the bottom of the dough. If we hadn’t already gone through the plate of dumplings, I’m sure we would have been more receptive to the buns, but in the end, we felt as if we had exceeded our starch content for the week.

Steamed Buns

My introduction to Happy Garden was brief but positive – I hope to be able to linger (and order seconds of Mu Shu Pork) on future visits.

Happy Garden
6525 111 Street NW
(780) 435-7622

Food Notes for January 12, 2009

  • I registered for the upcoming Food: Today, Tomorrow, Together Conference running January 29-30 this past week. I hope to get some blogging in during the conference, so watch for posts at the end of the month! If you can’t make it to the entire event, there is a public keynote by Carol Off, author of Bitter Chocolate, on Friday evening.
  • From Vue Weekly: Culina Highlands is now open for lunch, Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-2pm. I hope their new website debuts soon!
  • From City Palate: there’s a new bakery in town called Prairie Mill Bread Co. (14253 23 Avenue, 780-436-0920). They recently opened their first location in Edmonton after finding success in Calgary.
  • Liane was back this week from a brief hiatus, and covered Edmonton’s burgeoning scene of meal assembly studios. I had no idea there were nine in the city.
  • Food Network Canada’s third season of Family Restaurant, this time featuring the Quons of Lingnan and Chicken for Lunch fame, began on January 8. The 10-episode run got off to a good start, with the frenetic energy of the family on display.
  • Mack tipped me off to some interesting discussion on Connect2Edmonton about the upcoming Downtown Dining Week, an annual event that encourages patrons to dine in the core by offering set-meals at a “discounted” rate. I have to agree with IanO – Edmonton’s independents do themselves a disservice by offering two competing dining weeks (something I’ve said in the past) – why not combine Downtown Dining Week and Original Fare’s Fork Fest?
  • I saw commercials advertising Boston Pizza‘s new “10 for $10” feature on television this week (dine-in only from Sunday to Thursday, until February 8). I wonder which will be the next non-fast food chain to push value-for-dollar meals?
  • Speaking of advertising, I love the current Tim Hortons campaign, which pushes their coffee into the spotlight. Like Starbucks should be doing (instead of say, diverging to tea), the spots focus on the 20 minute freshness of each pot – simple, but effective.

A Few of My Favourite Things…

My new best friend, courtesy of Belua Designs: Netty!

Goldfish crackers

The West Wing

A crisp, not cold, winter day

My office plant that continues to live despite my neglect

Stationary

The bulk aisle at Save-On Foods

 

A mug of green tea after dinner

All About Appearances: Kai Asian Grill

After Courtney’s lukewarm review and hearing lacklustre comments from friends about Kai Asian Grill (100, 10909 Jasper Avenue), I was less than eager to pay them a visit. But on an evening when venturing outside was a welcome reprieve from a weekend of self-imposed house arrest, coupled with Mack’s need to scope out Kai as a potential venue for an event he was planning, we hopped on a bus to have dinner at Kai.

Interior

I’m not sure why the owners decided on a name change (signs boasted of “Tao” coming soon), but I doubt substituting another Asian-sounding monosyllable would have made a resounding difference with the patron reception of the restaurant. At any rate, the interior of the former Chili Hot Hot had been gutted and divided into a number of areas – a dining room, a small sushi bar, two elevated, semi-private dining areas, and finally, a gargantuan lounge, which is at least double the size of the dining room. We asked to be seated in the dining room (as is our custom when trying a new restaurant), but had we known of Kai’s lounge-forward stance, we would have made an exception to our rule. Shades of black and grey dominate the dining room, with looming statues reminding patrons of the restaurant’s Asian and East Asian slant. The most striking feature is the ceiling, however, with lights calling attention to the overhead red hue. I was happy that they decided to maintain the large windows looking out onto Jasper Avenue – the bustling intersection outside makes the restaurant seem that much more cosmopolitan, however coincidental. Everything looked great, polished and perfect, but upon closer inspection, it seems some financial shortcuts were taken. For example, the bamboo plants that lined the side were artificial, while the counters were marble-coated. As the overall renovations must have cost a fortune, I’m willing to cut Kai some slack.

I had previewed the menu online, so knew of Kai’s approach to fusion food – one very similar to OPM, and really, any other restaurant that strives to cater to as many people as possible out there (I’m looking at you Earls, Joeys, and Moxie’s). We were handed cocktail and wine lists, but other beverages such as beer and coffee were nowhere to be seen on the page. Mack would have appreciated this, as his Sapporo beer came in at a surprise $7.25, although he rightly could have confirmed the price prior to ordering it.

The one dish that caught my eye online, the Coconut-Crusted Tofu ($22), maintained my gaze in the restaurant, as I was hoping to satisfy my craving for tofu. Mack, on the other hand, zeroed in on the peculiarly categorized Kai Mini Burger Trio ($16) – we thought it sounded more like an appetizer than an entrée (and would likely encourage more spending if coded as the former). Always up for the house calamari ($9), this time dressed with salt and pepper, we ordered that to start as well.

Our appetizer was delivered quite promptly, dressed with green onions and accompanied by a chili and lime aioli. Dotted with black pepper, Mack liked the calamari well enough, while I was easily swayed by the fact that the battered morsels was fried to a fresh crisp.

Salt and Pepper Calamari

We had a little more time to admire the interior than we wanted to while we waited for our entrees, but the calamari tided us over somewhat. When Mack’s Burger Trio arrived, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the bright orange sweet potato fries – not mentioned in the menu description, we now understood why this had been classified as an entrée. While I don’t know how the burgers fit in with the “Asian fusion” mandate of the restaurant (besides the bamboo skewers used, heh), the sliders were great, particularly because of the type of bun used. The White-Castle-like soft bread cushioned and complimented the thin patty well.

Kai Mini Burger Trio

The size of my dish was deceiving at first glance, though as I began to dig through the rice and vegetables, I found that the bowl held more than met the eye. The Thai curry sauce used lovely, and balanced the heat with a hint of sweetness. The tofu, which had been lightly breaded in coconut, then deep fried, was unfortunately dry in the centre, with a texture that reminded me more of chicken than soy. It was an interesting take, and one I might try to recreate at home, but not again try at Kai.

Coconut Crusted Tofu

I had no complaints about our waitress – she did her best to find all of the answers we needed for our numerous and sundry questions, and as it seemed she was covering both the lounge and the dining room, did a bang up job ensuring all tables were cared for. Though my predilection for Kai steadily improved through my visit, it’s lack of real menu focus prevents me from fully embracing it. I would recommend it, but don’t expect fireworks.

Kai Asian Grill
100, 10909 Jasper Avenue
(780) 428-3336
Monday-Thursday 11am-midnight, Friday-Saturday 5pm-2am

Winter Light 2009

When I first heard about the new Winter Light Festival, an initiative to make the most of our longest season, I was skeptical about the interest that a cold weather festival would generate. But as more details were released about some of the events that would take place over the ten weeks, I started to get excited – the Fringe started off small, didn’t it?

Churchill Square

Mack and I headed down to Churchill Square this evening for the opening ceremonies. We missed the blessing fire, but wandered through the Square to see what other outdoor fun was to be had. We wandered past a warming tepee, a spiral maze built with mounds of snow, a number of warming stations, and a tent distributing hot chocolate. The latter required that a reusable mug be presented, or else one could be borrowed for $4 – I liked this environmental acknowledgement.

Outside City Hall

As it was –30 with windchill that night, it wasn’t surprising that the most lively place was in fact inside City Hall. Of course, free samples of comfort foods, cooked up by students from the NAIT Culinary Arts program, didn’t hurt matters either.

The samples they distributed were quite generous, and really, it was probably a shame that we had eaten dinner just before. Four items were up for grabs: medley of three perogies with traditional garnishes, chipotle bison chili, Alberta pulled pork slider with slaw, and bannock with local honey. The chili was definitely my favourite (so much so that I went back for seconds) – I loved the sweetness of the corn added to balance out the spiciness. Mack loved the moist and tender pork sliders.

Pork Slider and Bannock

My only disappointment was that disposable plates were used. Though NAIT was likely responsible for the food, the organizers still could have alerted them to the pro-environment ideal, and at least have encouraged people to reuse their plates and cutlery.

We stayed and watched some of the entertainment for a while, including Andrea House and Le Fuzz. Though it was a cold night, I think I expected the attendance to be higher. Understanding that the festival kicked off on a Thursday to make the most of the Friday news cycle, the hours probably made it difficult for families with school-aged children to attend.

City Room festivities

Based on the opening ceremonies, I’m cautiously optimistic about the rest of the schedule. Up next: the Deep Freeze on 118 Avenue, and Ice on Whyte. Go check it out!

Mack’s post on the opening ceremonies is here, while his photo set is here.

Indian Meal Deal: Rasoi on 50th

I caught up with Bettina over dinner at Rasoi on 50th (4341 50 Street) last week, a restaurant near my house I suggested trying when she proposed that we have Indian cuisine.

There has been some confusion in the Edmonton dining scene recently with Indian restaurants with “Rasoi” in the name, as two opened up at around the same time this summer, both located in southside strip malls. Rasoi on 50th happens to reside in a space formerly occupied by a coffee shop, and for that reason is smaller and seemingly more demure, at least from the outset.

While I can’t remember exactly how the interior of Cappuccino Affair used to look, the palette of warm beige and brown seemed familiar. Café seating next to the order counter had been eliminated in favour of a buffet (offered only at lunch at the moment), so we were led to the mezzanine dining area at the rear of the restaurant. The flat screen televisions, while perhaps acceptable at the front take-out counter, were out of place and distracting where we were seated, particularly because the rest of the décor was cozy and conducive to a nice evening out.

Our waitress was a bit abrupt, not even allowing us to take off our coats before asking about our drink order, but her keenness could be excused for the fact that we were the first customers through the door that night. Service improved through our stay, save for the waitress not considering that our lengthy lingering at the end of our meal may have signalled our desire for the bill.

Not having to even consider the buffet was a blessing in disguise, as after my brush with the Origin India owner, I realized I may have been doing a disservice to Indian cuisine by always jumping to the buffet rush. Our server presented us with the option of a fast food-inspired “two can dine” special, which, priced at $24.99, was a bit of a steal. Comprised of naan, rice, raita, green salad, and two entrees of our choice (vegetarian and/or meat), it seemed like an economical way to sample what the restaurant had to offer. For my entrée, I chose the unavoidable Butter Chicken, while Bettina was a bit more adventurous with Lamb Curry. She was also intrigued by their Egg Pakoras ($6), so we added that onto our order as well.

We munched our way through complimentary papadam, and didn’t have to wait long before our appetizer arrived. Bettina was disappointed with them, as she had anticipated something more exciting and unusual than what we received – hard boiled eggs that had been battered then fried. I thought they were all right, though the outer shell didn’t maintain its ideal crispness.

Egg Pakoras

Plates cleared, our meal was delivered in expedient fashion. I was expecting more than five small pieces of chicken in my entrée, but thankfully, they were a tad more generous with Bettina’s lamb. I also should have made it a point to ask them what was contained in their rich sauce – it was unlike any butter chicken dressing I have ever had, almost as if they had tossed in a bottle of barbecue sauce or something else unorthodox into the mix. It was really tasty though, so perhaps it is a well-guarded secret ingredient. Bettina liked her lamb curry, though noted that it was nothing out of the ordinary. The green salad was unexciting (iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, cucumber, carrot), though if anything, did provide a fresh respite from the dense meat entrees. Lastly, the naan was fresh and crisp, with the only downside being that there wasn’t more of it to go around.

Our “two can dine” meal

While not necessarily a destination restaurant, Rasoi on 50th is worth stopping by if you’re in the area, and looking for an a la carte Indian experience that won’t break the bank.

Rasoi on 50th
4341 50 Street NW
(780) 756-5600
Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm; Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday 12-9pm

New Year’s Eve Downtown

Mack left it up to me to decide whether or not we would join the freezing masses gathered in Churchill Square on New Year’s Eve, and though the -30 weather could have easily swayed me the other way, the fireworks won out.

We took advantage of the free public transit offered that night, hopping on a bus that dropped us off a block away from the action. We wove our way through the packed square, grateful for the hopping Caribbean tunes that kept us stepping to the beat, in an effort to bring the feeling back into our toes. As we sipped the hot chocolate that we had brought along, we couldn’t imagine how cold some of the people around us probably were – the twenty minutes we had to wait for the show to begin were unbearable.

The promised fireworks began just before the crowd was finished counting down to midnight, rising into the air just above City Hall’s majestic pyramid. Green and gold fireworks were prominent, as the show was partly to commemorate the University’s centennial, but someone has to explain to me how and why seemingly random country songs were chosen as the musical accompaniment. I was hoping for a choreographed and musically-timed display similar to the one used to celebrate the holiday light-up, so this show was a bit of a letdown. Moreover, the advertised ten minutes became a seven-minute wonder in reality. Mack captured some of the fireworks on his Flip (I have to admit, the show looks better from where I’m sitting right now, mostly because I’m warm).

One of the photos I took that was slightly less blurry than the others

In the end, it was much too cold for me to enjoy the fireworks – I think I learned my lesson, and my threshold for winter fun.

Culinary Q & A with Diane Begin-Croft

Occupation: PR

What did you eat today?

Nothing yet, just Orangina.

What do you never eat?

Salmon, sardines, oysters, Kinder Surprise and white chocolate (none of the above are actually chocolate)

 

What is your personal specialty?

Sweet & sour spare ribs. Actually it’s my mom’s recipe, but it’s a big hit especially with plain rice.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

Chopper (hand or electric) to make fresh salsa. I just hate cleaning it. My one cup coffee maker also ranks quite high.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

For sure I’d have gazpacho with croutons and tiny cubes of veges, beef tataki, beef carpaccio, a nice salad with misonaise dressing and the rest would probably be Mexican food, like a whole buffet when you go to a resort. I never eat this much, but what if the end is delayed…

Where do you eat out most frequently?

At work, in the NAIT Common Market or Bytes, just because it’s there. If I were to venture out somewhere I’d have a chicken Texas BBQ Ranch wrap with noodles at Badass Jacks.

What’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

Just outside of Edmonton, there’s a restaurant in St. Albert called The Cajun House. It’s my favourite place to go because it’s cozy and the food is fantastic. Ernest’s Dining Room at NAIT for the Friday lunch buffet is also one of my favourites, when we can get in.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

I was going to say Paris for the cheese, but I think I’d probably go to the south of Spain to have some gazpacho and yummy tapas. Restaurants typically open at 9pm for dinner, which works great for my night owl schedule. (then I’d go to Paris for breakfast)

Food Notes for January 5, 2009

…starting the year with dated food notes, to make them easier to distinguish when archived.

  • Sabor Divino (109, 10220 103 Street), the new Portuguese restaurant on the Boardwalk is now open.
  • According to the link Mack sent me, The Cupcake Bakeshoppe & Cafe (17298 Stony Plain Road) will be “changing [their] name and appearance.” Keep an eye out on  their website for details.
  • Pita the Great (3, 10141 34 Avenue) has now become Alsalam Bakery & Restaurant.
  • Something I totally missed from about a month ago – Good Earth Produce closed their two locations in early December. I was wondering what happened after I passed it a few weeks back and saw the windows at their downtown location papered up.
  • Julie van Rosendaal’s last “day in her kitchen” post came a few days ago, but it seems she will continue, to the delight of her readers (and to her husband’s dismay, heh).
  • Jennifer Causey, the woman behind simply breakfast, a beautiful “art of breakfast” photo blog, has decided to end her blog. She will continue to post here, expanding beyond her morning meal.
  • An interesting read from the NYT about the five stages in which an ingredient passes through to become mainstream.
  • I couldn’t find a solid 2009 trends article that I liked, but this one from Epicurious is a quick read, and echoes most of the “common sense” projections one would guess.
  • I tried the new London Fog TAZO Tea Latte (a grande for $4.15) this weekend – it tasted like a creamier, sweeter version of a tea latte I had at Vancouver’s Blenz, with an aftertaste I can never seem to shake when it comes to Earl Grey tea.

 

“Tea Time” at Starbucks

  • Mack and I met Tom at Bourbon Street for lunch last week, and ended up at Moxie’s. I haven’t been to the chain in a while, so most of the menu seemed new to me. I ordered the Tandoori Chicken Pizza ($13.99) – the crust was a tad too hard and the chicken a touch dry, but I liked the mildly spicy curry sauce used. The boys ordered the Big Life Fish & Chips ($12.99), and both liked it. My biggest disappointment was with the service that afternoon – our server completely disappeared after taking our order. Our food finally arrived after an over thirty minute wait; I expected at least a cursory “thanks for being patient” check-in from the waiter. I guess that was too much to ask for.

 

Tandoori Chicken Pizza

 

Big Life Fish & Chips

“The Art of the Brick” at the Telus World of Science

“The Art of the Brick” is the newest exhibit at the Telus World of Science, showcasing larger-than-life art sculptures built entirely of LEGO blocks by artist Nathan Sawaya. I knew Mack, being the LEGO fan that he is, would love to visit the exhibit, so we planned a trip there on his birthday.

We arrived a bit later than we anticipated, with just over an hour left to explore the galleries. For this late arrival, we were granted a small discount. We headed straight to the Explorer Gallery, and were greeted by a roomful of colorful displays – some freestanding, some hung on the wall like art, and some needing reinforcement from the wall or ceiling. The spot lighting (probably left over from the Body Worlds exhibit) really made the colors pop.

A one-page guide with the name of each sculpture is available, though it probably would have been more helpful if the installation had been treated more like an art exhibit. Helpful to know on a small mounted placard next to the sculpture would have been the name, number of LEGO blocks used, and perhaps the inspiration behind the piece (for example, of the LEGO picture of Lindsay Lohan).

Guide

The exhibit was nonetheless visually appealing, especially for the child in us. I liked the sheer size of the dinosaur, but the men made of a single color, posed in a look of frozen agony, were the most striking. “The Eye”, a box containing small 3-D figures which, when glanced at from a distance, bore the image of a single eye. This demonstrated a more advanced use of planning – I hope this is the direction Sawaya goes in.

Yellow

Hands

Grey

Me and Dinosaur

Mack and buddies Circle, Triangle, Square

Our only disappointment from the exhibit was that a number of sculptures would be added in January 2009; we thought such omissions should be clear up front.

Shielded behind a curtain was a play area for adults and children alike – Megablocks for those under the age of five, and smaller, regular LEGO blocks for those older. A “City of the Future”, built entirely in “French-fry yellow”, as I heard an attendant describe it, lined the back wall. Patrons were invited to add their own imaginative creations to the city, so Mack and I sat down to create…something.

That’s the real beauty of LEGO, in my opinion anyway. There are no rules, and you do not need a plan prior to approaching the stackable blocks – something will come of it. In the end, Mack and I combined our creations to form a vehicle of sorts, complete with headlights and four wheels. We placed it on what looked to be a roadway, and left the gallery.

Future City

Mack hard at work

Our vehicular contribution

It’s too cool that someone has made a living playing with LEGO blocks. Sawaya also caters to requests, as described on his website, and on a fee-for-service basis, can create a personalized sculpture for you. “The Art of the Brick” is a cool exhibit for both adults and children alike, but wait until January 2009 to attend to make the most of your money.

We didn’t have a lot of time to check out the other galleries, but did take some time to peek at Mystery Avenue, probably my favorite of the permanent exhibits. If we had more time, I wouldn’t have minded actually solving the mystery of the abducted dog, CSI-style.

Mack on what he wishes was the Batpod

I am happy to report that the Telus World of Science isn’t just for kids – the young at heart will also have a great time there. Mack’s photoset is here.