Recap: Around the World in 80 bites

For those of you who missed it, Around the World in 80 bites was a taste tour on May 16th put on by the North Edge Business Association. Thanks to Sharon (and apparently many other participants who found out about this through her blog), I was lucky enough to be a part of this event!

The taste tour included three restaurants: Pho Huong/Mama Pizza, African Safari and Fat Jakk's. The tour started at Pho Huong/Mama Pizza (10531-107 Avenue). I've been to this restaurant before with my sister as part of our 'pho' adventure, courtesy of the seemingly now defunct food review blog, Good Pho You. We both agreed that it was very good, but the beef was definitely on the fatty side. However, including it in the tour this time gave me a second chance to try this restaurant again. 

Amy Wilson, Executive Director of North Edge Business Association

Amy Wilson, the Executive Director of the NEBA, was busy greeting attendees and curious cameramen from CTV. She first welcomed everyone to the event and introduced our first restaurant of the tour. Beside her was the restaurant's owner's daughter (who's name I forgot). She briefly introduced the meals being that were going to be served and a little bit of the restaurant's history. Pho Huong/Mama Pizza have been open for about two years and are a family-owned business. They have two parts to the restaurant-Vietnamese Pho and Pizza! An unusual combination, these two prove to be quite popular (who doesn't like pho and pizza?)

A good sized crowd.

 We were first served with a popular appetizer found in most Oriental restaurants-fried green onion cakes. They were very generous with their portions. For a table of about 8-10 people, two large plates full of green onion cakes were piled on. Accompanied with Sambal Olek hot sauce, this tasty appetizer sure hits the spot! After eating more green onion cakes than I probably should have, we were all served with a full-sized bowl of pho. I was actually quite surprised that we were served such large portions. Initially, I had thought we were only going to be served with small plates as we were going to three different restaurants. With that being said, the house special beef pho was delicious! Aside from the beef still being a bit too fatty for my liking, the taste of the broth was perfect and piping hot. I would definitely come back here for it. If all that food wasn't enough--the waitress indicates that there is still dessert! Coffee roll cake -- it was moist and yummy, but my friend and I had to split it. The only problem now was to leave enough room in our stomachs for our next restaurant stop!

Pho Huong house special beef noodle soup.

Dessert!

Owner Lisa saying a few words.

It was quite interesting walking down 107 avenue; I have always driven down it and during my younger years, my family and I would come here a lot to Tau Bay when it was in it's old location (now Acajutla). 107 Avenue is part of the revitalization project for the City of Edmonton, to help sustain and develop local restaurants and businesses in less-fortunate neighbourhoods. En-route to our next restaurant, African Safari, we were able to catch a glimpse of the developing LRT route to NAIT. 

Inside African Skies.

Our next stop was African Safari-a Somalian restaurant (10610-105 Street). I have driven by this restaurant several times and never considered to stop by-until tonight! The owner of the restaurant made us wait for a few minutes as we arrived early, but were seated less than 5 minutes later. The set up for this particular restaurant was a buffet style. The owner (whose name I didn't catch) explained the different types of food that we were going to try tonight. He even passed around a take-out box  (stuffed full of food) where you can feed about two people for dinner at a bargain for $12!

The owner explaining the food.

A sample of a $12 plate for dinner or for take-out.

I wasn't sure what kind of food to expect from this restaurant. The only time I've tried African food was Ethiopian at Langano Skies just off of 99 Street and Whyte Avenue several years ago. I was quite surprised at how tasty it was. We first started with a spicy noodle soup. To me, it sort of looked like chicken noodle soup with spices, but when I tasted it, it had a pungent garlic taste with a slight taste of cumin. The soup was tasty! 

Next up was the buffet. There was tossed salad with Italian Dressing (to cater to us Westerners), beef and goat suqar, chicken drumsticks and camel. I was a bit hesitant to try the camel so my friend and I split a piece. To my surprise, the camel was probably the best tasting meat of them all! The beef and goat suqar reminded me of certain curries I have had in the past, but not as spicy. The camel was surprisingly tender and moist, it reminded me of beef stew. I will keep this place in mind whenever I need a cheap, last minute dinner solution!

Buffet!

My plate.

Our third and final stop was Fat Jakk's, a Filipino restaurant (10128-107 Avenue). By the time we arrived, my friend and I (and probably everyone else in the group) was so full from everything else, that we couldn't even think of eating more food! Surprisingly, I had a bit more room in my stomach for food. 

Inside Fat Jakk's.

 The owner was very generous with his portions; we first started off with spring rolls. Then we had pork kabobs marinated in what my friend and I described as "jerky" seasoning: a very sweet and savoury sticky sauce that made the pork almost jerky like. We then were served with a plate piled high with pansit (or pan-friend rice noodles with vegetables). Lastly, we were served with a cassava dessert and coconut pudding square. We were able to doggy bag some of the leftovers for lunch the next day!

The owner of Fat Jakk's.

Spring rolls as appetizers.

Overflowing plate of pansit.

My plate of food.

Dessert!

Names were drawn at the end of each dinner for prizes. This lucky winner won a fleece!

I can't wait for the next food tour organized by Amy Wilson of the NEBA. She mentioned that it wouldn't be until August that another food tour would happen, but could potentially happen a lot sooner as the demand seems to be increasing.

If you are interested in learning more about these food tours, head over to their website for updates.

Finally! Vietnamese food near my house. Cheap? Not so much. Good? Average.

Last Sunday mid-afternoon, my boyfriend and I were feeling pretty sluggish. After taking an afternoon snooze, we decided it was time to head out of the house to grab some groceries. We haven't had lunch yet but decided we wanted Vietnamese food. We were thinking of heading down to the usual, Pho Hoa in Chinatown, but I suddenly remembered my mom mentioning to me that there was a new Vietnamese restaurant in the southside.


It's located in the Century Park Plaza, just off of 111 street and 23rd Avenue. It's called Spring Roll Kitchen. It's located beside the sales office of the Century Park condos on 111 street and off of 23rd avenue.


The interior of the restaurant is spectacular-very spacious and roomy. We entered through the back door without knowing it (oops) but the first thing I noticed was the beautiful bamboo centre piece. It separated the large dining area from the booster seats from the regular tables. We were seated near the front entrance, right in front of the giant graffiti-like art on the wall. I thought that was a very creative idea-combining graffiti art with Vietnamese culture.

Beautiful interor!



Awesome graffiti.

Now on to the food...I'll have to be honest I wasn't expressed with the food. Especially for the price I paid, I was expecting something a bit bigger. At $10 for a small bowl, this is probably the most I've paid for pho in Edmonton. I ordered the regular beef pho-thin slices of beef, rice noodles, toppied with thin white onions and green onions, the usual. I found the soup to be too bland-not salty enough. I walked up to the cashier to ask for 'salt' but due to language barriers, she gave me a napkin instead. Thankfully, our waitress inside the kitchen saw and ran out quickly to see what I needed. The extra salt made it taste better, I think. 

My steaming bowl of pho.

 My boyfriend opted for the pork and shrimp rice noodle bowl. At nearly $10, he also said it wasn't anything spectacular.

My boyfriend's rice noodle bowl.

After tasting the restaurant, I am indifferent now as to having a Vietnamese pho joint on my side of the town. However, I am definitely willing to give it a second try. Things could taste better the second time around.

Spring Roll Kitchen is located on 2395-111 Street, in the Century Park Plaza. 

New waffle cart on the streets of Edmonton!

Last week, I went for a walk with a friend during lunch and spotted a new venue on the street: A new waffle cart! I took a quick glance, but did not purchase one as I had eaten prior.

 

I went back this week with a co-worker and it was there again! My co-worker and I were curious as we were hungry so we decided this time to make a purchase. As I chatted with the vendor, Wannawaffel first originated in Victoria, British Columbia. According to their website, the business is relatively new. It was started in 2009 by Belgian family. The owners of this waffle cart in Edmonton recently got approval to puchase the franchise here.

At $4 a waffle, it's quite pricey.

 

Eva Sweets might be their only competitor in the city (that I'm aware of). Though the flavour of the waffle was sweet and aromatic, the carmelization of the pearl sugar wasn't as prominent as the waffles from Eva Sweets. The Wannawaffel was less dense, and alot smaller than the Eva Sweets waffle I am used to. At $4 a piece, I was a bit hesitant to pay the price. Nevertheless, it was worth it to try it once. Eva Sweets upped their $3 a waffle last year to $3.50 this year-which isn't a huge difference. Also: the wax paper got stuck to the sugar on the waffle, which was slightly inconvenient.

 

I will give Wannawafel credit for their cute and innovative cart, but I am still a loyalist. Eva Sweets waffles all the way.

Verdict: pretty scrumptious!
 

Soda Jerks-a confusing concept of being modern and retro

My boyfriend and I decided to go out for lunch yesterday. I still had a Good News coupon for the Noodlemaker, so we decided to go there. It was a good thing I read the coupon closely because it said to make reservations. Upon calling, I found out the restaurant wasn't open-they are closed Sundays. With that idea shot, I remember reading an article in the Edmonton Journal about a new restaurant serving up delicious burgers and 31 different flavours of sodas. Without hesitation, my boyfriend and I headed to Soda Jerks.

I am not sure when this restaurant opened on the city. It is located right by the Best Buy in the Westpointe Centre, just off of 100 avenue and 175 street. I don't drive by the part of the city too often, but I believe it is relatively new as their main sign above the door is still vinyl, fastened with gromits.  Upon entering the restaurant, it takes on the atmosphere of the former vendor (East Side Mario's and Ric's Grill, according to a reader). I had imagined this restaurant to be a retro-feel sort of diner, 50's or 60's type diner. Instead, it was a diner with a modern twist with barely any residue of retro-ness. The focal point of the restaurant was definitely the display of sodas. Right when you walk into the restaurant, there is a wall-display of 31 different types of sodas your left, ranging from Jones, Boylan to Fentimans. 

The display of sodas: an astonishing array of them.

Walk over the corner to your right, on your left is a continuation of more sodas. My boyfriend and I were seated in the dining part of the restaurant, which was made up of comfy booths. The dark interior of the booths, accompanied by the wood panelling on the side of the walls gave the restaurant a modern feel. 

My interesting botanical soda pop.

Now to the important part: the food! Upon first glance at the menu, I have to be honest that it didn't sound anything special to me. The food being served was pretty basic; the usual burgers (they call them sandwiches on the menu), salads, build your own (sandwiches). For drinks, I ordered the Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock soda, while my boyfriend ordered Jones Bubble Gum flavoured soda. I enjoyed my unique botanical soda-it tasted much like Jagermeister, minus the alcohol. My boyfriend's soda was good, but it was a bit too artificial tasting for me. I couldn't decide what to get, but I know I didn't want beef again as I had a huge steak the other day. I decided to order The Original burger, which consisted of housemade beef patty (I got turkey instead) topped with corned beef, havarti, mixed greens, tomato, red onion, sauerkraut and roasted garlic mayo; served on a sesame seed bun. My boyfriend opted for the Cowboy burger which consisted of housemade beef patty topped with cheddar cheese, chili, smoked bacon, an onion ring and coleslaw; served on a sesame seed bun.

My Original Burger.

The Cowboy Burger.

I have a tendency to ramble on about my food experiences so I'll just cut to the chase on this one: my boyfriend and I were disappointed with the food. Not that it wasn't tasty, but it just didn't taste like anything special to us. My turkey burger didn't have any turkey taste to it and none of the flavours in the burger really stood out. Though my boyfriend didn't mind his, he agreed that no particular flavour in the burger stood out. The prices were overpriced, too. $3 for a Jones soda... We can get Jones soda half that price (well, a little less than half) at any speciality grocery store. With that being said, we felt like the restaurant conveyed a confusing concept of retro-modern, without any retro feeling at all, except for the sodas. The restaurant seems like it is trying to portray a retro experience in a modern way. With nothing special to the menu and without a clear concept to focus on, I'm not sure how long this restaurant will last. 


Verdict: not-so-scrumptious!

Food & drink after work at Corso 32

We went out after work on a Friday to celebrate a friend's belated birthday. After doing some restaurant research, the birthday girl decided to go to Corso 32, the new restaurant opened by Red Star's chef, Daniel Costa.

Corso 32 opened a few months ago in the heart of downtown on Jasper Avenue (10345-Jasper Avenue to be exact). Seems like they have been pretty busy the last little while. I walked past once during the evening and they were packed full. And this time, my first time going, will also be packed as my friend tried making a reservation for a table of four, but was only able to get seating at the communal table.

Can you speak Italian?

The restaurant is very small in width and narrow in length. With modern furnishings of plastic white chairs, wooden chopping board-like table tops, simple yet sophisticated lighting and a large picture mural of Daniel Costa's family in Italy, it is a relaxed environment. The restaurant is named after his family's home address in Italy-and what a great picture it is! The restaurant filled up quite quickly as friends trickled in one by one as well as other guests. Not long after, the restaurant was at it's full capacity.

I started the night off by ordering the corso campari-a 'before' drink that consisted of vodka, limoncello (that's what got me), campari, juice of a blood orange (that's what also got me), squeeze of lime, rocks. I'll have to be honest that it sounded a lot better than it tasted. It was more bitter than I thought it would be and was rather a small drink priced at $10. We all decided to share appetizers amongst the four of us. Their menu changes frequently,every few weeks, depending on the season and the produce so the returning customer will never get bored of their menu. We opted for the smoked pork arancini, oyster mushrooms & fontina, house made goat ricotta, maldon sea salt on crostini and stinging nettle & egg yolk ravioli, parmigiano.

Clockwise from top: stinging nettle with ravioli, smoke arancini cheeseballs and crostini.

The smoked pork arancini appetizer was nothing like I expected: it was deep fried. There were about 7 of them shaped into balls. They were fresh from the deep fryer so I couldn't bite into it right away, but upon the first bite, it was alright. It was too salty and there seemed to be small bits of rice mixed into the oyster mushroom and fontina cheese filling. I don't think I would order that next time. Next up was the stinging nettle & egg yolk ravioli.  I was very curious about the stinging nettle as I've seen the episode of Glutton for Punishment.Bob Blumer was to eat as much stinging nettle in a short duration of time. Stinging nettle has a chemical in the leaves that emits 'stinging' sensations when chewed in your mouth. However, I had heard that once cooked, this chemical gets broken down so there isn't a stinging sensation anymore. And true that was. When I bit into the ravioli, the nettle simply tasted like tougher spinach, while the ravioli burst into my mouth with egg yolk. It was tasty, but there really wasn't anything special about it. The last appetizer to try was the house made goat ricotta on crostinis. The crostini was toasted crisp, drizzled with olive oil. The house made goat ricotta was delicious, with a hint of sweetness.

My yummy gnocchi!

I wasn't going to order a supper entree as I had eaten a late lunch prior to eating the appetizers. However, when my friend's dishes arrived, my mouth started watering which triggered me to order what one of my friend's got-pan fried gnocchi with black kale and peccorino topped with spicy crumbs. THIS was delicious. As one of my friends said, we usually get gnocchi with sauce. This was a dry version-but it was probably one of the best versions I've ever had of gnocchi. The house-made gnocchi (they make all their pasta in house) was fried to perfection on the outside, soft on the inside. The texture of the pasta was excellent too;cheesy with the right amount of potato. The black kale was pan fried (or deep fried?) so that it was crisp to perfection. Topped with shaved peccorino cheese and spicy crumbs, this dish was my favourite so far.

My friends agreed that Corso 32 didn't do much for them-mainly because their food was too simple and expensive. I agree that their menu is a bit over-priced, but if you take into account that many of their items on their menu are house-made (cured meats, pastas, and some cheeses) then one's perception might change. Their food might sound like it is too simple but this is Daniel Costa's focus: simple Italian comfort food, made with the freshest, most local ingredients. I am willing to return a second time.

Verdict: scrumptious!

My dream of cream puffs came true!

Fresh'n natural cream puffs!
I forgot to take a picture of mine because I devoured it too quickly! :-S

If you are a fan of cream puffs, then you'll be happy to learn that the Japanese franchise, Beard Papa's, has opened in West Edmonton Mall. This may not be news for you, but it was for me. I learned in Only Here for the Food that Beard Papa's has already been opened for a staggering 2 months! How could I have not known this?! Anyway, without hesitation, I ventured there this past Tuesday as I was in W.E.M for a concert. To my surprise, the cashier informed me that it was 'Toonie Tuesday'. All cream puffs were only $2! How perfect! I got one for the go, and hey, what the heck, one for later on as well. They were delicious. And boy, am I happy that BP's has made it's way to E-town.

Verdict: soooo scrumptious!

Beard Papa's is located on the main level, near the ice rink, right behind the Body Shop towards the north side.

Downtown Dining Week Part II: Niche for Dinner

Sorry for the delay...I had other things to do :-S

My friend and I decided to partake in Downtown Dining Week on a Thursday, but given her change of schedule, we went on a Wednesday instead. The both of us agreed that the menu of Niche sounded superb.  

It is a tiny downtown eatery located right beneath the Hardwood Plaza complex just off of Jasper Avenue and 110 street (formerly Hardwood Cafe). It was a perfect location for me to have dinner that night as  work is a stone's throw away and indeed I was hungry after work. My friend and I got there early and we had no reservations. I called earlier in the day to reserve a table for the both of us. No one answered but eventually went to voicemail. The voicemail message indicated that they were no longer taking reservations as Downtown Dining Week was superbusy. And given that it is only a 32-seater restaurant, it's no wonder.

My friend arrived first and I arrived a few minutes later. We were seated right by the window close to the bar. The waitress arrived shortly to explain that this table that we were seated as was already reserved for a party at 7:00pm. All their tables were completely booked, but it wasn't until after 7:00pm would these people start showing up. My friend and I agreed that she didn't exactly make us feel welcome...and we understood that she had the table booked, but her tone wasn't exactly 'friendly'. She then told us that the kitchen doesn't start serving food until 5:30pm and it was just a little past 5:00pm when she told us. Our stomachs were growling with hunger, while we contemplated whether we should stay here or not. If the menu didn't sound as good as it did, we would of bolted out the door as we didn't really feel welcomed at all...however, we decided to stick with the original plan.

The Downtown Dining Menu consisted of a soup or salad/main entree/dessert.  The appetizers consisted of yellow lentil soup with braised pork or quinoa salad with roasted vegetables and spinach in a lemon tahini vinaigrette. The entrees consisted of Spring Creek braised beef cheeks in a wild mushroom sauce tossed with broad egg noodles; Confit of Brome Lake Duck with golden mashed potatoes with lemon thyme gravy; roasted pork loin in a blackberry gastrique; or curried cauliflower with sundried apricots and wild rice. And don't forget dessert-salted lemon brownie served with a lemon honey yogurt cheese.

I opted for the quinoa salad while my friend chose the lentil soup. Personally, my salad was way too oily because of the vinaigrette and that basically masked everything else; I didn't care much for it. My friend's soup on the other hand, was delicious! It was creamy without being too salty and the braised pork added a perfect touch to it. 

Quinoa salad on spinach.

The Creperie is celebrating 35 years with a $35 dinner special (and $25 lunch special)!

For as long as you have been in Edmonton, The Creperie was probably there already. The Creperie is a formal, yet casual relaxed environment that offers French Classical cuisine. First opened by Hans Kuhnel, a few of  my relatives have had some history toiling in their kitchen. Anyway, that's another story. From now until April 15th, they are celebrating 35 years of business in Edmonton by offering a wonderful dinner special for $35 consisting of a salad, crepe entree and a dessert. The lunch special for $25 is similar to the dinner special. My boyfriend and myself, along with another couple, sure enjoyed the delicious meal. Great service and great food! You can go to their website for more details.

I ordered the Seafood Jambalaya crepe. It came with orzo pasta with steamed vegetables. The crepe was delicious, although the sauce was a bit too thick and salty. Still very tasty though!

For dessert, I ordered the half raspberry sauce, half chocolate sauce ice cream-filled crepe because I wanted the best of both worlds. And surely that's what it was. What a fantastic meal at a amazing price! (I didn't take a picture of the salad).

Calling all fans of Duchess Bake Shop (myself included): they are expanding!

Great news to fans of Duchess Bake Shop and myself. They are expanding! The Tu Gallery will be shutting down end of this month and they will be taking over the space. You can read more about it here. Liane also blogged about it here. With my recent obsession of macarons and fancy pastries, I will definitely get my fix! Praise you, Duchess! Keep up the awesome work.

Slow Food Edmonton presents Eat Alberta: A Celebration of our Local Food Heroes

I am not a Slow Food Edmonton member (currently looking into it), and as much as I want to attend this event, I most likely will be out of town this day...but perhaps some of you may be interested in this.

We who are so passionate about the local food opportunities that our city provides are acutely aware that food expertise (in a variety of forms) lies within each of our neighbourhoods. This is our first Eat Alberta conference of what we hope to be many that will celebrate local food throughout Alberta.

This is a DIY conference! Some of the hands on sessions include:
· Sausage making
· Cheese making demonstration

· Apple pie and pastry making

· Bread making

· Pasta making


Tasting sessions include:
· Fruit wine tasting
· Honey tasting

· Coffee tasting

· Canadian wine and cheese pairing

· Goat Cheese Tasting

There will also be opening and closing keynote sessions on urban gardening and urban homesteading, respectively.

What the day looks like:
· 8:30 to 5 p.m.
· Continental Breakfast followed by the morning keynote
· Two morning break out sessions (choose from 8 different sessions)
· A charcuterie and cheesetasting lunch with artisan breads
· Two afternoon break out sessions (choose from 8 different sessions)
· Closing session followed by a “wine” down


To register, or for more information please go to http://www.eatalberta.ca/ 

Downtown Dining Week Part I: Wildflower Grill for Lunch

My co-worker and I decided to go out for lunch during Downtown Dining Week to partake in the specials offered during the 9 days. I've been to Wildflower Grill twice before this time and wasn't overly impressed with their food, despite good reviews and other positive comments from friends. Wildflower happened to be within walking distance (less than 5 minutes) from our workplace out of the other restaurants taking part in Dining Week, so I decided I'd give it another shot. 

My co-worker has never been here before, so I thought it would be a nice chance for her to try it. Prior to arrival, I had already known what I wanted to order off their $15 online lunch menu:  Pan Seared Striped Bass. My co-worker opted for the Churassco Mesquite Grilled Flat Iron Steak with fries as her side.


The wait wasn't too long, considering it was quite a busy lunch crowd. When my dish arrived, I was surprised by the portion of my fish. The size of the two pieces of fish were roughly the size of my index and middle finger put together, piled on top of the vegetable confit and baby potatoes. The pile wasn't that high either. The bass was crisp on the outside, but didn't really have a fishy taste to it. The fennel and onion confit underneath the bass was quite good. Underneath the confit were small baby potatoes covered in a creamy brown butter sauce. After finishing this dish, I couldn't believe I was still hungry. My friend didn't really enjoy her dish immensely; there wasn't anything special about the steak, and the waitress gave her fries (which were merely burnt) instead of the salad she had asked for.

My Pan Seared Striped Bass.

Churassco Mesquite Grilled Flat Iron Steak with the (burnt) fries.

As mentioned before, I have never been too impressed with this place. I went here for lunch two years ago with a friend, and evening appetizers with two of my girlfriends last year. This time wasn't any different from the others. The service has been okay in the past; this time it was mediocre--she seemed to forget about us the whole time we were there. Though the food was pretty good, the portion sizes are too small and too expensive for what I would pay for. And, I was still hungry after lunch. 


Verdict: pretty scrumptious

Small sips and small bites: d'Lish urban kitchen & wine bar

My girlfriend and I were looking for a place where we could eat, relax and talk. There have been many places opening in the downtown area for a great place to have sips of cocktails and wine, while eating appetizers and/or charcuterie. The Educated Palate featured their second class (now sold out) at d'Lish urban kitchen & wine bar, so we were both curious about this new establishment.

d'Lish was formerly a meal assembly business under the same name. We chatted up with our waitress as I questioned about the newly opened business. The owner, Amanda Babichuk, was named Top 40 under 40 in Avenue Edmonton's magazine in 2010. The reason they changed from a meal assembly to a urban wine and kitchen bar was because of the recession. Not many people were willing to fork out $$ to have supper already made for them. Instead, heading to the grocery store and making your own food was the best way to save money. They have created a new concept of ordering desired portion sizes; mix and match appetizers and charcutie one would like, and the size of drinks (2 oz. is the smallest you can order for wine, and they have specials like flights, which are a trio of  small cocktails offered at a special price a certain night). This works out perfect for people who do not wish to drink a lot or would like to taste a sample of drinks. It works out great for me, because, well, ahem, let's just say it doesn't take much for me to get my cheeks nice and rosy.

We went on a Friday night and it didn't seem too crowded. Although, it was a good idea I made a reservation because not long after we arrived, it started getting busy. My girlfriend and I ordered the same drink special that night: a flight of mimosas. Mimosas are yummy. I don't go out very often to drink them,but I know they are sweet and bubbly! I chose vanilla bean, pear and berry, while my girlfriend opted for the pear, berry and grapefruit. We decided to share charcuterie and a salad together, since we can try a bit of everything. We ordered a warm salad that consisted of wilted spinach, butternut squash, Mo-Na mushrooms, wheat berry, and zucchini with a very light tasting vinaigrette, pulled pork sliders and for our charcuterie, we ordered chorizo (from O'sol meatos) and edam cheese from Sylvan Star Cheese Farm. The charcuterie was also paired with homemade crackers, olives and housemade marmalade.

My flight of mimosas (first set) L to R: berry, vanilla bean and pear.

The warm salad was pretty tasty, but sort of bland. My girlfriend, on the otherhand enjoyed it. The charcuterie portions were quite small, definitely not enough for two people. The cheese had enough flavour to it, wasn't too strong or too weak. The chorizo, I thought, could of been spicier. Most of the chorizo I've had has always been spicy, so that's what I was expecting. The homemade crackers and marmalade were delicious-the crackers were crisp and buttery and the marmalade tastes just like homemade!

Charcuterie plate.

Warm'd  spinach, wheatberry, Mo-NA 'shroom and butternut squash salad.

 The bun on the pulled pork sliders were buttery, soft and fresh. The actual sauce and meat didn't really taste unique to me in anyway. My girlfriend enjoyed them very much, nevertheless.

Pulled pork sliders.

We waited quite a while for our food, at least 30 minutes. Our waiter, who is also the restaurant manager, came and apologized for the long wait. She offered us dessert on the house, in which my friend refused at first. Refuse dessert? And it's free? Never, not me! We both decided to share the creme brulee on the menu. The creme brulee was infused with blackcurrant, though I found the flavour to be on the weak side. The flambe sugar was a little too burnt for my liking. Though I've had better creme brulee in the past, I certainly appreciated that it was kind gesture.



Creme brulee for dessert. Sorry, a little on the dark side.

 Overall, my girlfriend and I enjoyed this place. The prices were somewhat affordable, nice ambiance, though we both agreed that it was incredibly difficult to hear one another over the conversations of others beside you. Aside from that, and the service that night, we'd probably come here in the future.

Verdict: pretty scrumptious!