Tag Archives: South Edmonton

Edmonton Restaurant Review: Wing Chicx

Posted on by

0

Sizzling Spicy Pork

Continuing with our exploration of Korean cuisine in Edmonton, my friends and I recently met up for lunch at Wing Chicx before attending an escape game in the Ellerslie area. Tucked away in a strip mall, it’s a compact restaurant with about a dozen tables.

Although the ambiance is nothing to write home about, it is clean, comfortable and the décor is bright and colourful.

As we snacked on the complimentary starters, the four of us took some time to review the options on the menu and once we were ready, the server came over to take our order. A few of us opted for dishes that were marked as spicy on the menu and when we asked just how hot the dishes would be, the server told us they were on the higher end and she suggested we go more mild. Before we did, we inquired as to whether or not extra spice could be added after the fact and she seemed to indicate that it wasn’t possible.

My boyfriend and his skillet of spicy chicken.

My boyfriend decided to go for the spicy option on his sizzling spicy chicken dish. The thinly sliced meat was marinated in hot sauce and served on a bed of cabbage with green onions sprinkled on top. It looked really good, but he didn’t think it was fiery enough. It’s a fair assessment coming from someone who puts sriracha sauce on almost everything.

For my girlfriend’s plate of spicy pork, she took the server’s recommendation and had the heat toned down, which she did regret (if she had her way, the spice would have been taken up a notch as well). The dish itself was prepared in the same fashion as the chicken, so there wasn’t any difference in terms of presentation. I sampled a piece of the pork and I enjoyed the flavours, but it certainly lacked any kick and it was a little bit greasy.

Chicken Tangsuyook

Her husband went for the large order of the chicken tangsuyook, where the meat comes battered, deep fried and smothered in a sweet and sour sauce. The chicken was mixed with a colourful array of veggies and fruit including carrots, pineapple, onions as well as red and green bell peppers. The meat was tender and lightly battered.

Spicy Beef Stew

I decided to be different by going for a bowl of the beef stew. I requested that they keep it spicy and I think this one delivered in that department. Unlike the other dishes, there was a lingering heat to the soup. It tasted good and I appreciated the sweet potato noodles and the sliced mushrooms; however, it didn’t seem to have as much meat and I spent a lot of time swirling the soup around trying to find more of the ingredients. This was the least expensive item out of everything we ordered. Maybe that’s the reason why they skimped on the soup. If that is the case, I’d rather they charge a dollar or two more to make the soup heartier.

All of the dishes were served with a bowl of rice on the side. Excluding the soup, I’d say that the rest of the plates were well-portioned for the price. Also, if you like piping hot food, the soup was still boiling when it arrived at our table and those sizzling skillets were spitting grease and sauce all over when they were settled in front of my friends.

Personally, I’m not sure I’d visit Wing Chicx again of my own accord, but I wouldn’t say no if someone else wanted to go there. The food was decent enough that I’d be okay eating there on another occasion. It simply wouldn’t be my first choice. Perhaps if I had taken into account the online reviews raving about the fried chicken and gone with that instead, I’d feel differently. Yet, based on my experience, I can really take it or leave it at this point.

Edmonton Restaurant Review: Hart’s Table & Bar

Posted on by

1

The interior of Hart's Table & Bar. Photo courtesy of Century Hospitality Group.

The interior of Hart’s Table & Bar. Photo courtesy of Century Hospitality Group.

About a month ago, my friends and I were trying to make plans for a girls’ night out. We wracked our brains for somewhere to eat. Most of us live on the south side of Edmonton, and, as has become apparent, there aren’t a lot of dining options when you exclude all of the chain restaurants from the list.

While there’s nothing wrong with a chain (many of you know how much I love places like Cactus Club and Joey), we simply wanted something different on this occasion. Eventually, we narrowed down our limited choices and settled on Hart’s Table & Bar.

Part of Century Hospitality Group’s collection of restaurants that dot the city of Edmonton, it was a location I hadn’t yet set foot in. Situated in a strip mall just off of 23 Avenue and Rabbit Hill Road, I’d seen the eatery’s sign while passing by on the bus, but never made the effort to stop by.

Arriving for our get together, I pulled at the heavy main door and found myself in a stylishly decorated space. With lounge-type chairs and couches near the entrance and a huge bar as its focal point, I could tell that the restaurant caters to a clientele that just wants to relax and enjoy a good time over some drinks.

The host took us to our bar height table where we started to settle in while we waited for our one friend to join us. My first thought was that the table was incredibly small for four people.

The share plates and cutlery that were set took up all the space and our menus were teetering on the brink. In fact, before our last member showed up, I had already created a loud clatter twice as I sent a couple of the menus belly flopping to the floor. How embarrassing. Those tables really should only seat two people at the maximum. By the time water and drink glasses are added and your main plates show up, there is literally no room left for a group of four to maneuver that comfortably.

The 'Not Nachos' ordered as our shared starter.

The ‘Not Nachos’ ordered as our shared starter.

When it came to the food, we decided to start off with a shared order of the ‘Not Nachos.’ The flavour was there thanks to the shredded braised short rib, but the greasy house made kettle chips left more to be desired. Once covered in melted cheese, they lost their crispness and would often break when we tried to pick them up. It was a so-so appetizer that I am unlikely to get again.

For our mains, the three people I was dining with opted for salads. Two of them went with the My Wife’s Favourite Salad. A mix of grilled chicken breast, baby greens, berries, goat cheese, red quinoa, sunflower seeds and a champagne & lemon verbena vinaigrette, it’s the one I would have opted for had I gone the salad route as well. From what I could see, the salad was large and hearty. There was plenty of goat cheese, which to me would be the most important as it almost acts as an addition to the actual dressing, making for a creamier texture overall.

My Wife’s Favourite Salad
‘Country Club’ Cobb Salad

My other friend decided on the ‘Country Club’ Cobb Salad. It was also quite large (for almost $20 it should be massive). Off the bat, because of the blue cheese and the egg, it wouldn’t be my first choice on the menu, and when it came down to it, I think my companion was also a bit disappointed as the egg was very hard boiled and not what she expected. Also, Hart’s iteration of the Cobb salad just requires more work to eat as you have to cut the romaine hearts yourself. Simply digging right in doesn’t work. You have to really be more formal with that dish.

My Pig & Fig sandwich with Caesar salad.

My Pig & Fig sandwich with Caesar salad.

To be different, I chose to dine on the Pig & Fig sandwich. It sort of seemed like the cousin of Earls Kitchen + Bar’s Chicken, Brie + Fig Sandwich, which has been a longtime favourite of mine. A toasted ciabatta bun filled with slow roasted pork, fig preserve, apple arugula slaw, crispy bacon and Gruyère cheese, I figured I couldn’t go wrong. Although it tasted pleasant, I didn’t love the slow roasted pork. The meat wasn’t super tender. Rather, the pork was fattier than I’d prefer and somewhat chewy. The side of Caesar salad was okay though.

Hart’s has a decent drink menu, which will get a group through a long night of talk, and the desserts sound pretty good. In our case, we ended up foregoing dessert since we couldn’t decide on one that we’d all be willing to share, and we just didn’t have it in us to each eat our own.

Overall, I like the atmosphere of the restaurant and the service was good; however, whenever my next visit occurs, I’ll make a point of trying something new as what I’ve had and/or seen so far hasn’t wowed me. If I ever do go back on a date, or with a larger group of people, I just hope there’s enough space for us to spread out, so we can enjoy our meal without worrying about knocking something over.

Hart’s probably won’t be my go to place in the neighbourhood, but I’m not striking it from my list either. It’s likely a place that deserves a second chance, especially in an area saturated with the same old offerings found all over town. Plus, with good company, it becomes easier to overlook any misgivings I have about the restaurant.

Edmonton Restaurant Review: Local Public Eatery

Posted on by

0

The crispy chicken sandwich.

The crispy chicken sandwich.

Local Public Eatery, part of the Joey Restaurant Group, took over from the previous OPM.

I’d never been to OPM before it was replaced with Local, and it took me a few years before I finally visited the latter, but I’m glad that I did.

My first stop at Local was for brunch with my friend earlier this year. I opted to skip the brunch menu (although the banana pancakes with bacon sounded delicious) and went for the tuna club sandwich. Knowing how fabulous the Ahi tuna club is at Joey, I thought it’d be interesting to see how different they would be.

The daily drink specials and menu.
The interior of Local Public Eatery.
The tuna club sandwich.

The Local tuna club sandwich comes on some sort of sliced rye-type bread, toasted. It’s a bit too crusty for my liking and not quite thick enough that it holds the sandwich together well. However, the tuna was nicely seared and the avocado tasted cool and fresh against the salty bacon. My only wish was that the cheddar be more melted. Somehow, stringy cheese just seems more decadent.

More recently, I had a gift card to use, so I treated my parents to lunch on a Saturday. I love that their drinks are all quite affordable and that they have some great daily specials. Yet, they’ve attempted to be jump on the craft beer bandwagon without really offering anything more or different from places like MKT or Craft Beer Market.

Despite that, the service on both occasions was fantastic, and sometimes that trumps extra food and beverage options. More importantly, the dishes up for grabs meet the idea of elevated pub fare.

The Brooklyn Burger with sweet potato fries.

The Brooklyn Burger with sweet potato fries.

My Brooklyn burger with the beer battered onion ring, red pepper relish and 3 year old aged cheddar was deliciously juicy and seemed to borrow the idea of the relish from that aforementioned Ahi tuna club at Joey. You can’t go wrong with the added sweet potato fries and aioli dip.

The crispy chicken sandwich that my mom ordered, was gorgeously breaded and fried, but not greasy. Placed on a soft Portuguese bun with coleslaw and BBQ mustard sauce, it had a delicious tang that played well with the chicken. My father went the more traditional route with a plate of fish and chips. 2 pieces of beer battered fish with house-made tartar sauce on the side. The pieces of fish were large and whole and not overly breaded, which is preferable.

The bar and interior.
My Iron Fist mojito.
Fish and chips

By and large, Local is the younger, less mature cousin to the Joey Restaurant. The menus, both good, are distinct. Flavours on the Joey menu are more developed, a little more refined. But, if all you’re looking for is a fun, casual atmosphere with a menu that appeals to most and some beer and cocktails to wash it down, Local is the place to be.

Edmonton Restaurant Review: Ampersand 27

Posted on by

4

A portion of the & 27 menu.

A portion of the & 27 menu.

Ampersand 27 (@ampersand27yeg), one of Whyte Avenue’s newest culinary adventures, opened at the end of 2014 under the watchful eye of Chef Nathin Bye. His work with restaurants such as Wildflower Grill already raised the bar for food in this city, so it was only natural that we come to expect even more from his own venture.

Taking over the spot previously occupied by Murrieta’s, the space has been transformed into something more open, inviting and adventurous. Filled with curved lines, warm colours and the bask of glow from hundreds of twinkling lights, the eatery looks beautifully modern and high class while maintaining a casual sense of atmosphere.

A view of the dining room, which is lit by hundreds of twinkling lights.
Another view of the dining room.
The lounge of the restaurant.
The dining room as seen from the entrance.

Having made a reservation through OpenTable, we were guided to our table right after we were greeted at the door. Seated in a quiet corner of the dining room I was able to observe the rest of the room. Two long tables sandwiched by bench seating (not really the most comfortable) were surrounded by numerous tables for four, which are perfect for reconfiguring for additional large groups. Next to our table there were doors, which I assume lead into a more private space for special occasions. I’m unsure as to why I felt this way, but there’s something that seems special about this place.

As I took it all in, I started to work my way through the menu. Drinks first, I noticed that they have a well-rounded list of cocktails, beers and wine. In fact, the number of beverages available likely surpasses the food choices. But, I’m okay with that. I often find that restaurants that have more focused menus tend to do a better job with their dishes.

Drinks – Liefmans Fruitesse on the rocks and sparkling filtered Q Water.
Part two of the food menu.
Part three of the food menu.

The majority of the food items available for dinner are meant to be split with your dining companions. Broken down into share plates, build-your-own charcuterie boards, larger provisions and flatbreads, many of the options sound tasty. It comes across as a natural decision to divide the dishes amongst the group rather than hoard something to yourself because doing so means getting to sample a variety of things, which is what I often prefer to do since it allows for better and truer reviews.

On this particular evening, we chose three dishes: seared albacore tuna, maple butter pork belly and the forest floor flatbread.

Seared Albacore Tuna

Seared Albacore Tuna

I usually find it hard to pass up seared fresh tuna and I’m glad that we didn’t here. The fish was cooked perfectly with just the outer edges having been seared and the middle still a gorgeous pink colour. The dish was pleasantly light and healthy by plating the tuna with pickled hearts of palm, citrus, seaweed and cashew puree. The hearts of palm reminded me of artichoke with a bit more crunch, the citrus created a refreshing balance, the seaweed provided additional texture and salt, and the cashew puree gave it an subtly nutty quality. Essentially, this was the perfect start to our meal, one that would leave room for what was to come.

Maple Butter Pork Belly

Maple Butter Pork Belly

Personally, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with pork belly. The gummy mouthfeel of the thick layer of fat that so often accompanies this meat has always put me off, but I do enjoy a well made pork dish, so I was willing to chance it. Thankfully, the maple butter pork belly was excellent. Arriving at the table like a work of art, the maple glazed pork belly was just right. Sitting atop a bed of southwestern mesquite corn, baked beans, green peas and fritters like a crown, the fat from the meat acted like butter, simply melting away when eaten.

The Forest Floor Flatbread

The Forest Floor Flatbread

Our last selection for the base of our meal was the forest floor flatbread, which is essentially a thin crust pizza. While the dough was too crisp for my taste, the foraged mushrooms, house made ricotta, truffle and arugula combined to make a delightfully earthy dish that is vegetarian friendly. I particularly loved the cheese.

Cocoa Orange Cake Doughnut with Grand Marnier Glaze
Red Velvet
Tim Androschuk’s desserts

It appears that no dinner outing is complete without dessert and because they have their own pastry chef (Tim Androschuk), we each opted for our own (sampling the other, of course). My friend’s doughnut was decidedly smaller than expected, but it was quite dense and rich, so it seemed like enough to satisfy the dessert craving. A cocoa orange cake doughnut with Grand Marnier glaze topped with walnuts and served with a side jar of cranberry preserve, it had many layers of flavour. I went for the red velvet. Deconstructed and artfully plated to include pieces of red velvet sponge cake (much airier), strawberry textures (meringues, strawberry pieces, fruit leather), rhubarb rose puree and whipped cream cheese, this was like my idea of dessert heaven. There were so many different things happening, but I could see that it was one cohesive dish where everything was fantastic on its own, but also came together in a wonderful marriage.

Other than the stellar food, one of my favourite things about the restaurant was the professional and knowledgeable service. The staff all seemed to know their stuff when it came to the menu. They were attentive throughout the night, and often times the chef or management would do a round to make sure every guest had their needs met.

It’s that attention to detail in all that they do that will continue to make Ampersand 27 feel like a special place to dine.

For a more in-depth look at this establishment’s involvement in the local community and its efforts towards sustainability visit The Local Good to read my profile of Ampersand 27.

Edmonton Restaurant Review: Belgravia Hub

Posted on by

2

The food menu at Belgravia Hub.

The food menu at Belgravia Hub.

Every single weekday for the last few years, I’ve ridden the LRT from the south side of the city to downtown in the morning and then back again after work. Ten stops along the way, most of which have some sort of association with them. The only one that held no significance to me was McKernan/Belgravia station. From what I could see through the windows as we rolled on by was a largely residential neighbourhood with a school across the street. I would never have suspected that a fantastic restaurant lay in the area’s midst.

I started hearing raves about a place called Belgravia Hub (@BelgraviaHub) from a few of my university classmates when we met for a catch up. Naturally, I Googled the restaurant to see where it was located and, despite seeing it on the map, I still couldn’t quite place where exactly it would be should I step off the train at that stop and proceed to make my way there. I’m terrible with directions though, so it didn’t necessarily surprise me. I continued to think that if I looked hard enough down the street as we continued down the track, I’d spot it, but I never could. It turns out it’s tucked in a little too far for that. Then, the second annual list of Edmonton’s best eats was published by The Tomato in March of 2014 and the eatery debuted at No. 45. I became more determined to try this place out. Of course, other plans and life got in the way last year and it never happened.

The bar of the restaurant.

The bar of the restaurant.

I did eventually make my way there with a friend (by car) this January. Starving as we circled the block, the lights from the unassuming building were like a beacon calling us in. Located in a tiny strip at 76 Avenue and 115 Street there are a decent amount of parking spots in their lot as well as on the street to match the number of diners that they can accommodate at any one time. With less than a dozen tables and about eight bar seats, it’s quite a small establishment. Yet, it has a sleek and simultaneously homey feel that really makes you feel welcome.

Since we had made a reservation ahead of time, we were directed to a table immediately. It was fairly early, so it was rather quiet, but business did pick up later in the evening. The server was very friendly and made a few recommendations for drinks. We opted for lemonade over beer or wine this time, and we also decided to start with an order of their corn fritters.

Corn fritters to share and glasses of lemonade.

Corn fritters to share and glasses of lemonade.

The fritters arrived at our table piled high in a silver bucket. Looking plump, they were accompanied by sides of smoked ketchup and strawberry jam. Dense enough, so the fritter stayed together when cut open, they were warm and soft with a nice crisp shell. Slathered with the smoked ketchup, they were a savoury treat that seemed to have a bit of a kick to it. On the other hand, when spread with strawberry jam, we ended up with that delectable combo of salty and sweet flavours. Honestly, I couldn’t decide which I preferred. Both combinations were excellent and, if there wasn’t more food on the way, I would have been happy to eat those corn fritters all night.

Braised Beef Shortribs (my phone and dim lighting don’t always work well together!)
Sweet Pea Gnocchi

Nevertheless, we continued on with our meal. My friend selected the sweet pea gnocchi while I couldn’t say no to the braised beef shortrib. Generously portioned, the giant pieces of handmade gnocchi dumplings were swimming in a creamy dill sauce, which was topped with a beet salsa. The sauce was a good consistency with the scent of the herb coming through nicely. It tasted and felt rich without being overly heavy. The beet salsa provided a needed sweet and earthy flavour as well as additional texture. The shortrib was just spectacular. The meat from the two decent sized pieces of shortrib on the bone were really enough for two meals (I took half of my food home). Succulent from marinating in its juices, the meat just fell apart. Paired with the an apple cabbage slaw that provided crunch, bitterness and tang to the dish and a warm dill potato salad that came off like more of a Dijon with the use of mustard seeds, this was, to me, home-style cooking at its finest.

The dessert menu!
The day’s sorbet – green apple.

As full as we were, to finish off our dinner as we discussed our upcoming vacation, we had to sample a couple of their desserts. Because my friend polished off her plate of gnocchi, she went with that day’s choice of sorbet – green apple – and I chose the chocolate beet cake. The sorbet was smoother than I expected it would be and sweeter, too. Not too sugary though, so it was a great palate cleanser. While the initial bites of the chocolate beet cake were good, it was almost like the density of the cake made it seem drier than it should have been. Covered with a layer of ganache instead of the usual frosting and just a little bit of caramel on the plate, I liked the flavour, but the texture could have been improved upon.

All-in-all, I loved Belgravia Hub. The service slowed as the night progressed as there was only one server working and it got busier the later we were there. Thankfully, we weren’t in any sort of rush, so we didn’t necessarily mind that. Most importantly, the food surprised me. I’d heard it was good, but most everything I tried surpassed my expectations, so I’m excited to return and eat something different off the menu. The restaurant, open for about two years now, still comes across as a hidden treasure. In a way, I hope it stays like that, but I also wish the establishment the very best because this is a treasure that you want to keep for a long time to come.

For a more in-depth look at this establishment’s involvement in the local community and its efforts towards sustainability visit The Local Good to read my profile of Belgravia Hub.