Thursday, July 18, 2013

Taste of Edmonton 2013

Taste of Edmonton is one of the city's best events if you are a food blogger. Dozens of restaurants set up in Churchill Square to offer small samples of their menus items. This year, several restaurants are new to the festival, while yearly regulars are offering new menu items.

Today was the first day of version 2013, and I headed to Churchill Square for lunch. Myself and a friend pitched in and bought 60 tickets - enough for quite the sampling. And then, the fun began.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

I had to start things off with the green onion cake from Hong King Bakery. It's crispy outside, soft inside, and generally wonderful texture makes it my favourite onion cake in the city and I look forward to it every year.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

My friend adores the pineapple chicken from Blue Willow, and it is something he returns to every year as well. The large portion did not seem much bigger than the regular one though. That was one of the major changes this year - some menu items had regular and small options for different ticket values.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

I did not get a chance to sample this hand crafted orange and tangerine ice cream sandwich from Blue Willow, but my friend said it was worth the awkward effort eating it. I think the crispy sandwich part and cold filling would make a delicious contrast in texture.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

The chicken tikka and garlic naan from New Asian Village was full of flavour. I found the regular serving more than adequate, with its plentiful vegetables and chicken chunks.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

Padmanadi is one of my favourite restaurants and their menu items this year are excellent choices for people wishing to sample vegan goodness. The chicken drumsticks have a great texture: crisp on the outside and stringy on the inside, with a flavour that does resemble the carnivore version.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

The chili chicken also had a realistic texture and a sauce with sweetness and a kick. Definitely a winner when it comes to "fake meat." And, at only three tickets an item, Padmanadi has great value also.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

The dry, spicy chicken from Lingnan is another annual favourite and we each had to have our own portion. Another great value at three tickets (but noticeably smaller than last year's portion) the pieces of chicken are breaded and fried to perfection. The hot pepper flakes abound - be sure to have something on hand to drink!

Taste of Edmonton 2013

The chicken penne from Old Spaghetti Factory was hands down, my friend's favourite and he ended up having another portion! I took a quick taste. While the penne was a perfect al dente, the chicken felt rubbery to me.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

This was on our "must try" list. The s'more fritters from Mercer Tavern are a deep fried, hot, sticky, fun dessert. Very very rich - it was perfect for sharing. I didn't really taste any marshmallow as the chocolate dominated (not a bad thing necessarily).

Taste of Edmonton 2013

The avocado roll from Zinc packed a huge flavour punch into one little spring roll. The middle is a puree of avocado, tomatoes, and various seasonings. I was detecting that the avocado was a touch over-ripe. The cilantro honey pesto was the star - sweet with cilantro highlights. At three tickets for only one roll it is a bit on the pricey side, but it was one of the most memorable Taste of Edmonton items I have ever sampled.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

I had a few forkfuls of the Pad Thai from Numchok Wilai - one of the dishes I enjoyed last year and my friend requested. Just as I recalled, the noodles were firm and flavourful - and the dish is vegetarian to boot!

Taste of Edmonton 2013

I found the steak bites from Canadian Brewhouse a little too chewy for my taste, although my friend loved them and the sesame steak sauce.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

The tandoori chicken samosa from Guru was another favourite from last year that I had to try again. Once again, it was packed full of minced tandoori chicken in a coating that was soft enough to manipulate with a fork (without things getting too awkward) but still had some crunch to it.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

When you are eating lots of great food in the hot sun, you need something to wash it down with. I decided to sacrifice four tickets for 24 ounces of Lemon Heaven. It got very hot this afternoon and this tasted so good.

Taste of Edmonton 2013

Then, I had to jump into the City Hall wading pool to cool off! I had a wonderful afternoon at Taste of Edmonton and still have a few tickets left over. A return visit is planned for next week.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great pics. I encountered your page looking for some non promotional honest pics and review from this year's Taste Of Edmonton and from your review I added the pineapple chicken and the lemonade to my long list! And I should say your choices did not disappoint! We also loved the quail, found the cappuccino shooter interesting (had no idea it is a dessert!!!) and enjoyed the lemongrass beef. My all time fav is the beef with sesame sauce and rice. Yummy. The tiramisu was not impressive and the major rip off was the role from Mikado, only 1 piece as a regular taster! I know it is a taster, but I mean come on! It can't be called a role if it is just one piece, lollll.... The mars bar regular size was sold out or not sold, which meant I would wait for another year to try it!

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  2. O and the spring role from Zinc with cilantro pesto sauce was interesting! Can not believe they cost 15 dollars as starters in their fancy restaurant! Glad I could try it!

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