Mr. Beast Burger

Mr. Beast Burger is in Edmonton care of Reef Kitchens (one of those ghost kitchen kinds of places that have licences to reproduce food from major restaurants), and available to order online for delivery. I love trying new burgers, and went for a Beast Burger combo with a double burger, fries, and canned pop. The patties are very thin and crispy, which I think is the unique aspect of these burgers. The bun is thick and dense, with a higher bread to meat ratio than I expected. The fries were very crispy, and I would try the seasoned variety next time instead of the plain, which were very bland. Overall decent food and value, but nothing super special.

Fish and Chips from Red Lobster

I ordered fish and chips for lunch because the offerings at Red Lobster were reasonably priced and the delivery time not long. Next time I’ll opt for something else. The restaurant forgot our tartar sauce and coleslaw on both meals. The fries were average. The fish was tender and crispy, except for the bottom of the second piece which was floating on its own grease. The highlight of the meal was the signature cheddar buns, crunchy on the outside and pillowy on the inside. 

Fort Edmonton Food Update

Fort Edmonton Park has long been one of my favourite outdoor Edmonton attractions. It reopened this summer after a couple of years of renovations. Some of the new features include the Indigenous Peoples Experience and an enhanced midway. 

The food has also changed from the days of simple burgers and chicken fingers. The menus for the several food places at the park have some similarities, but different price points, with the Selkirk Hotel being the most expensive.

I had the Fort fingers and fries at Kelly’s Saloon. My three fingers were slightly over cooked,and chewy. Otherwise, the buttermilk coating was light and crispy. The curly fries were excellent - crispy and slightly spicy. The garlic mayo dip that came with the fingers also went well with the fries. 

My friend’s smoked meat sandwich was very thick. He enjoyed the side of slaw. The meat looked lean and tender to me. It’s on my list to try next time. 

You can also get an assortment of local craft sofas. I enjoy the Annex brand, especially the tangy, lemony ginger beer. In fact, you can also get actual beer from local breweries. 

Boneless Chicken at Nara Chicken and Tonkatsu

The chicken at Nara is already superb: crunchy, juicy, and never greasy. Now the chicken is easier to eat, with these boneless pieces. I had a basket of 10 pieces and was almost defeated. You can order a sauce or topping fir an extra charge. I prefer mine naked. Nara is located at 8712 149 Street.

Egg Salad Wrap Combo at Big Daddy Sandwiches

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Captain Shawarma Donairs & Falafel: Donair and Shawarma Mixed Platter

Another new donair and shawarma place in the west end is Captain Shawarma at 14831 87 Ave. The menu features Middle Eastern items like beef kebab and kofta in addition to donairs and chicken shawarmas. This is the beef donair and shawarma mixed platter. The mountain of food included chunks of beef donair and chicken shawarma - both flavourful with just enough spice- on top of vegetable rice, with small sides of hummus, garlic potatoes, and fatouche salad. You can choose your salad and sauce. My sweet sauce was served to the side. The salad was covered in crispy pita, and had a tangy balsamic dressing. This is definitely shareable.

Mixed Platter at Pizza Valley and Donair

Pizza Valley and Donair is a new place at 9333 156 Street. I wanted to get a good taste of the place so opted for the mixed platter. At $17.50, there was a good amount of beef and chicken, on top of rice, with a side salad, fries, and warm pita. The sweet sauce atop the meat was not too sweet. The chicken was quite spicy, while the beef was mild. The beef was cut into chunks rather than strips. Fries had lots of seasoning, and the salad was sort of like a Greek salad, with some crumbled feta. Good food, good portion, and I am hearing lots of good things from others concerning the pizzas and other offerings. 

Northern Chicken for Lunch

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Exploring Shan Shan Bakery

Shan Shan Bakery 

10552 97 Street 

780-974-7788 

Chinatown's Shan Shan Bakery offers a wide variety of both Chinese and western baked goods, including cakes, cookies, tarts, and buns.

I ordered a variety of treats, including a bag of egg cookies, a butter cream chocolate cake roll, two kinds of mini mooncakes (red bean and lotus paste), a fresh fruit tart, a custard egg tart, and one slice of Black Forest cake. The latter is my favourite dessert and I was incredibly curious about how Shan Shan's version would compare.

It was surprising, to say the least. A light, fluffy chocolate cake with a mound of sweet cherry cream on top, garnished with a chocolate wafer and fruit. If you like your cake to cream/icing ratio weighted heavily in favour of the cream/icing, you will love this. It was definitely not a traditional Black Forest cake, but it was memorable (and delicious).

On the other hand, the slice of butter cream chocolate cake roll was exactly what I expected: chocolate cake rolled with a sweet and salty buttercream. The fresh fruit tart was small but delightful, with three pieces of fruit nestled in whipped cream and a dense shell. The custard egg tart was a bit bigger, with a filling that was firm and not too sweet, and a flaky crust.

I haven't had mooncakes in ages. These were small, but densely packed with their respective fillings. The red bean paste had a satisfying, subtle sweetness, while the lotus had a nutty flavour almost reminiscent of marzipan.

The egg cookies - originally ordered as an afterthought - were amazing. The dollar-sized cookies were crispy, buttery, and a perfect accompaniment to my afternoon coffee.

You can go to Shan Shan directly, or order via Uber Eats for delivery like I did.

Smoked Salmon Pizza and Granola at Toast Culture

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Fish and Chips at Three Vikings: Better Than Ever!

The fish and chips has always been amazing at Three Vikings (10713 124 Street), but it is now even better than ever. The pieces of fish are larger, and the batter is crunchier. It’s a Tuborg beer batter and it is excellent. And the mountain of fries stayed super crunchy on the ride over with our Uber Eats driver. Served with house made coleslaw, tartar sauce, and ketchup.

Building my Own at Wayback Burgers

Burger and tots.

Wayback Burgers is a burger joint and bar at 10412 Jasper Avenue. For delivery, I ordered the "build your own" burger - I always appreciate that option at a burger joint, because I am very particular if not somewhat of a minimalist. My burger arrived with my specified toppings of grilled onions, pickles, mushrooms, and mayo. It tasted great, and I especially appreciated the fluffy bun. My side was tots, and they were very average. In reading reviews here, I think I should have gone for the chips instead, which I will do next time. My chocolate shake is substantial and very cold and sweet, as it should be.

Cui Hua Gui Lin Noodle House: Brisket and Chicken Lo Noodles

Cui Hua Gui Lin Noodle House (10626 97 Street) is a Chinatown restaurant specializing in - as its name suggests - noodle dishes. The menu consists of a variety of soups (which include noodles), vermicelli dishes, and house specialty noodles. The proteins in most of the dishes include beef, pork, and chicken, as well as lamb in a few of them.

Since noodles is the Gui Lin speciality, house noodle dishes are what I ordered: a Chicken Lo Noodle and a Brisket Lo Noodle, to be precise. The noodles were flat and almost clear, with a slightly chewy texture. They mixed in well with the protein, peanuts, and bamboo shoots, and parsley that adorned. Each mouthful resonated with notes of sweet, spicy and sour in different levels of intensity. The flavours were balanced, and as someone who has a low spice tolerance threshold, I was not overwhelmed with heat, but felt my taste buds tingling just enough. While the chicken mostly tasted from the hot and sour flavour soundtrack, the brisket was tender and maintained some of its meaty notes, although it also had the same flavour combination underscoring it. The person who ate the rest of the Brisket Lo Noodle raved about the dish's flavour.

I also ordered one of the restaurant's appetizers, the lemongrass chicken. What looked like the equivalent of two thighs were cut up in bite-sized pieces and cooked in the tangy and mildly spicy lemongrass, served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Definitely flavourful and satisfying.

Overall, after finishing my lunch I felt like I had taken a culinary journey, which I hope to explore again.

Brisket Lo Noodle

 

Boneless Wings at Wing Snob

I loves me some chicken wings, and really miss going out for beer and wings because of the pandemic. Wing Snob (11988 104 Avenue) brought the wings to me (via Skip the Dishes), and I am SO impressed. Wing Snob offers traditional wings, boneless wings (like nuggets), and chicken tenders with a variety of sauces and dips. You can even get fried cauliflower wings - handy if you're bringing in for your cohort and someone is vegetarian. I had ten boneless lemon pepper wings. Let me tell you, these were the best boneless wings I have EVER had. They were plump, juicy, and flavourful without being overwhelming. Usually lemon pepper is a dry rub, but there was an actual, light lemon sauce on the wings that infused a lot of flavour, and still the wings stayed crispy. I also ordered a side of plain fries. They come seasoned or salted as well. For a regular portion, two people could have shared. The fries were lightly breaded and very crispy. I also ordered a piece of cornbread for dessert. At $1.50, it was a small slab wrapped in cellophane. It was fresh and tasted great. Wing Snob packed the order brilliantly, with slits on the styrofoam containers to get the steam out and let the food stay crispy. They also provided a side plate, fork, ketchup, and hand wipes. Next time, I think I am going to skip the fries and order a larger portion of wings. I am already looking forward to it!

Lemon Pepper boneless wings.

Bon Ton Beauty

I’m so glad Bon Ton Bakery has curb side service. I ordered these delicious treats, along with a variety of breads, danishes, and more. The larger item is a mini babka. The other two are French pastries. These did not last long. bonton.ca

Noodleholic at the Door

Noodleholic is one of my favourite Chinatown restaurants. How can I resist a steaming bowl with my choices of broth, noodles, and toppings? I was thankful to find out the restaurant is on Uber Eats. These bowls of glory were delivered along with iced coffee, green onion cakes, and a Chinese long doughnut. 

Non-Alcoholic Brews from Athletic Brewing

Trying out some non-alcohol brews from Athletic Brewing Co. Canada. The All Out Stout has a dark, molasses flavour while the Upside Dawn Golden Ale is light and crisp, with a hint of citrus. They are both refreshing and under 100 calories.