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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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).

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Breakfast for Lunch: "Ham" Omelette at Padmanadi

"Ham" omelette at Padmanadi #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I have been a fan of the Indonesian vegan fare at Padmanadi for years, ever since the restaurant was still located in Chinatown. However, I never had the opportunity to have brunch until this past weekend.

Only available on Saturdays and Sundays until 2 p.m., the brunch menu concists of a variety of pancake, French toast, scramble, and omelette dishes - all made without actual eggs, meat, and dairy. Substitutes mostly made from different formulations of bean curd are presented.

I had a "ham and cheese" omelette, sans cheese. I have realized that even in vegan form, I cannot handle the taste and texture of it. The "butter" on the organic multigrain toast tasted so much like the real thing, I was almost afraid I would actually have a lactose reaction. A side of fresh fruit added colour to the dish, while the root vegetable hash was ample and had a nice seasoning to it, some of the pieces were undercooked.

Now, for the omelette itself. The "egg" part was bean curd spread thin. It had the look and texture of egg with a very pleasant crispy outside, but did not much of a flavour in and of itself. It absorbed flavour from the filling, which was spinach, mushrooms, and large slabs of "ham", also a soy or tofu substitute I have had many times at the restaurant. I was amazed at how much of the meat was in there. I opted out of the "cheese" but I am sure it would have been generous.

I added a side of "sausage" to my meal but really did not have to. This was as filling as a supper entree. Bean curd is much denser than eggs and I was full for the rest of the day.

At around $15 per meal, plus drinks and additional optional sides, brunch at Padmanadi is a bit pricey but very unique and with huge portions.