Cafe LemonTree - Fun & Tasty Korean

Boy ... how far we have gone with this blog. When this started I viewed it as a side hobby that I never expected to take off or become anything significant. And while it still remains a hobby for me, I nevertheless can only imagine what my life would be life without this blog. It has forced me to try new things, explore Winnipeg in ways that I never would have initially done so and introduced me to incredible and awe-inspiring people. Having finished my most recent rotation and going onto vacation for the next week, I had wanted to snag the last Korean restaurant on my list of must-trys: Cafe LemonTree.

The name would not be suggestive of a Korean restaurant and in reality, the exteriors also do not point to its ethnic roots. Nevertheless when one sits down in the splendidly quirky restaurant and peeks at the menu, one realizes the Korean basis of the restaurant. The interiors feature a random mishmash assortment of different sized tables each with comfortable but aged seating and fun quirky tableclothes.

The menu is an assortment of brunch and dinner items all cooked with Korean (and sometimes Japanese) styles and flavours. Their shtick seems to be the use of cast iron skillets to cook and serve all their food. The main hallmark of their dinner service is their BBQ skillets which feature a combination of items along with a BBQ meat. Adding further to the skillets are a nice combination of traditional Korean dishes like Japchae and Dak-Galbi. Unfortunately missing are the stews I have come to love (re: Gamjatang) and rice dishes like Bibimbap, but nevertheless there should be enough here to make anybody happy.

I was impressed by the presentation of the Korean Style BBQ Skillet (Dak Galbi). A bevy of items adorn the side of the skillet including potato wedges, rice, fried udon and a grilled pineapple. The star of the dish though was the Dak Galbi. A nice combination of chicken, rice cake and vegetables are all fried to perfection in a Korean spicy bean paste. Balance is achieved through the addition of green onions which give a tart freshness to the fried meat. The other items on the skillet are each by themselves fine, but seem lost amongst each other in the skillet. In truth there does not seem to be much forethought into how each item plays with one another, but instead the chefs relied on sheer quantity to fulfill the diner, pity.

The Okonomiyaki combines a bevy of seafood (shrimp and octopus) in a creamy batter that is fried crisp and topped with teriyaki and Japanese mayonnaise. The inclusion of red cabbage in the base batter, thoughtful and unique, gave the dish a bite and density that is normally not found in other versions of this dish. Unfortunately the seafood (which I suspect originated from the frozen variety) was rendered tough and rubbery through the cooking process and was easily the worst component of the dish. The teriyaki and mayo sauce toppings were tasty and offered a nice flavour contrast to the dense base pancake.

As with all Korean restaurants, a number of Banchans were served. The Kimchi was nice and flavourful with a bold spiciness that worked well with the decidedly duller flavours of the skillet. Pickled Cabbage offered a sour and salty bite that actually contrasted the flavours of the okonomiyaki well.

Cafe LemonTree is a unique take on Korean food and for the most part, succeeds in doing so. While certainly areas to improve upon, the base cuisine is decidedly authentically Korean and should be on the radar for anyone looking for good Korean, especially if you are in the area or are tired of the usual offerings.

Miss Browns - Contemporary Brunch

Going postcall for brunch is a catharsis that helps relive myself of the usually crazy night of call and allows me to regroup, gather my bearings and look forward towards a postcall day (of mostly sleeping). It is postcall that I often get my inspirations for new restaurants to try and so when Miss Browns recently opened up shop in Winnipeg and promised hot pressed sandwiches, I had to try them sooner or later. Thus one postcall day I rounded up a fellow resident and we made the short drive to Miss Browns.

Miss Browns resides on William Avenue in the heart of downtown Winnipeg. The handsome restaurant is a retrofitted mess hall that straddles the fine line between olden, aged and novel and chic. In fact the initial impression of the restaurant was one of comfort, of a establishment that strove to maintain the stories of its aged walls but also yearning to weave its own new journeys.

Miss Browns offers both a breakfast/brunch menu as well as a more formal lunch service. Given we were postcall, the breakfast menu was our only avenue. Nevertheless the offerings included a few interesting dishes like a brisket hash or a egg benini roll. Obviously the chef is taking risks by incorporating new ideas into previous olden favourites.

The Brisket Hash with Fried Egg intrigued me enough to order it. The dish came as advertised with a large amount of tender brisket thoughtfully organized amongst a bevy of roast potatoes and topped with an organic medium done egg. Although beautifully presented, the dish was missing a unifying factor, something to tie all the elements together. In truth, I was overwhelmed by the extreme saltiness of the brisket and thought the potatoes did an amicable but not extensive job of overcoming the sodium. Adding a fried egg on top seems to harken to brunch/diner days but in reality it added nothing to the dish. Perhaps leaving it sunny side up to allow for the runny yolk to lather all the other ingredients would have a better treatment.

Thankfully, the Egg Benini Roll was much better. A breakfast sandwich meets eggs benedict is the only reasonable description of the dish. In actuality, the combination of Canadian thick cut ham with perfectly poached eggs and a creamy thick hollandaise was well done and reminiscent of an upscale eggs benedict. The toasted sweet bun buttressing the interiors added sweetness and was an important starch element to balance the entire dish. Very well done!

Having a side of Hash Browns to lap up the starch element felt a reasonable choice. The perfect morsels of potato were nicely tender with a golden exterior hue and a creamy smooth core. Intentionally underseasoned, these hash browns become a core element to lap up any leftover sauces from ones meal (i.e. hollandaise).

Overall Miss Browns delivers reasonable successful contemporary brunch offerings. By taking the standard assortment of brunch items and adding their own specific spin, Miss Browns shows a willingness to innovate and experiment. While not always perfected, the base food is tasty enough to warrant a visit ... and who knows you might get something outrageously tasty and unique.

Sam Po - Bien Dim Sum

There are urges and cravings that happen to me that I cannot control. Like clockwork it seems, I routinely get an urge for the delicious dumplings and fried dim sum items that cannot be quenched by any other meal. The combination of flavours and dining style of Chinese dim sum restaurants make them unique and unreplicable. And so I went on Urbanspoon and found a spot I had initially looked over, Sam Po Dim Sum.

Located in Chinatown, Sam Po is located right across the street from Noodle Express. In fact, I am told they have the same owners! Well despite that, Sam Po is truly the better looking of the pair. With shiny gold lettering beckoning you in, diners are taken aback by the large clean and modern dining room. Brightly lit and appropriately decorated, the restaurant instantly makes you feel comfortable and gives a sense of class that its sister restaurant did not give.

The food is typical dim sum fare. With all the regulars and dishes one would expect taken care of, Sam Po offers a nice variety for veterans and newcomers alike. I would have appreciated a pictoral representation of each dish but nevertheless the descriptions sufficed. For those not in the mood for dim sum (gasp!), there is an ala carte menu featuring (I went for lunch) a bevy of fried noodle and rice options, a popular choice for the majority of clientele this particular day.

These Shrimp Dumplings were a nice size and filled with a large amount of spongy and tasty chopped shrimp. The wrapper was nice and thin enough to encase the contents without being doughy and tough. Make sure to dip these in the accompanied hot sauce to add an additional element of flavour to contrast the smooth shrimp.

Scallop and Shrimp Dumplings with Coriander were unique and new to me. The filling is a nice combination of flavour chopped shrimp and scallop and is all wrapped in a thin wrapper and steamed to perfection. The addition of coriander (actually, cilantro) adds a herbal rustic flavour and aroma to the dumpling.

Large pieces of Sticky Rice greeted my burgeoning stomach next. The tender glutinous rice is filled with pork, peanut and mushrooms and the entirity is steamed inside a banana leaf. Imparting a subtle savoury flavour into the rice was the key to this tasty dish.

Deep Fried Pork Chinese Pierogies had a number of different pictures in my mind when I first read it on the menu. What came out was more in keeping with a deep fried pork dumpling. The exterior had a nice crispy shell while the interior was oozing with a nice mixture of pork, chive and mushroom. Aromatic chive is the key here by adding a nutty and sharp flavour to the dish.

Pork Dumplings (Shao Mai) were simply average here. While I appreciated the tender meat, there was little further flavour profile here to develop. In truth it was an explosion of fatty meat in a thin wonton wrapper; the dish needed something to contrast it, like shrimp, mushroom or daikon.

Nice and springy, these Beef Balls were above average. Tender, beefy and flavourful, it went well with the side of vinegar and soy sauce. Aromatic herbs give some textural and aromatic balance to the dish.

Overall Sam Po was above average dim sum. Sporting a handsome restaurant and offering tasty food, it should be a staple on the Winnipeger's list of dim sum restaurants. Definitely not the best in town but decent enough and will suffice if in a pinch or in the area.

Boon Burger - Tasty Vegetarian

Embracing the new chic trend towards vegetarian and vegan food, Boon Burger shot up in popularity in the Winnipeg food scene as the de facto restaurant for realized vegetarian (and vegan) cuisine. Promising tasty burgers that would not make one miss their carnivorous side, it quickly became a local staple for both those choosing a non-meat lifestyle as well as for hipsters looking for a new trend to partake in. Nevertheless, at the insistence of a fellow colleague, I made the trek to Boon Burger Cafe just to see what the fuss was about.

Boon Burger has two locations, one downtown (their original flagship) and this particular location on Sherbrook Street. For a new trendy restaurant I was rather disappointed at the drab exteriors featuring dark dense green on black with no sign of color in site. Nevertheless, the interiors are better with a brilliant chalkboard detailing the current specials and an open rustic feel to the seating and dining areas. Staff are appropriately helpful but thankfully unobstrusive.

As a burger bar, the menu emphasizes the different burger options available to diners. Boon Burger offers four types of patties: a mushroom based patty with a bevy of herbs (Boon), a chickpea based curry patty (Buddha), tofu and lemon based (White), and a black bean based (Black Bean). With these patties, the chefs made a host of creative burgers some with an extraordinarily complex number of ingredients. Alongside the burgers are a mix of salads, pizzas and sides including their version of poutine made with vegan gravy.

I went with the Boon's Super Platter, as it allows for a bevy of options to try.

It comes with a soup (Lentil Curry) which had a nice combination of smooth lentil texture with the spiciness of curry. It also comes with a side of their "famous" Sesame Potato Fries which ended up being just ordinary french fries topped with sesame seeds. The salad was a scrumptious Kale/Arugula salad that combined tart slightly bitter kale with crunchy arugula and sweet smooth beets. My burger was the Buddha Burger featuring their chickpea based buddha patty and finished with a sweet peach-red pepper chutney and topped with a bevy of vegetables. I was impressed by the meaty-ness of the patty and felt it was an appropriate alternative to the usual beef burger. While it did not have the same protein punch, the subtle flavour of the burger allowed for a better interplay between the delicious chutney and other vegetable toppings.

Overall Boon Burger Cafe delivered on their goal of creating tasty meat alternatives. I was impressed by the bevy of flavours imparted in their burgers and felt the lack of meat actually made the burgers more balanced and allowed for each ingredient to shine. Definitely something worthwhile for those choosing a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

529 Wellington - Extravagant Excellence

Food is meant to be experienced. Rarely do I dine out nowadays solely for the role of nourishment, rather I dine out to be wowed and inspired by great food and great company. The success for any restaurant is their ability to weave a story in the food they present and become a springboard for diners to create an experience. One of the top restaurants in Winnipeg is 529 Wellington, a steakhouse known for its high quality food and expert service. Thus you can imagine my excitement when a fellow pediatrics colleague of mine decided to host their birthday celebration here.

Key to the experience of 529 Wellington is the grounds for the restaurant. The building is a mansion harkening from the early 1900s that was meticulously retrofitted to become the current restaurant. Details are key here with the designers maintaining an aged feel to the restaurant, like the large magnificent foyer greets diners or the grand staircase leading up to the second floor.

The private room we were situated in was gorgeous. Magnificently realized paintings adorn the walls of the room and overlook a massive oak table and plush comfortable chairs. A lovely chandelier paints the table with warm light to give diners the ultimate romantic dining experience. Finishing the experience are a troupe of expert wait staff who were a wonderful combination of respectful, meticulous and thoughtful to our group.

As a larger group, 529 Wellington has a trimmed down group set menu. Taken all from the regular menu, the preset option is perfect for groups to try a variety of options. At the end of the day, 529 Wellington is known for as a steakhouse and prides themselves on their Canada Prime beef. A helpful tour of beef is given for first time diners here where the service staff help explain the different cuts, give a visual clue to the size of servings and ultimately help whet the appetite for the upcoming meal. If steak is not in the cards, there are number of fish and seafood options available as well, both on the set and on the main menu. While I found the waiters attentive they did have some difficulty with payment and splitting of the bills with multiple people having errors in what was charged; and while contentious and quickly willing to resolve, I feel an error like this is amateur and should not be present at such a prestigious restaurant. Nevertheless off to the food!

The Smoked Salmon appetizer was phenomenal, with large portions of succulent tender fish that paired well on the accompanied toast. The classic combination of capers, onion and lemon make their entrance here and work as effectively as ever to balance out the fatty fish. The addition of an garlic aioli was thoughtful as well and gave the dish a creaminess that was lacking.

I found the Cheese Bread to be utterly disappointing, both in taste and presentation. A couple slabs of crusty bread is topped with a bunch of nondescript cheese and finished plainly in the oven. No balance of flavours was found here with diners just getting a taste of salt from the cheese and nothing else to contrast it. The tin foil serviette was laughably amateur and an eyesore for such a classy restaurant. Completely forgettable.

The size of the Jumbo Shrimp was impressive. The massive crustaceans were served cold and paired with lemon and a tomato based cocktail sauce. The shrimps, nice and succulent, had a wonderful hint of sweetness on top of the meaty bites. Adding in the cocktail sauce gives diners a tart and tangy flavour to contrast the undertones of the meat. Well done!

These Dry Ribs were also a disappointment, despite the cute presentation. The slabs of ribs, supposedly dusted with a dry rub, were so devoid of flavour that I wondered if the chefs even bothered to season the meat at all. Finishing the ribs off in the oven unfortunately rendered the meat dry, overcooked and robbed of any hint of juiciness. Utterly mediocre.

One of the specials of the day was a divine Lobster Mac & Cheese. Al dente macaroni is served here with large chunks of fresh lobster meat and tossed in a extraordinary creamy and rich cheese sauce, delightful! Bits of broccoli permeate through the dish and give tender morsels of freshness while adding a sense of colour to the dish. Ultimately though, it is the interplay between the creamy cheese, pasta and lobster that is key here. Delicious.
 

The starter Spinach Salad was completely ordinary with a bevy of spinach tossed in a tart vinaigrette. Crunchiness is added through the addition of walnuts while creaminess is found through the large chunks of blue cheese. While I appreciated the large portion given, the flavours themselves seemed very ordinary and nothing stood out as unique or exciting about the salad.

My main, the Beef Wellington, was expertly crafted and beautiful presented. The base Filet steak served here was extraordinarily tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare. Each bite of the exquisitely tender meat was smooth, succulent and melted in your mouth. Paired with the beef wellington was a foie gras pate that had a nice beefy and rich consistency that melted along with the beef. Unfortunately the exterior puff pastry crust, while tasty, did not adhere to the pate and ended up flaking off into small separate pieces, robbing the entire dish of the contrast between the meat, the pate and the crust. Topping the beef is a strong red wine demi-glace that added a nice salty and savoury flavour to the meat.

Accompanying sides to the beef were Snap Peas tossed in a host of butter and finished with garlic. Nice, tender and succulent, these snap peas were a bright contrast to the heartiness of the main courses.

I thoroughly enjoyed these Button Mushrooms. The aroma of garlic and butter permeated the air when these mushrooms arrived and was a perfect compliment to the beef.

These Au Gratin Potatoes were average. Here scalloped potatoes are tossed in a cream cheese sauce and baked to perfection with a bread crumb topping. The dish had a nice contrast between the nice and creamy potatoes with the crispy topping.

By now I was about to exploded but managed a few bites of the Warm Blueberry Bread Pudding. The luxurious chunks of bread pudding, with the occasional blueberry baked into it, was a nice contrast of warm bread, sweet caramel and airy whipped cream. Tasty but nothing extraordinary.

529 Welllington overall packaged great food with exquisite service in a gorgeous setting to fit the bill of fine dining and was exactly what our group was looking for in a birthday celebration. The costs, while high, are on par with what excellent steakhouses should charge; and truly 529 Wellington does their beef well, with incredibly tender and well seasoned steaks that is a cut above anything I have had in Winnipeg. However it is the accompanying dishes, especially the appetizers, that at times fell flat and not on par with the quality of their steaks. And so while I would recommend 529 Wellington for anyone looking for the best steak in Winnipeg, I would caution larger groups with the quality of the set menu and rather point them towards ordering a la carte.

Lao Thai - Incredible Laos

I have always been thoroughly impressed by the endless supply of great Asian restaurants in Winnipeg. Not only do Winnipegers have a large number of choices, but the majority of them are of a high enough quality that I can routinely recommend. One of the keys to the further development of a food scene is the onset of subtheme restaurants. That is, once a specific culture or regional cuisine is established, individuals from specific regional or country variations start opening up their own variety and take on food. This is what I found recently at Lao Thai, an tasty eatery in North of Winnipeg that serves up mighty tasty Lao cuisine.

Found on Selkirk Avenue in the North of Winnipeg, the restaurant is not much to look at initially. A small hole in the wall in a less than desirable area of town does not scream confidence for a high quality restaurant, but diners will be surprised by the classy modern sheen that fills the modest five table establishment. The interiors are clean, bright and decor functional.

The cuisine of Laos definitely takes hints and inspirations from Southeast Asian cuisine. The most obvious comparison would be to Thai, upon which Laos food shares a number of similar dishes such as Pad Thai, Green Curry, etc. Its proximity to Vietnam also means a significant number of Vietnamese flavours and cooking styles finding its way onto Lao plates. Finally as part of French Indochina, a surplus of French influences also can be seen in their food. The menu at Lao Thai is a nice mixture of traditional Lao food as well as popular Western Thai options. I appreciated the large pictures and descriptions associated with each dish offering me a window into what I should be expecting. Varied and deep, there should be enough here for most customers.

A distinctly Lao invention is the Papaya Salad, a main dish consisting of unripe shredded papaya combined with tomatoes, fresh chilis and tossed in chili oil and fish sauce. I loved the freshness of the papaya and its contrast to the mouth numbing heat from the chilis interplayed by the cooling sensation from tomato. Crunch is given by the still unripe fruit as well as the addition of peanut on top. Balance of flavours is found with the use of the salty and sweet fish sauce. Delicious.

Lao Pad Thai (Shrimp) was not what I was expecting. Being familiar with the Thai equivalent, this Lao version is saucier and wetter resulting in a more stew like noodle dish. Here Lao Thai takes tender glass noodles and mixes it in a tomato and tamarind based egg broth. Richness is found through the use of egg in the sauce while balance of flavours is achieved with their liberal use of spicy chilis that contrasted well with the sweet, salty and savoury sauce. While initially dubious, I actually preferred this version to the traditional Thai equivalent finding it more flavourful and aromatic.

Lap is sometimes described as the national dish of Lao. Rice, bean sprouts, onions, cilantro and spicy peppers are combined with slices of marinated chicken thigh in this wonderfully tasty dish. The marriage of different ingredients worked well to create a umami of flavours that was accentuated by the addition of cilantro and lime leaves which gave a cool minty aftertaste to each bite. The liberal use of fish sauce and chilis worked to augment the inherent flavours of each ingredient. Unique and tasty!

Lao Thai is a fantastically unique find in Winnipeg and should not be missed by anyone looking for a unique twist on traditional Western Thai food. Ignore the somewhat meager looking exteriors as the food here is excellent. Balance of flavours result in a robust and surprisingly light meal that tickles all the senses. Only caveat is the liberal use of chilis might be a turnoff for some, but do note that the spice level is customizable (from 1 to 5). Do yourself a favour and get some traditional Lao food here!

Habanero Sombrero - Mexican Food Truck Tacos

With spring rearing its head in Winnipeg comes, for me, a renewed interest in outdoors and physical activity. Like a bear living in hibernation, I found the cold of the Winnipeg winter to be a difficult obstacle to overcome when it came to going out and exercising. Now with the absence of the harsh wintry days and the presence of spring showers and the slight peek of green on the trees, I have taken a vow to add more exercise and balance into my life. To start, achieve a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. Thus on a warm day I took a long walk from my Osborne Village home down to the Forks and up. Wanting to make sure to grab a bite, I stopped by one of the many food trucks parked on Broadway, Habanero Sombrero Taqueria.

My love for food trucks began with The Food Network series, Eat St., which featured delectable homemade dishes out of a four wheeled caravan of goodness. Here, Habanero Sombrero is housed in a spiffy trailer. With pleasant imaging, friendly staff and a fantastic location, it has all the ingredients needed for a quality food truck stall.

As one would expect from the name, Habanero Sombrero features Mexican fare. As a taco truck, their main attraction are the variety of meat tacos (Beef, Pulled Pork, Chicken) and Black Bean all served on a six inch tortilla and topped with coleslaw, pico de gallo and queso fresco. Hungry patrons can opt for the Low Rider, a combination of three tacos along with homemade chips and salsa (or quacamole for an extra dollar).

After one orders, each taco can be topped with a bevy of salsa choices. Ranging in heat from a mild pico de gallo to medium pineapple salsa (personal favourite) to extremely hot habanero salsa, these delectable additions add not only a heat element, but also extra flavour to your tacos.

The Low Rider comes with a side of Chips and Guacamole (I upgraded). The large tortilla chips are nicely fried and extremely crisp. Delicately seasoned with a touch of salt, these chips truly are difficult to put down; especially when combined with the smooth and creamy guacamole.

The Low Rider comes with an option of three tacos, so I went with each protein (Beef, Pulled Pork and Chicken). Each taco consists of a healthy portion of meat topped with homemade coleslaw and a spoonful of fresh queso fresco (cheese). Unfortunately with all the toppings, each protein lacked uniqueness and all ended up tasting the same, with the exception of the chicken that was disappointingly dry. Nevertheless, the tacos were tasty and an excellent vehicle for the bevy of salsas available.

Habanero Sombrero is a tasty food truck that should be enjoyed for its uniqueness. While the food, specifically the protein options, leave some room to be desired, the entire meal was overall tasty enough to warrant a try. I also see a number of people at odds with the cost of the meal and while certainly pricier than most fast food options, the amount charged is on par with most food truck options, as customers must come to the reality that is the costs associated with owning and running a truck.