New Hong Kong Snack Shack - Cheap Chinese

With the majority of the more popular restaurants already tucked away into the past on this blog, I had to start venturing into newer territory and into restaurants and establishments that do not necessarily meet my immediate standards. After all food is about discovery and once in awhile, a seemingly average meal turns out to be quite good. Such was the case when I ventured out to New Hong Kong Snack Shack for a quick lunch on an afternoon off.

I have to commend Urbanspoon Zomato for finding little hidden gems that I would have glossed over if I was patrolling the streets. Indeed, this restaurant is no charmer. A downright gawdy exterior houses the even shabbier interiors. The clash of the bright green with the red lettering screams amateur design while clashing with the incredibly dated interiors. Located on Notre Dame Avenue in the heart of Downtown, at least the restaurant conforms with the general appearance of the area.

Nevertheless it is simply about the food and New Hong Kong Snack Shack delivers homey snack (re: dim sum), rice and noodle dishes at incredibly reasonable prices. I was shocked to see the diminutive pricing here and wonder how in the world they keep themselves afloat. Staring at some of the other patrons, it was surprisingly busy for a midweek lunch, revealed reasonable but small portion sizes and high turnover are the main appeal of this restaurant.

Hot Pork Rice is simply a small bowl of rice topped with a few tender pieces of pork meat enveloped in a peanut sauce. The stewed pork had a nice star anise aroma which worked well to contrast the strong peanut and curry sauce. Simple but tasty, a favourite amongst many of the diners there.

Fried Peking Perogies feature a collection of pork potstickers served with a side of soy sauce. The dumplings themselves had a nice contrast of chewy plump dough and fried crispy bottoms. The interiors was rather pitiful though with only half of each dumpling filled with the pork and cabbage filling. Flavours were there and as you should but it was disappointing to be eating mostly dough.

Pork Sil-Mil is a dim sum variant that was new and unique for me: four pieces of non-descript meat (I think it is pork) is wrapped with glutinous rice and steamed to perfection. I enjoyed the glutinous rice as it soaked up the fattiness from the meat and gave the dish a slight crispy texture. The flavour though was non-existent with diners having to resort to the supplied hot sauce for any semblance of taste.

These Shrimp Dumplings were also average. The four dumplings were filled with a combination of shrimp and bamboo which gave it a nice sweetness and textural crispness. I have to fault them on the tough skins that were too thick for the amount of filling inside.

One cannot question the value of New Hong Kong Snack Shack. With each item being a few dollars each and flavours that were overall okay, it is no wonder why flocks of patrons stream to the restaurant for a quick bite of lunch. With that said there are much better dim sum and Chinese restaurants in the city and while they may cost a little more, the flavours much better resemble authenticity.

East Ocean - Decent Non-Westernized Chinese

I find my viewpoint of Chinese restaurants swayed by my heritage. In truth, there are two types of Chinese restaurants in any major city, those catering towards Westernized Chinese foods (think Ginger Beef, Chicken Fried Rice, Chicken Balls) and those towards traditional authentic Chinese cuisine. Having grown up on traditional foods, I always find it difficult to even try the Westernized restaurants ... and thus I have found a slight dirge of Chinese posts on this blog. You can imagine my joy when browsing through Winnipeg's Zomato I found East Ocean Restaurant.

Located in the heart of downtown on Hargrave Street, East Ocean Restaurant is not in the most pleasant of areas of Winnipeg. While the socioeconomic status of any region should not deter a customer to dine there, I could not help but feel a bit apprehensive about dining here. Nevertheless the welcoming sign beckons diners into the modest restaurant. The interiors are truly sparse and meant for speed and utility rather than aesthetics.

The menu is thankfully a nice combination of the usual dishes one would find in an authentic Chinese restaurant. The breakdown of the menu is through the different types of proteins including chicken, duck, beef and pork with further menu options for noodles and rice dishes. Sounds pretty usual, no? Well a good way to determine the authenticity of a restaurant is if they offer "Hot Pot" type dishes, a style of cooking that serves the one pot wonders in traditional stone bowls. Another way is to look for more luxurious items, such as Peking Duck, Chinese Style Lobster or special soups like a Fish Maw Soup. Finally the presence of a specific Chinese menu is also a great indication towards the authenticity (just go with someone who can read it though).

One of my favourite dishes growing up was Crisp Chicken w/ Green Onion & Ginger Sauce and while the version here was not exactly perfect, it was serviceability reminiscent of my childhood. The key to this dish is the dichotomy of the crispy exterior with the saltiness and sweetness imparted from the soy sauce and the sharpness given by the onion and ginger. I found the frying job here subpar giving the chicken only the slightest of crispy-ness. Further exacerbating the problem is the use of dark soy here which was missing the usual lightness and sweetness found in light soy.

Egg Plant & Minced Pork w/ Salted Fish Hot Pot is also a personal favourite of mine. Served in a hot stone (or metal) bowl, the dish is filled with tender eggplant, minced pork, vegetables and salted fish, all tossed and stewed in a thick soy based sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed the incredibly tender pieces of eggplant and thought the interplay between the creamy vegetable played well with the sharpness of the salted fish. Again the dish was overly salty and the sauce too one-dimensional and missing some of the sweet and bitter tones one usually finds in the dish.

Needing to make my parents happy, I always order a vegetable with every meal and the choice for today was Gai Lan in Garlic Sauce. Gai Lan, sometimes referred to as Chinese broccoli, is a leafy green that consists of a crunchy stalk with slightly bitter and sweet leafs. Classically frying it in garlic sauce imparts an incredible aroma alongside the wok imparted flavours of bitter, sweet and salty. I have no faults with the version here and appreciated the large portion of appropriately fried greens.

Overall East Ocean have to be commended for offering authentic Chinese cuisine, something that the majority of Chinese style restaurants here lack. While each dish had some faults and difficulties, the flavours were mostly there and each cooked well enough to be reminiscent of proper authentic Chinese food, and for that, East Ocean should at least deserve a visit.

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.

Thida's - Above Average Thai

Post-call spring days are the best. Being able to wake up and still see the sun in the sky brings a sense of relief that I had not wasted the entire day away sleeping. After a short time up, my stomach usually starts coming to life complaining that it had been neglected for the past few hours. Like a puppy asking for a snack, it would start with a slight growl but then turn into a churning sensation forcing me out of bed with a uncontrollable urge to quench its need. Thankfully Winnipeg has still a laundry list of restaurants for me to try and so after a quick perusal of Urbanspoon, I landed upon Thida's Thai Restaurant.

On Donald Street in Downtown Winnipeg, Thida's Thai came with great recommendations from both attendings and fellow restaurants. The large red sign welcomes and beckons you forward into the small restaurant. The interiors are not anything to shout home about, with dark and messy hallways that give a sense of claustrophobia to diners when they initially arrive, especially when trying to navigate the large line of patrons there for pick-up.

Calling themselves authentic is strong and boastful. In truth, the restaurant does feature the regular standard Thai dishes you would expect. The basics of fried noodle, curries and fried rices (with any combination of meats) are all prominently featured. Amongst them are a nice mixture of appetizers and a few more unique fish and seafood curry and stir fry dishes. Each dish comes with a spice rating from 1 to 10 with the average being a 3, allowing the diner to customize their meal to the umpteenth degree. Overall a serviceable menu that offers something that everyone should enjoy.

Pad Thai Chicken is usually my dish of choice when dining at a Thai restaurant and the version here was excellent. The tender rice noodles were adorned with large chunks of tender chicken breast tossed in a tamarind based tomato-ey sauce. In fact it was the sauce, with its wonderful combination of sweet, salty, sour and savoury, that worked to combine everything together into a unified dish. Crunchy peanuts and crispy bean sprouts finished the dish by adding a nice textural element.

Pad Keow Waan (Green Curry) with Beef was unfortunately not as good. The large bowl of curry had a huge number of vegetables and topped with large amounts of sliced beef. While the base curry was excellent with rich coconut milk and the perfect amount of sweetness and spicyness, the large vegetables felt tacked on and were not cooked long enough to absorb the essence of the green curry sauce. The beef, on the other hand, was disappointingly tough and completely devoid of flavour, almost to the point of inedible.

Thida's Thai was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, the Pad Thai was excellent and ranks highly as one of the better versions I have had in Winnipeg; while on the other, the curry was disappointingly lacking and the meat rendered inedible. Overall, the inconsistency of the restaurant make it difficult for me to uniformly recommend Thida's Thai. Perfect for those in the area and craving Thai food, but know there are much better restaurants in the city that deliver consistently tasty Thai.

Kokeb Restaurant - Tasty Ethiopian

Playoff fever has hit the city of Winnipeg. Making the playoffs for the first time since relocating here, the Jets have given the rabid fanbase something to cheer about ... and often. Reminiscent of 2005-2006 when my Oilers made a Stanley Cup run, you can feel the energy and enthusiasm percolating through the streets as the umpteenth number of jerseys and car flags pass you by. Of course then, you would expect the majority of bars and restaurants cashing in on the new business as customers now have an excuse to open up their wallets and enjoy a meal prior to a game. One of those businesses in downtown Winnipeg is Kokeb Restaurant, an Ethiopian establishment featuring tasty curries and delicious stews in the heat of downtown.

Kokeb is located on Edmonton Street in a busy stretch of downtown just off of Portage Avenue. The restaurant has modern esque exteriors with a large window front and a brightly coloured banner enticing customers forward. The interiors are, in contrast, homey and reserved with bright wallpaper and a random assortment of mismatched tables and chairs. Definitely a cool place to hang out for a few hours while waiting for a game or event.

The menu is small and features the basic Ethiopian dishes one would expect. The basis of the cuisine are their curries and stir fries which feature a bevy of protein options including lamb, beef, pork and chicken. The vegetarian options are equally impressive with a large number of tasty cabbage, bean and chickpea dishes available. In fact, most of the Urbanspoon reviews rave mostly about their vegetarian dishes, including a incredibly cheap lunch buffet offered during the weekdays. The star and uniqueness of Ethiopian cuisine is of course in the use of Injera, a fresh sourdough crepe that becomes the vehicle to consume the curries and meats. Wanting to try a few dishes, me and my dining companion split a Veggie Combo and a meat curry.

From the top going clockwise: Green Lentils, Tikil Gomen (Cabbage and Carrot Stew), Qeye Seir (Beets and Cabbage), Salad, Misir Wot (Red Lentils in Berbere Sauce), Potatoes Stew, Dinich Wot (Potato Stew in Berbere Sauce), Salad, Defin Misir (Blended brown lentils). In the middle is the Yegel Tibis (Smoked Lamb).

This behemoth of a dish was an excellent collection of delicious Ethiopian dishes. The standouts were, as expected, the vegetarian dishes with succulent and rich curry sauce enveloping potaotes in the Dinich Wot, and tender beets with crisp cabbage with tangy vinagrette in the Qeye Seir, and the smooth smokey blended beets in the Defin Misir. The lamb was unfortunately dry and overcooked rendering it devoid of its flavour. In fact we continually went back to the vegetarian combo and preferred it over the lamb dish.

As with all Ethiopian food, Kokeb delivers a few large rolls of Injera to eat with the meal. With no utensils in site, one realizes quickly that Injera becomes the vehicle and utensil of choice. The bread has a nice sour aroma and flavour that contrasts well with the luxurious curries, and is soft and delicate enough to soak up all the delicious sauces. Accompanying the Injera is a small dish of tasty salty Jalapeno spread that adds heat to the meal.

Overall Kokeb delivers quality Ethiopian cuisine. The true standout dishes were the vegetarian options and given their quality, Kokeb offers incredible value for the low price charged. Perfect for anyone in the area looking for good African/Ethiopian food, just get your protein load elsewhere.

Corso 32 - Divine Italian (Number 30 of Edmonton 30 in 30)

The hallmark of a top restaurant is when their appeal moves outside of their home market and into the collective consciousness of the global food community. For many years now a collection of top Edmonton restaurants always seemed to include a small Italian shop on Jasper Avenue; a small shop that served upscale and progressive Italian cuisine; a small shop that, lovingly, became notoriously difficult to procure a reservation; a small shop by the name of Corso 32. You can imagine my shock when a chef in Winnipeg, upon realizing I came from Edmonton, demanded if I had ever eaten at Corso and who, after finding out I had, raved for seemingly an hour about the incredible food here. International gravitas indeed.

On the corner of 103rd and Jasper Avenue, Corso 32 is an easy gem to miss. Located on the bottom floor of a two story building, there is nary any signage that welcomes one to the restaurant. Instead the large red painted letters on the outside window serve as the only advertisement of the restaurant. A different story unwinds, however, when you step inside and are greeted by the handsome oak wooden tables, dim and romantic lighting and the welcoming staff that beckon you towards your table. The menu is simple, small but forceful. As you read, the richness and weight of each dish can be felt with each description weaving a tapestry of excitement in your taste buds. The chefs take a combination of exotic luxurious ingredients and local farm raised produce with Italian techniques to create a decadent menu that is both extravagant and functional.

Our table had a collective gasp when we dove into the Egg Yolk Gnudo and saw the gorgeous yellow yolk seemingly out of the pasta. The gnudo had a surprisingly delicate flavour with creaminess of the egg yolk working well with the saltiness of the ricotta. The base of baby swiss chard elevated the dish by adding freshness, colour and a slight bitterness that rounded out this excellent appetizer.

The initial bite of the Speck had a surprisingly sharp flavour from freshly shaved horseradish and while strong, it helped to elevate the smoky fatty aroma of the cured pork. Balance is further achieved by the sweet and crisp pink lady apple slices. While the first nibble was sharp, we became tolerant of the horseradish in each subsequent bite and quickly appreciated the balance of flavours here.

Our favourite pasta was the Cavetelli with pork and funnel sausage finished with salty Pecorino cheese. Each loving bite of tender pasta had the perfect mixture of aromatic tomato-ey sauce, fatty sausage and salty cheese. My favourite component though was the addition of Broccoli Rabe as they provided a delightful crunch of bitterness that contrasted the other flavours well.

Special of the day was an Agnolotti Cacio Pepe. A simple filled pasta with beef and vegetables, it is finished with salt, pepper and a black truffle pecorino moliterno. The aroma of the truffle was paramount and while it was a strong aromatic presence it did not overpower the flavour of the dish. Actually it was the interplay between salty cheese and grainy black pepper that stood out in this dish.

One of our dining companions went with the Cornish Game Hen "Al Mattone". The hen was extroadinarily tender with a crisp sweet and slightly bitter exterior encapsulating tender sweet flesh on the inside. The key here was the sauce, a brown butter and sage jus that worked well with the squash and apple panzanella to compliment the intentionally muted flavours of the chicken.

Our only disappointment of the day was the  Garganelli. The al dente pasta was tossed in a traditional Ragu and finished with fresh Parmigiano ... and that's it. Well I appreciated the depth of the tomato flavour in the ragu and the sharpness of the cheese, this overall felt muted and underscored by the rest of our dishes.

This divine Vanilla Panna Cotta features the silky smooth custard on a bed of pistachios and grappa, a grape based liquor. The combination of smooth egg-y custard works well with the fruity liquor but it is the interplay of textures between the panna cotta and crisp pistachios that elevate this dish to greatness. Delicious!

Similarly the Gelato Affogato was divine. Finished with a herbal Amaro liquor, each bite had a nice mixture of smooth cool cream with sharp bitter liquor and coffee flavour. A small dish but packing tons of flavour.

This Chocolate Torta is featured in Avenue Magazine as the best dessert of 2015. The cake has a dense and rich chocolate aroma and flavour that is counteracted by the salty, crispy and bitter hazelnuts. The hazelnuts, slightly toasted, are a genius addition as it provides an excellent balance to the luxurious velvety chocolate.

Definitely saving the best for last, Corso 32 is deserving of every accolade it has been afforded to date. Stylized and progressive, this is Italian cuisine at its best and Edmontononians should be proud to have such an luxurious and impressive restaurant in their backdoor. Corso 32 takes the best of Italian techniques and transforms humble local ingredients into works of art; and it is truly this process that makes this restaurant one of the best I have ever dined at in the world.

And so I finish up my thirty Edmonton blog posts in thirty days. I would be remiss if I did not comment also on my wonderful friends and family that have dined and supported me through this process and who have shaped and transformed who I am. I am exceedingly impressed by the variety and quality of Edmonton's food scene and cannot wait to return to see what new restaurants and flavours have arisen.

Rostizado - Tremendous Latin American (Edmonton 30 in 30)

Tres Carnales arrived at the moment of Edmonton's stratospheric jump into modern haute cuisine. Indeed it was the airing of "You Gotta Eat Here" that piqued everyone's initial impression of Tres Carnales. Based off a concept of Mexican style cuisine with local ingredients, they then took the food scene by storm and put Edmonton on the proverbial food map of Canada. Using their success of the first restaurant, the owners decided to create a new establishment based on the concept of Mexican infused rotisserie meats. That restaurant came to be Rostizado and, like its old cousin, has consistently been on the top of Urbanspoon's Talk of the Town.

The restaurant is located on the corner of 104th Street and 103rd Avenue. Found in the northern tip of Downtown, Rostizado is betting on the eventual development surrounding the arena to build up their clientele. Handsomely presented, the large neon sign (that reminds you of their Tres Carnales owners roots) beckons you forward. And boy what a payoff! The restaurant is new age with low dim lighting, gorgeous art and tasteful decor. Helpful wait staff try their best to entertain you as you make the sometimes long wait for a table (reservations are only allowed for groups of eight or more).

The menu is small and based upon their rotisserie. They offer two protein variants, a pollo (chicken) and a puerco (pork) which serve the basis upon which patrons add with a number of appetizers, all with Mexican flare, and a number of tasty side dishes. Rostizado strives to serve fresh local produce and proudly displays their partner farms that they receive their meat and produce from.

These Tamales were excellent. This version of the classic Mesoamerican dish takes corn based dough, combines it with their roasted chicken, wrapped around a corn husk and steamed to tenderness. Encapsulating everything in the corn husk is a old and tried method that allows the ingredients to cook within its own juices. But truly it was the balance of flavours, from the starchy yet grainy dough with a fiery salsa roja (red sauce) to the cool brown butter cream and smooth queso fresco, that makes this dish stand out.

Platter of 2 is one of their marquee dishes and one that stands out in their menu. Doubling the protein quota with a half order of their rotisserie chicken and pork, this is the best way to indulge and experience Rostizado. The platter is indeed humongous and includes a side of roasted potatoes, an unlimited supply of Mexican soft tortillas and a trio of sauces: Chimicchuri, Salsa Verde and an Argentinean Hot Sauce.

Rosti-Pollo was the table favourite of the two protein options. Oven roasted to lock in the juices, this rotisserie chicken had a delightful sweet and slightly bitter char on the skin that went incredibly well with the awesomely tender meat underneath it. Popping these into a tortilla topped with your choice of sauce finalizes the flavour profile.

Rosti-Puerco (Roasted Pork) was similarly delicious with a smooth fatty flavour profile mixed in with a heavy accent of cilantro and rosemary. In fact, this pork was some of the most tender I have had in Edmonton! Furthermore they go delightfully well when packed into the middle of the mild corn tortilla which adds in a blander starch element to the dish.

The included Rosti-Papas are your average run of the mill roasted potatoes. Rostizado does indeed roast them well to the point of tenderness, but fail to infuse any further flavours into the taters. Granted this is meant as an accompaniment in the Platter of 2 and when taken from that light, they do act well as a bland starchy contrast to the flavour-filled meats.

Rostizado offers a few sides on top of the rotisserie meats. Frijoles Charros, fried pento beans, were surprisingly presented as a soup! The broth had a nice sharp spicy aroma and flavour to it while the beans added a meaty punch to each bite. Cilantro finishes the dish with a much needed herbal freshness.

Roasted Carrots are humbly named but full of royal flavour. The use of a lime, serrano and honey based vinaigrette is a calculated one as it infused sweetness, tartness and spice to the fork tender vegetables. Balance of textures is achieved from the addition of almonds. Delicious.

As customary now with my current group of dining companions, we went with Churros Con Dulce de Leche as our dessert option. Large pieces of fried dough are coated with sugar and cinnamon and served with a "dulce de leche" sauce. This was, unfortunately, the only dish that did not work for the group as: technically, the dough was too dense and a tad undercooked; and thematically, the flavour too simple and reminded us of tastier variants we ate from the summer fair.

Rostizado is a bold addition to the Edmonton dining scene. Although created by the team of Tres Carnales, they take a different approach to dining serving up immense protein rich mains, cool and refreshing salsas and tasty accompanying sides. In the end, the food was excellent with delightfully tender meats and well executed sides with a twist in Mexican flavours. A definite visit for anyone in town.