Asiago, Parmesan and Garlic, Bruschetta

I must take a moment out of my busy day to rave about the new Twistos snack bites. It all started when I bought my first box in December from Costco. 3 boxes (that’s 2 X 280g per box, because of course Costco never sells in regular people quantities) later and I’m still hooked on these crispy bite sized snacks.

A product from the Frito Lay company, these miniature sliced baguette looking crackers are as crispy as they are tasty. The Parmesan & Garlic flavored ones, the flavor that originally reeled me in, have a strong garlic taste which I love. I’m a huge fan of garlic and parmesan, and as the package states, they are “seasoned so that they are irresistibly delicious right out of the bag”, these is no holding out of either flavor. The bag does not lie. There is no dip or spread required. I first served these at a family Christmas dinner, with a 3 onion dip, and noticed that at the end of the night all the Twistos were gone and the dip barely had a dent in it. The garlic after taste may seem a little strong for those who don’t fancy garlic. But for those are a fan, you won’t be able to stop after one piece. Twistos can now be spotted at grocery stores such as Walmart and Superstore, with other flavors including Asiago and Bruschetta, which Costco did not have displayed. The Asiago flavor has strong hints of cheese flavor, and would probably entice those with anti-garlic taste buds. Very similar in taste sans the garlic, the two flavors, Asiago and Parmesan & Garlic, are slightly difficult to separate and distinguish. The Bruschetta flavor however, surprisingly tastes like Bruschetta! There is a lovely basil flavor along with a tiny pang of sweet tomato. A pretty impressive attempt to capture all the flavors of Bruschetta in a small cracker.

A nutritionist I am not, but I do know that for per every 17 crackers there is 120-130mg of salt (depending on the flavor), which definitely won’t damage your diet too badly. A label on the package advertises that Twistos are made with all natural flavors, although the last ingredient on the list just says “colour”, and I also noticed corn maltodextrin as one of the seasoning ingredients. But really, in the end, that doesn’t bother me enough to ask questions.

Bottom line is, these are some of the best snacks I’ve tasted in a while. Much more exciting that a plain ol’ cracker, and also offers the same amount of crisp and crunch as a chip. Try them, I hope you will find them as addicting as I do!

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Excusez-moi, j’ai faim et que vous voulez le repas parfait (for all you English speaking folk, that’s “Excuse me, I’m hungry and want the perfect meal”).

Indeed some of Edmonton’s most talented restaurants are hidden in small neighbourhoods and solemn alleyways, but this restaurant is neither. La Persaud is located just off the eastern end of 82nd Avenue along 91st Street. Camouflaged within the complex of Conceil Scoliaire Centre-Nord, the small restaurant can barely be seen from a moving vehicle. I’ve passed that area many times en route to the Bulgolgi House, but was never aware of La Persaud until recommended by my dear friend Lindsay (who is also a professional chef and going to be famous one day!). A large board is stationed outside the door of a strip mall, directing you into a building reminiscent of a medical center. However down a short flight of stairs, turn left through a plain looking door and you step into an entirely new world.
Where do I start with La Persaud besides mentioning it is one of the very few restaurants in Edmonton where everything was astounding? All 7 dishes were tried and tasted, all 7 were amazing (well ok, 6 ½ were amazing… don’t worry I will elaborate on my odd grading scale). An amuse-bouche of scallop ceviche and we are ready for appetizers! 3 appetizers were shared amongst 2 people due to the result of indecisiveness. Fois gras, steak tartar, and pork belly. The Fois Gras was good. Presented on a clean white plate with grilled apples rings and pine nut puree, it was an iconic French dish where the presence of fois gras itself says it all. The steak tartar was tastier. Moulded into a square topped with a plump quail egg, the steak had the perfectly balanced amount of spice, onion, and vinegar flavours. Served with a bed of freshly fried potato crisps, it was good enough to rival Continental Treat, my current favourite place for steak tartar in the city. The best dish out of the trio is the pork belly. This tender tower of pork with a top layer of silky fat was so savoury my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Alternating with perfectly cooked scallops like a checker-board, this plate was by far our favorite.

Onto the mains, potato crusted halibut and green pea risotto. The halibut was perfectly cooked, flakey, moist, and tender, with a fried paper thin potato crust that was crisp to the bite. Now I’m not one to normally order risotto at such a restaurant (this privilege is typically reserved for the Italians), nor am I one to order a vegetarian dish, but for this rare decision I am grateful. It was one of the most flavourful vegetarian risotto’s I have tasted. This petite looking, but very filling, bowl of rice was absolutely amazing. Strings of cheese stretched as my spoon travelled from bowl to mouth, enveloping pieces of tender asparagus, chopped tomatoes and artichoke hearts. So tasty, even the leftovers the day after were delicious. That and the pork belly were by far the highlights of the evening.
This is not to say that desert was a disappointment. The choices were narrowed down to lemon custard tart and Pavlova. The lemon custard was definitely made with fresh lemon juice, so fresh in fact that something less tart was needed to break up the acidity between bites (the half point lost on my scoring system). The Pavlova was a first for me, not just at La Persaud, but a first time ever. Even though I had nothing to compare it to, the meringue was crispy, light, and delicious (it also aided in balancing out the lemon tart!). Maybe not as picturesque as the Donna Hay version on Australia Masterchef, but never-the-less, still delectable.

7 dishes between 2 people, needless to say it was a great dinner. Aside from the rather acidic lemon tart, all dishes were close to perfection, and I would eat each and every one all over again.

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by Jason Fong

“Excuse me how would you like your chicken prepared?”

“Boiled please.”

“Alright, one boiled chicken coming right up.”

Not the most appetizing way you would want chicken served. Then again if it was not for this style of cooking, we would not have this miraculous dish.

Typically, this style of chicken is known as Haianese chicken or Hoi Nam style chicken. Where this culinary adventure takes you to find the best of the best Hainanese chicken is at Café D’Lite in Vancouver. As I was visiting my friend for the first time in Vancouver, it was lunch time when I stepped off the plane into his car. The first word that came out of my mouth was “FOOD!” followed by “NOW!” Luckily everyone was in the same frame of mind, so our host takes us to a small little restaurant that barely fits 20 people, with a lineup that goes out the door. Once inside, we even had to share a table with a stranger. We are about to open the menu when our host tells us to put it down and just have the chicken he ordered. We agree as we are too hungry to argue, and are willing to wait for this chicken that he speaks of. We expect the norm of how this dish is usually served, whole chicken chopped up, served cold on one plate, chicken-flavored rice in a separate bowl, with green onion and ginger sauce on the side for dipping. But to our delight, we were presented with a mound of rice in the middle, surrounded by warm de-boned chicken arranged in an outer circle, fresh cucumbers drizzled with a sweet soy sauce, plus a dish of half green onion and ginger sauce with the other half being a sweet chili sauce.

The first bite was simply a foodgasm of flavor. The chicken is tender and silky, while being infused with aromas of garlic and spice from simmering in a stock. Sauce for the chicken is a homemade mix of pureed green onion, ginger, oil and salt. Sounds simple, but an improper ratio will sauce to become too bitter or too spicy. The sweet chili sauce, although I cannot confirm what is in it, is most likely chili, sugar and shavings from a unicorn horn for that magical taste. The swirling of the 2 sauces together for dipping of the chicken makes it amazing. Realizing when you are stuffed, that you and your friends each ate ¾ of a chicken makes the experience worthwhile.

Now it may seem like a case where I was hungry and that anything would taste great, but I have proof through my journey home. I was stopped at customs on my return flight at the Vancouver airport, and was asked to open my luggage for inspection, as during the luggage scan they could not make out one of the images. Upon inspection, they could not believe that somebody was trying to bring home 4 chickens with sauces, ziplocked and tupperwared carefully onto the plane. Yes, it was good enough to bring home to share with my people deprived of good chicken.

The Café has moved and expanded from its humble beginnings to a larger restaurant, plus a Café Express in Aberdeen mall. Make the chicken run and don’t feel embarrassed if you decide to bring it home on a plane. You are not alone.

This post in written by Jason Fong, and edited by Evonne Li

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Now, I’m not one to hold grudges, and everything deserves a second chance. Especially poutine. My second trip to La Poutine was an improvement. I flew solo and took my poutine to-go in order to avoid fighting for a seat. I went with my original gut feeling and ordered the Poutine Supreme – beef gravy, fresh cheese curds, real bacon bits, sour cream, and chopped green onions. Now that was a much better poutine. There was more flavor, more pizzaz, but also, unmistakably more grease.  Ironically my previous infatuation with the squeaky cheese curds have dissipated, and now created an awkward mouth-feel when chewed. Progress was made from the last visit, but it still did not sweep me off my feet. The hours of operation are great, and very suitable for the location and type of clientele. And although neither experiences were fabulous, I admire the owners for their entrepreneurship in launching this new and unique idea in Edmonton.

The Traditional

Poutine Supreme

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Undercover Gourmet goes Catering!

Aiming to please small and medium-sized events such as baby and bridal showers, weddings, birthdays, and meetings, our menu is made up of bite-sized delectables, prepared from scratch with, of course, a gourmet twist. Please visit our website for more details! 

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I need a Delux Burger Bar in my neighborhood. Please!

Delux is the perfect example of a friendly neighborhood restaurant. Except the décor is much more modern, and the menu is not as traditional as your average ma’ and pa’ joint. The service is still friendly and casual, children of all ages are welcome, and it’s close to home. If you live in the West End, that is.

To be honest, I’m not such a fan of Century Grill and Lux, but Century Hospitality Group did something right with Delux Burger that caught my attention. Maybe it’s their jazzed up version of finger-licking burgers and nachos, or maybe it’s the adorable grocery carts the fries and onion rings are served in. Maybe it’s the perfect amount of complimentary cotton candy they offer when you get the bill. Whatever it is, Delux has me returning again and again. Their version of nachos with lobster is one of my favorites in the city, their hotdogs (although overpriced for a fancy version of dog with caramelized onions) are very tasty, but it is the Celebrity Burger that offers something new and exciting every time. Each month a local celebrity puts on their creativity hat and designs their version of a spectacular burger. What happens, you ask, is you find a burger you love but still want to order it months later? No can do. This is why you must return often. When in doubt, go for the Kobe Burger. The texture is great, it’s juicy, the patty is huge, and well, it just tastes darn delicious.

After many visits, dessert is still on my to-do list. Between the appetizer, the filling burger, and the sides, there’s just no more room… except for the cotton candy of course.

A second location is now open on Bourbon Street in West Edmonton Mall, which is great news, but a third location 10km south of that will bring it closer to become my neighborhood restaurant. Please?

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by Jason Fong

KFC. Do you just picture Colonel Sanders telling you your chicken is finger licking good? It may be true for most, but to me KFC is Korean Fried Chicken. This version of KFC is not available at just any Korean eatery. This KFC is only available at Lee House Restaurant, just south of Whyte Avenue on Calgary trail.  This chicken, appropriately named Lee House Fried Chicken on the menu, is most interesting to me as it comes in 3 distinct sections:

Sauce, Crunch, and Wow.

The sauce is a deep savory BBQesque type sauce with an Asian note. If you can imagine a Korean cowboy, do so now. I believe the sauce to be derived from tomatoes, bean paste and honey which gives it that sweet sticky feeling as it rolls off your tongue. The Crunch can only be brought to your attention by comparing it to potato chips. For example, you have a relatively good crunch from a regular potato chip, but compared to a kettle fried chip, the crunch is just that much more spectacular.  Something about kettle frying, which is how this chicken is cooked, gives it a supernatural texture. I will have to simply call it Crunch².  The Wow part is when you combine tasty chicken with the Korean cowboy BBQ sauce and Crunch². Your taste buds will be at your mercy, as they anxiously wait for teeth to sink into that fine piece o’ chicken. Another Wow is that even though the chicken is tossed in sauce, the chicken stays crunchy even to the next day after being warmed up in the microwave… that is if you had any leftovers to take home.

The next KFC item is the chicken balls. Do not mistake these chicken balls for what is normally produced in Western style Chinese restaurants. This is not a piece of chicken the size of a pea, encased in deep fried batter the size of an orange.  No sir (and madam). These kam poong gi chicken balls at Lee House are big chunks of whole chicken meat with skin on, floured and fried. The chicken balls are then tossed in a sweet spicy sauce, ready to destroy any diet you may be on. You will never have chicken balls quite like this any where else unless you are eating at the owner’s house.

If you are to have some KFC at Lee House it is best enjoyed on a cold day with friends. Add a few orders of the soon tofu stew (spicy seafood and soft tofu soup) and their version of pork belly and you will be having a delicious time.

This post is written by Jason Fong, and edited by Evonne Li

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I remember the day I received my invite to Ernest Dining Room as if it were yesterday. The work day is drawing to an end as I scramble to finish up my tasks when I hear the unmistakenable ‘ping’ from my inbox. I notice the sender and my heart beat quickens. I read the email, I gasp. I read the email again, I pause. A wave of excitement overcomes me, I smile. This was 3 months ago…

It’s a full house in Ernest Dining Room. Busy bodies are everywhere, excitement obviously in the air. The linens of Ernest are still as white and crisp as I recall them to be during my years as a student. Faces are familiar; the warm memories come flooding back.  I am momentarily lost in a haze of bliss. This is where my love for food began. Sadly when I completed my Culinary Arts Diploma back in 2005, the Chef in Residence program had not been established. Since its inception in 2009, NAIT has already invited 3 guest chefs. It is an unforgettable experience for students, instructors, and those who get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Our table is in a prime spot near the head of the restaurant, and consists of some well known local foodies, Miles Quon, Sharon Yeo, Liane Faulder, Mary Bailey, Valerie Lugonja, and Kevin Kossowan. Mr. Townsend (yes, I’m old school and still address Stanley as mister) sits at the head of our table, and graciously guides us through each course, explaining the colorful thought process of Chef Susur Lee. We also learn that Chef Lee is easy-going, patient, and is excellent with the students.

Our lunch begins with Spicy Lobster Tart with Bonito. This innocent looking tart had such incredible bold-flavors which were uncovered by each successive bite.

Glazed pancetta + tart + goat cheese + sundried tomatoes + olive + lobster = a brave and courageous debut

Our next course is Rack of Lamb with Chick Pea Puree.

Indian spice rubbed lamb + chickpea puree + mint chutney + cumin tomato sauce + sweet olives = modern Mediterranean scrumptiousness

The grand finale, and my favorite course of the day, is Vanilla Panna Cotta with Pineapple and Raspberry Ravioli. This is the first time I have seen such innovative presentation. The thinly sliced pineapple wrapped the panna cotta dome, like a skirt, as Liane chicly described it, was deliciously topped with a mouth watering fruit sauce. The amount of gelatin used in the panna cotta was perfect.

Vanilla panna cotta + pineapple “skirt” + raspberry coulis + passion fruit sauce = an unexpected tropical haven

Alas, all good things must come to an end. No thank you can express what a privilege it was to attend such an astonishing once-in-a-lifetime event. The event itself was flawless, the food which was laboriously prepared by the students of NAIT was amazing, the atmosphere was majestic, and the good company will be remembered forever. It was truly an honor to be there.

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