REVIEW | GINSENG RESTAURANT | EDMONTON

When you go for all-you-can-eat (AYCE), there are two stages that everyone inevitably goes through. Start off on a high, because who doesn't like unlimited food? You're a little trigger-happy at this point, checking off all those boxes on the ordering sheet or loading your plate up at the buffet. Then you eat and eat and eat. You might go for another round or two, depending on how much stomach space you've got. When you're in pain, you know you've hit the second stage: food coma, or in other words, instant regret.

Regardless of whether you cringe or celebrate at the mere mention of AYCE, you can't deny the lure of "value." Because it promises something for everyone at a fixed price, it's a popular pick for group gatherings and celebrations. (Heaven knows you can't go for AYCE on a regular basis without consulting your family physician and cardiologist first.)

While most AYCE places in the city are of the Japanese variety, another popular one (especially for carnivores) is Korean BBQ. Edmonton is a bit lacking when it comes to restaurant options, but one of the main, if only, restaurants serving AYCE Korean BBQ is Ginseng, located on the city's southside.

We came to Ginseng on a Thursday night, as SC's birthday celebration was a bit overdue, and Korean BBQ was her choice for dinner. My family and I have been to Ginseng a few times before, but it's been many many years since my last visit.

Walking in, AL was very smart to leave her jacket in the car, because as you know, your clothes will end up smelling like BBQ for days. That's one of the things you have to plan for. Just don't wear anything too fancy and you'll be okay. (KN even said she was wearing one of her pajama shirts). Grippy shoes would also be good because for whatever reason, their floors are super slippery.

Weekends at Ginseng are usually very busy, but a weekday, not so much. Each table and booth is outfitted with a grill along with a ventilation hood over top. The restaurant also has a "private" room in the back corner which is perfect for larger groups.

I'm pretty sure Ginseng has an actual menu that you can order from, but most people come here for AYCE. $36 per person grants you unlimited access to their buffet, as well as a drink with unlimited refills (pop, tea, or coffee).

I was more focused on the meat so I can't recall everything that was served on the buffet line. Also, the selection was more sparse than I remembered, but maybe because it was a weekday. Banchan included kimchi, bean sprouts, and radish. There was regular rice and fried rice for carbs, soup to warm you up, and vegetable fritters. Meats included beef, pork, chicken, and lamb, some marinated and some not. Seafood is also offered, from mussels, shrimp, to two cuts of squid (whole and strips). Vegetables round out the selection with carrot, onion, mushrooms, and zucchini, as well as lettuce for wrapping. Fruit is served at the very end as your "dessert."

We all loaded up plates and set to grill. Tongs and scissors are already provided at the table, along with two dipping sauces: hot sauce and a sesame-soy concoction. Since most of the meats are already marinated, I didn't find them as necessary.

Because you do everything on your own, staff don't come around that often, only to refill drinks or to replace the grill pan which blackens pretty quickly.

For the most part, the marinated meats are good but flavour is more on the muted side. The meat is tender if you cook it well, dry if you don't (but that's really on you). If you can eat a lot, $36 seems fair but it's a pretty penny regardless. I'd say food quality and selection is average, but you're paying more for the interactive experience of cooking your meal while spending time with friends.



If any of you ever try out Ginseng, do go hungry and don't forget your stretchy pants.

Ginseng Restaurant

9261 34 Ave NW

Edmonton, AB

(780) 450-3330 

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REVIEW | SUMO SUMO | SHERWOOD PARK

Now that the holidays are over, it's been difficult to get back into the swing of things (blogging included). I'm glad being consistent wasn't one of my New Year's resolutions because that ship has long sailed. Regardless, it had been a joyous and relaxing holiday season with family, friends, and plenty of food. My mom was graciously given a gift card to Sumo Sumo so that's where the whole family headed to for dinner on Boxing Day.

Sumo Sumo is a modern Japanese restaurant located in Sherwood Park. They've been around for a good number of years and I've visited on maybe two occasions prior to this outing. Though it might seem out of the way or a bit far to get to, it's easily accessible via the Henday.

On past visits, I've noticed that Sumo Sumo is a pretty popular spot, especially during the summertime with their patio. This time around, we made a reservation that may have not been necessary but I'd suggest doing so just in case.

The food at Sumo Sumo isn't particularly authentic but they also don't brand themselves as so. I would say they lean more towards the "fusion" end of the spectrum. The menu in particular has a good mix of approachable fare for those uninitiated in Japanese cuisine.

The holidays is a time for guilt-free indulgence (#treatyoself), so dad started out with a pint of Sapporo ($7.25). He's usually a Heineken guy so this was his first time having the popular Japanese beer. He mentioned that it was slightly stronger to what he normally drinks.

My brother and I aren't fans of oysters so the rest of the family had the deep fried oysters ($12.00) to themselves. The oysters were large and meaty, and served with a soy dip. By the colour, it looked a bit over-fried but the rest of the family enjoyed them nonetheless.

The assorted tempura ($13.00) was fairly standard, although it contained some items you normally don't see included. Two shrimps, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, yam, and red pepper.

Even though it wasn't on the menu, my mom wanted deep fried soft shell crab ($12.00) and they were able to oblige and make a special order for her. The crab was a fair size and battered similarly to the tempura. Can't go wrong with soft shell crab and my mom was happy.

The supreme sashimi platter ($55.00) was huge and presented beautifully on a bed of ice. The 30 pieces included salmon, tuna, octopus, yellowtail, snapper, surf clam, ami ebi, squid, and toro. The fish tasted fresh and sweet, and disappeared quite quickly between the five of us.

We normally stay away from ordering bridges/boats at Japanese restaurants because you order them more for presentation than the actual food. Since we had the gift card anyways, we decided to get one for the heck of it. The shogun bridge ($38.00) included 8 pieces of spider maki, 6 pieces of California roll, 3 pieces of salmon maki, 3 pieces of tekkamaki, 6 pieces of kappamaki, and 6 pieces of assorted nigiri. I'm too lazy to do the math and see if ordering a bridge/boat is more cost-effective, but it does take away some guesswork with deciding what to order. Although you can try a variety of items, I found there was nothing too special with the overall selection.

Sumo Sumo has "theme nights" from Monday to Thursday where certain menu items are offered at a discounted price. Since it was a Monday, all sushi pizzas were $8.00 after 4 PM (dine-in only). My mom's not one to pass up on a good deal so we ordered two. The sashimi pizza is the best value since they're normally on offer for $15.00. The sushi pizzas are basically served on a rice "crust" which is deep fried in panko. Various cuts of sashimi adorn this version, along with salad and masago mayo. The rice crust was a bit too thick for my liking and I'm not sure if I liked the combination of hot, greasy rice and raw fish.

The second one we got was the California pizza (original price $9.50) with crabmeat, cucumber, avocado, and mango mayo. I liked this one a bit better but I found the mango mayo to be a bit too sweet for me.

The volcano roll ($14.50) was my sister's choice. An inside-out roll with tempura shrimp and spicy crabmeat, topped with spicy scallops, sweet chili sauce, and spicy mayo. I'm not a fan of sweet chili sauce in general, so naturally, I wasn't a major fan of this roll as well. 

We also got a rainbow roll ($14.00), six pieces of a Japanese panko roll topped with slices of salmon, tuna, snapper, shrimp, and avocado. The Japanese panko made for a finer crumb than the usual tempura bits you see. Though the roll was fine, what I didn't like was that the slices were cut way too big. A bit impossible to eat without getting chipmunk cheeks.

Our last item was the dragon roll ($15.00), six pieces with eel, avocado, masago, sesame seeds, and eel sauce. It was the most simple one but I'd say this was the best roll out of the three.



Overall, Sumo Sumo is an alright choice if you're in the area but it wouldn't be my first choice for Japanese food. However, if you're interested in adopting a sumo diet, may I suggest their $35 all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch?

Sumo Sumo

sumosumosushi.com 

 #300 220 Lakeland Drive

Sherwood Park, AB

 (780) 416-7866

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REVIEW | TRES CARNALES | EDMONTON

** This restaurant is now closed. **

 

I might as well be the very last Edmontonian to have visited Tres Carnales. This hip and popular taqueria has been open in the heart of downtown since 2011, drawing lineups every lunch hour. Although the number of Mexican eateries in our city has improved considerably over the years (eg. Huma, El Cortez), Tres Carnales definitely holds some sort of monopoly over Mexican food in Edmonton.

Tres Carnales is named after its three owners, friends who came together wanting to bring authentic Mexican to our city's dining scene. Their success is well-documented and has allowed them to open sister restaurant, Rostizado, in 2014.

I've been to Rostizado around the time they first opened, and although it has been on my radar for a long time, a visit to Tres Carnales just never came to fruition. It has nothing to do with their location, which is actually super convenient for those working or living downtown. The main deterrent was the much talked-about lines I guess. You don't want to be waiting when you're hungry.

I came a bit late meeting KN so I wasn't able to experience their ordering system first-hand, but apparently you line up first to place your order before you're seated. Seating is often limited so some people opt for take-out instead.

On a Friday afternoon, the room is lively and bustling. The restaurant is considered fast-casual, and the decor certainly matches that feel. We were seated in their couch area which made it a little awkward to eat but I guess we were lucky enough to even have a spot.

Tres Carnales takes pride in sourcing sustainable and quality ingredients. All of their proteins (excluding their fish) are farmed within one hour of the city, while everything else including marinades are made from scratch. Their tortillas and bread are also made fresh locally.

The menu, written on chalkboards above the counter, is simple enough to navigate. Eight different protein choices, served as four tacos ($11.67), three quesadillas ($13.33) or as a torta ($15.00). Sides, drinks, and an additional rotating menu feature round it out nicely. 

KN got to the restaurant before I did so she ordered the salsa y totopos ($6.43) to nibble on while she waited. The house-made salsa was accompanied by a butcher paper cone filled with chips, presumably house-made as well. The salsa was chunky and fresh, with discernible pieces of tomato, onion, and cilantro. The chips are thick, crunchy, and hold up well, but they definitely were over-salted. Other than that, it's a good shareable appetizer to graze on before and during your meal.  



By hearsay, the pescado tacos ($11.67) seem to be the item to get at Tres Carnales. Unlike the other tacos, the pescado comes in orders of three. Since we were sharing, I appreciated the fact that our server let us know beforehand, giving us the option of adding on another taco if we wanted to.

The pescado tacos feature a lightly battered and fried red snapper adorned with cabbage slaw, tomato salsa, chipotle mayo, and sliced radish. Even though it was deep fried, the fish was light and tasted fresh. I thought the side avocado cream salsa wasn't necessary but KN thought the taco was on the blander side without it.   

We also ordered the al pastor tacos ($11.67), slow-roasted, marinated pork with diced onion, cilantro, and a side pineapple salsa. The tacos come in orders of four, with the meat resting on two tortillas, most likely to combat them breaking and becoming soggy. I thought the pork had really good flavour but the meat was on the drier side even though the tortillas were dripping with fat and juice.  



In the end, I'm glad to have finally crossed Tres Carnales off of my never-ending list of restaurants to try. I think the anticipation might have unfairly raised my expectations, because while Tres Carnales is good, it didn't necessarily blow me away. Temper your expectations somewhat before visiting and you won't be disappointed.

Tres Carnales

 trescarnales.com

 10119 100A St NW

Edmonton, AB

(780) 429-0911

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