REVIEW | TSUJIRI | EDMONTON

How much do I love matcha? A latte.

Judging by all the fanfare surrounding Tsujiri's first western Canada location, it seems like Edmontonians do too.

Established in Uji of Kyoto, Japan, Tsujiri is a globally recognized tea brand with a 155 year old history. During our short stay in Kyoto last May, we actually planned to visit Tsujiri there. In the end, we ended up settling for another matcha cafe that had a shorter wait. A year later, the stars must have aligned in my favour since I don't have to buy another plane ticket to finally try it out.

Tsujiri opened in mid-May, in the same 109 St. building that also houses Coco's, Chix Shack, and The Pint. Although I was excited for Tsujri to open, I ended up waiting a bit before trying it out, hoping the lines and hype would lessen somewhat. A month later, on a Sunday afternoon, the place was predictably busy, but the line definitely more manageable in terms of numbers.

Tsujiri is a sleek brand; although the teahouse is painted black, light wooden slats and feature walls help create a calm, serene environment (amidst the actual chaos). I would say one design flaw of the space is that the only menu is located on a wall in the middle of the store by the cash register. It's impossible to see if you're waiting further back, lest you risk losing your place in line to take a closer look. Until they help remedy that problem with posting another menu or having paper menus available, I recommend figuring out what you want to order before you visit. (There's probably a photo of the menu uploaded somewhere on the interweb.)

We reached the front of the line after five minutes or so. The staff at Tsujiri were super friendly and seemed well-trained. The girl working cash provided recommendations and was able to answer all the questions that people had. They were also apologetic about wait times, but I'm sure a little more time and experience would help iron out any efficiency kinks. As for space to dine in, it's quite limited. There's a bar counter with seven stools, four or five tables, and a hidden tatami room in the back for larger groups. It doesn't seem like people linger too long after finishing their drinks/desserts, as we were able to secure a table a couple minutes after receiving our order.

Since MH lives in Toronto, she was able to try Tsujiri before us plebeians. She ended up really liking her yuzu citron float with matcha soft serve ($6.75) and said it was her favourite item that she's had so far. I could see it being really refreshing on a hot day.

I decided to get one of their matcha parfaits. They have three different kinds, but the most popular (ie. the prettiest and most instagrammable) is the sakura parfait. I opted to get the matcha/vanilla mix which is $8.00. If you want only matcha soft serve, it's just slightly more expensive at $8.25.

Workers are careful and meticulous about presentation, so it takes a little bit of time to make. The sakura parfait starts with a layer of genmai, a Japanese brown rice cereal that had been roasted and puffed. It's a nice toasty and fragrant crunch when you finally reach the bottom of the cup. There's also a generous layer of red bean hiding in the middle, along with pieces of mochi, chestnut, and a pink shortbread cookie with an edible sakura baked onto it. The shortbread doesn't taste much like anything, but the bite with the sakura has a bit of a salty finish as the flower is pickled, salted, and dried. The real star of the show is the matcha soft serve! It has a strong matcha flavour but it's not overly bitter. If you're a matcha "beginner" as they call it, the vanilla definitely helps to balance and temper the flavour.  

Aside from drinks and parfaits, Tsujiri also has a variety of pastries/desserts available in a display case when you walk in. I originally wanted to try their yuzu tart but they weren't available at the time I went. They did have a matcha cake roll, matcha creampuff, and a matcha or kinkako daifuku. 

I got a matcha creampuff ($3.00) to go which came boxed in sleek packaging. The creampuff is actually quite big, about palm-sized. It's filled to the brim with a matcha cream and dusted off with even more matcha powder. The matcha flavour is very strong and quite bitter in this, so don't expect the creampuff to be very sweet at all. 

I'm super excited that Edmonton finally has a Tsujiri of its own, and I hear that Calgary should expect a location in the future as well! Tsujiri, I love you so matcha.

Tsujiri

tsujiri.ca

10173 109 ST

Edmonton, AB

(780) 757-5525

REVIEW | LA CARRAIA | EDMONTON

Now that we've been getting reasonably nice weather in Edmonton, it's officially the start of ice cream season! (To be fair, ice cream doesn't, or shouldn't, have a seasonal expiration date.)

Unlike our neighbours down south, blessed with their Village Ice Cream and Made by Marcus (no, I'm not jealous ... not at all), we don't really have much of an artisanal ice cream scene. Sure, we have plenty of bingsu and rolled ice cream, but they don't really count as the traditional ice cream we know and love.

But you know what's even better than ice cream?

Yes, that's right. Gelato.

Situated in the Mayfair on Jasper Ave., La Carraia is the second outpost of a Florence-based gelateria. Why they chose Edmonton out of all places to expand, I have no idea. But I'm glad our humble city is getting some recognition.

After dinner at Clementine, we originally had our eyes (and heart) set on Tsujiri for dessert. Plan A quickly turned to plan B when we saw the dreaded line-up. No matter, I'll take gelato as a consolation prize any day.  

The shop is quite small, and it can be a bit awkward and tight if you walk through the door and there's already people hovering around the display counter. It seems like most people grab and go but if you decide to stay in to eat, they have a few high tables and chairs on the perimeter. If the weather's cooperating, they also have some patio tables outside.

La Carraria's entire gelato repertoire is 40 flavours, but because of the limits of the display case, they only carry up to 24 flavours at a time.

Gelato is priced at $4.90 for a scoop, $5.90 for two scoops, and $7.50 for three. Waffle cones are a $1.00 extra. Staff are also eager to give samples before you make your choice.

KN went for a double scoop ($5.90) of cookies and Sinfonia Carraia (cream with orange sauce and dark chocolate). I tried both and have to say the cookies flavour tasted exactly like a chocolate chip cookie! The Sinfonia (Italian for symphony) has orange creamsicle vibes, but truthfully I'm not a huge fan of orange and chocolate together.

For me, I typically prefer lighter, fruitier flavours, and they had a few to choose from. I ended up with a double scoop of mixed berry and mango. Texture of the gelato was great. Smooth, creamy, and not too dense. I thought the mixed berry was the better of the two, as the flavour was more prominent.




Although I stand behind Bella Gelateria as the best gelato I've ever had (thus far), La Carraia does a good job of filling that void in my heart stomach.

La Carraia

lacarraia.ca

10067 109 Street NW

Edmonton, AB

(780) 244-0648

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REVIEW | MARI BAKESHOP | CALGARY

It's always been a distant dream of mine to open up my own bakery. I don't think I would quit my day job any time soon, but you know what's crazy? Someone already opened up my dream bakery. (The audacity!)

Introducing Mari Bakeshop! It's everything I've imagined, and more. Cute little space with tempting treats, savoury options, and fresh bread. Decor is minimal and clean; the walls painted in a muted palette of pink and grey with wooden slat accents. If IKEA designed a bakery, this would be it.

Located in Calgary's East Village, Mari Bakeshop is just a few months over a year old. They sit at the base of a condo tower, neighbouring other trendy boutiques and businesses. It was actually a bit of a struggle to get here due to construction downtown but it was definitely worth the frenzy and detours. 

Mari is the Korean word for roll, and that's exactly what they specialize in: pretty roll cakes with swirls of coffee, coconut, or fruit-flavoured cream. Also not to be missed is their choux, or creampuffs.

If you're not into sweets (if so, we can't be friends), they also have savoury options such as quiche and baguette sandwiches. Bread is also baked in small batches throughout the day so you won't have to wake up early to get a loaf fresh out of the oven.

Out of eight available flavours of choux, we got a box of six ($14.00). (In hindsight, we should've gotten all eight. Or a box of twelve. Or, actually, make that twenty.) I believe they have a set core of flavours, and will introduce some new ones for limited runs.

From left to right, top to bottom, we got vanilla, mango, matcha, chocolate, strawberry, and rocher. All the creampuffs are the perfect size for a small sweet treat. They feature a craquelin shell, flavoured pastry cream in the centre, and a white chocolate button as the cherry on top.

Craquelin is a paste that goes over top of choux dough before baking. It turns into an amazing crunchy and crumbly topping. The choux at Mari is thin but sturdy enough to hold all the pastry cream that they generously pipe inside. I had the vanilla and matcha flavour and they were both so delicious!

Before I knew it, my sister also devoured both her chocolate and rocher choux. The rocher choux was especially decadent -- filled with hazelnut cream and dipped in chocolate and chopped hazelnuts!

Truthfully I didn't think the roll cake would be anything special. My mom would get roll cakes from Chinese bakeries, but we would never be able to finish an entire loaf by the time it got stale. Maybe because they are nothing compared to the roll cake at Mari. I only managed to have a couple bites of the matcha roll cake ($4.50) before my mom finished the entire slice. The cake portion was super light and fluffy, and the cream was lightly sweet with a nice matcha flavour. Although I'll be coming back to Mari every time I'm in Calgary for their choux, I also wouldn't say no to picking up a roll cake or two.



And that's it. Bakeshop of my dreams.

Mari Bakeshop

www.maribakeshop.ca

529 Riverfront Ave SE

Calgary, AB

(587) 356-4461 

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REVIEW | CLEMENTINE | EDMONTON

Imagine this. You're on a flight, reach into your bag and realize your worst nightmare. You forgot your headphones. *Cue bloodcurdling scream.*

Now, if you don't want to give the airline more money for cheap throwaway headphones, there's always sleep to pass the time. Buuuuut, if sleeping upright with little to no leg room isn't your thing, you can reach into the seat compartment and pull out Air Canada's enRoute magazine.

While most people don't read enRoute 'just for funsies', it's always exciting when they release their Canada's Best New Restaurants nominees list. Reading about food never gets boring. That's why you're here right?

In 2017, Edmonton was super fortunate to have not one, not two, but three restaurants crack the top 10. Alder Room at #10, Cafe Linnea at #6, and at #5, darling Clementine.

Clementine sits on the ground floor of Pearl Condominium Tower, close to the likes of Ikki Izakaya and Bru Coffee + Beer House. Once you're in past the second door, it's a cozy and intimate space. There's two high tables situated by the windows, a communal table in the centre, and a fluted bench on the left side of the restaurant. Although reservations are recommended, the bar has plenty of seats available for walk-ins.

The menu is certainly dominated by drinks, as Clementine is a bar (a classy one though). Fancy cocktails, beers, ciders, wines, even absinthe, which, I hear, is not for the faint of heart. As for actual solid food that requires chewing, plates are conducive to sharing, as portions are on the smaller end (like tapas, but not really). Perfect for when you just want a small nibble while imbibing on your cocktail. If you want to make a full meal out of it, simply order more (but do be prepared to shell out a little more dough).

Although I don't drink, it felt like a waste to come to Clementine and not order something other than water. Thankfully they have a couple of 'refreshments,' which are non-alcoholic options. Our server actually recommended the drink I had my eye on, a tropical number with pineapple, cinnamon, lime, habanero, and seltzer ($5.00). It's quite a sweet drink; fruity from the pineapple and tart from the lime. I couldn't detect any cinnamon notes but I really enjoyed the slight habanero aftertaste. KN went for an off-menu number, a rosemary lemonade ($5.00) which comes adorned with a whole rosemary sprig.

Also, shout out to Clementine for ditching the plastic straw -- every little bit helps! 

Onto the food! We started off with an order of crispy potatoes ($10.00), little nuggets twice-fried in duck fat. Double frying ensures that the potatoes are crispy on the outside but soft and tender inside. The potatoes come on a bed of canola aioli, and then draped with shaved pickled potatoes. It's recommended to eat all the components together in a single bite. The potatoes were a bit unevenly seasoned but besides that, it hits all the right points: crispy, creamy, salty, vinegary.

On our next plate, slices of kanpachi sashimi ($22.00) came marinated in an aged red rice miso. Shaved cucumbers and microgreens accompanied, lightly dressed in a beer vinegar. Kanpachi is a yellowtail fish, a bit firmer and meatier than say, tuna. Nothing particularly stood out about this dish but it was light and a refreshing change of pace from the heavier stuff.

Clementine's menu changes according to what's in season, but an item that been a mainstay is their stuffed Aveyron pancakes ($16.00). Breakfast for dinner. This recreates that experience but certainly with more elevated flavours and ingredients. Sourdough rye pancakes come stacked with jambon de Paris, swiss chard, fromage blanc, and a drizzle of clover and tonka bean honey. I didn't care for the tanginess of the fromage blanc but the other ingredients created a nice blend of savoury and sweet. The pancakes are definitely on the heavier, denser side so a plate of these will certainly fill you up.

And last but not least, my favourite dish of the night, hands down, was the rabbit & haskap berries ($22.00) with wild mushrooms and cipollini onions. The rabbit is cooked confit-style, and served in tender shredded pieces. It was my first time trying rabbit and just like other exotic meats (ie. frog legs and alligator), it kind of tastes like chicken. Who knew? KN actually didn't care for the taste of rabbit but that just meant more for me!

I've also come to realize that my dislike of mushrooms are only of the button variety, because I've grown to love wild mushrooms everywhere that I've had them so far. The morel mushrooms were nice and meaty, and the cipollini onions were sweet and caramelized. There was also a side of whipped mashed potatoes that was super smooth and light.



Prior to visiting Clementine, I read a lot of online reviews which were all really mixed. In a way, that may have lowered my expectations but I definitely think it's always worth trying out places for yourself. It also helped that we came on a slower Sunday night where we could really take our time, chat with our server, and have comfortable conversation without straining our voices or feeling rushed.

All in all, it was a fine time at Clementine.

Clementine

www.barclementine.ca

11957 Jasper Avenue

Edmonton, AB

(780) 756-4570

 

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