REVIEW | BAOBAO 生煎 | EDMONTON

 

They say you are what you eat. And deep down inside, we're all just dumplings. Squishy little dumplings.

 

There's no debating that xiao long bao is the superior dumpling, but sadly, there's not very many places to get it in Edmonton. Shanghai 456 is the OG, Mr. Bun is the new kid, and BaoBao is sort of in between like the forgotten middle child. They opened in 2020 right before the pandemic shut everything down, so kudos to them for surviving when so many restaurants did not.

BaoBao has prime real estate on Jasper Ave, sharing the split level building with other local gems like Farrow Sandwiches and Lock Stock Coffee.

 

 

The environment at BaoBao is very laidback and casual. We came at the tail end of a rush, so we had to wait a few minutes before being seated. Service is friendly and fast, perfect for your downtown lunch break.

The menu is small but mighty. We decided to try their most popular items, starting off with the xiao long bao or pork soup dumplings ($9.99). The wrapper was on the thicker side, but it was by no means doughy. There was a decent amount of soup inside and the flavour of the pork was good. They're probably not the best in town, but I wasn't disappointed. They're such a comfort food.

 

 

The next "bao" we got were the sheng jian bao or traditional pan fried bao ($8.29). These only come in four, but they are a bit more substantial than your regular dumpling. Same juicy pork filling, but more thick and doughy, with a crispy seared bottom. I've been told the salted egg yolk version is even better.

 

We also tried the crispy chicken bao ($7.29), a fluffy steamed bao sandwiching a crispy chicken cutlet with arugula and sweet chili sauce. The chicken had a substantial batter with lots of crispy, craggly bits. It's a generously sized sandwich, so I would advise sharing to save stomach space for other goodies!

Our final dish was the spring scallion mixed dry noodles ($8.69). This appeared like very humble noodles, but they were quite flavourful. The noodles were tossed in soy sauce and a fragrant mix of garlic, fried onions, and scallions. Simple but well done.

BaoBao was surprisingly affordable for such good eats in the downtown core. It took me long enough to give them a try but my next visit can't come soon enough.

BaoBao 生煎

10544 Jasper Ave

(587) 523-5747   

 

 - CT

REVIEW | UNA PIZZA + WINE | EDMONTON

Hailing from the Alberta city down under, UNA pizza + wine has opened their first location in Edmonton. Una is Italian for "a," so their name simply means a place for pizza and wine. Since opening in Calgary in 2010, UNA is a well-established name in casual dining. They have 5 other locations in YYC and 1 location in Saskatoon. People clearly love pizza. And wine. Or both. 

The restaurant is located in South Common (a city planner's worst nightmare), right beside Blanco Cantina, another Calgary-based chain. Don't be confused like us. They actually share the same entrance, but split off in the middle with UNA to the left and Blanco to the right.

 

The restaurant has only been open for a few weeks, so it was a packed house when we arrived on a Sunday afternoon. Edmontonians like shiny new things. We ended up sitting at the bar since they were the only seats available. Being vertically challenged, bar seats are never my favourite since there's never a graceful way to enter and exit. But you make do.

 

The menu is conducive to sharing so we started off our meal with the arancini ($14.00). Arancini are Italian rice balls, breaded and deep fried. These in particular were stuffed with three cheeses and served with Parmesan aioli and basil oil.

These were delightful. They had a crisp outside and soft, melty inside. I do feel like the arancini would've benefited from a tomato sauce in addition to the aioli. Something acidic to brighten up the heavy, creamy bites.

 

 

We heard good things about the gnocchi bianca ($26.00) and they weren't wrong. The gnocchi were soft and fluffy, served in a white wine and garlic cream sauce. There was also no shortage of smoked bacon and cremini mushrooms.

For pizza, we went simple with the margherita pizza ($20.00). San Marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte, grana padano, basil oil, and Maldon salt. UNA's pizzas ares cooked on stone deck ovens. They do a thin crust style, with crisp bottoms and a slight chew. It's more than decent pizza, but I feel like fresh basil would've performed better than the oil.

 

With Winners and Homesense steps away, UNA pizza + wine was the perfect backdrop for our girl's day. Pizza + yap + shopping = priceless. 

 

UNA pizza + wine

unapizzeria.com

1708 99 St NW #102

Edmonton, AB

(403) 453-1183 

REVIEW | BARBACOA | SPRUCE GROVE

Spruce Grove doesn't necessarily scream culinary mecca, but Barbacoa is helping the cause in a serious way. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Barbacoa offers an elevated dining experience where live fire cooking is the name of the game.

 

Situated west of Edmonton, Spruce Grove is an easy 20 minute drive away. Finding the restaurant on the other hand, was a little harder, as it's tucked away in an industrial area in a nondescript building. Once you spot a giant 'B,' you know you're in the right place.

 

 

The restaurant is warm and inviting, with dark woods, leather booths, and a wide open view of the kitchen. I love when restaurants do this, because it shows they have nothing to hide.

We came at the tail end of their brunch service, which is only on the weekends between 10am-3pm. It was a quieter dining room at the time, but I would probably recommend making reservations for dinner. The server we had was friendly and personable. He struck the right balance of being attentive but not intrusive. 

AL ordered the fried chicken & waffles ($29.00) with maple butter, a fried egg, and bread & butter pickles. The dish usually comes with Nashville hot chicken, but if you're not able to handle heat, the kitchen can accommodate and serve the chicken sans hot oil. I tried a piece of the chicken and it was seasoned well. The meat was juicy and the breading was nice and crispy. 

I chose the Barbacoa benny ($24.00). Housemade sourdough English muffins, smoked bacon, bacon marmalade, and hollandaise. The bacon was thick cut and super meaty. It had a sweet, smoky undertone. You would think the bacon marmalade would be overkill but it was surprisingly not too greasy or salty. My only critique was that the poached eggs were overdone, but I wasn't too picky and didn't see a need to have them remade. The hollandaise gave enough creaminess to the dish and I still thought that everything tasted delicious!

 

Also on the side were some of the best breakfast potatoes I've ever had! They had a satisfying airy crisp to them, shattering with every bite, with lots of addictive flaky bits. I'd be happy with just a giant bowl of them.

 

We also got Benny's cinnamon bun ($11.00) to share, on the recommendation of our server. I'm not sure if the flavour changes all the time, but ours featured an apple caramel frosting. The bun was a little bit on the stiffer side, but the flavour of the frosting was lovely. It had a caramelized toffee flavour that was surprisingly not too sweet.   

Barbacoa is on the pricier end, but I would say the experience is well worth it. If I could describe the restaurant in one word, it would be thoughtful. From the decor, food, and service, everything is well thought out and done with purpose. Upon overhearing it was my birthday we were belatedly celebrating, the server brought over a handwritten card that included a $10 gift voucher for my next visit. It's a smart move to guarantee repeat customers, but you really don't have to twist my arm when it comes to those breakfast potatoes.

Barbacoa

www.barbacoa.ca 

470 South Ave Unit C

Spruce Grove, AB

(780) 571-1717 

- CT

REVIEW | IZAKAYA TENKUU (SOUTH) | EDMONTON

 

Rarely am I in the deep south of the city, but a birthday celebration brought us out to Izakaya Tenkuu, a small and intimate Japanese restaurant in Ellerslie. Tenkuu also has locations in Leduc and Wetaskiwin.   

The restaurant is a bit hidden, nestled in a strip mall facing inside from the main road. There's a fair number of restaurants within this plaza, including Korean, Chinese, Indian, pizza, and bubble tea. 

 

Walking in, the restaurant is quite small, the focal point being an L-shaped bar where you can watch chefs preparing sushi or grilling on the teppan. I would say they were short-staffed on this particular day since there was only one server for the entire restaurant. He also seemed to be multitasking between kitchen and front of house duties.

We were seated in the corner of the restaurant, which got pretty cramped when other tables filled up. At the end of our meal, our server couldn't even reach our table since chairs were blocking the path. It was a very awkward scoot trying to leave the restaurant without bumping into other patrons.  

 

 

Despite some hiccups at the end, our food came out pretty fast considering. The first item to arrive was the prawn tempura ($12.45). One order comes with six pieces and although it didn't look like anything special, the tempura was really good. Hot, light, tender, and crispy. 

 

Our next appetizer was ika ($16.45), a whole BBQ squid. Whenever I see grilled squid on a menu, I have to order it. We enjoyed the chewy (but not too chewy) squid, with just a kiss of char from the grill. My only complaint was that it needed just a little more sauce to amp up the flavour.

 

 

We also got the deluxe sashimi ($50.45) which comes with 18 pieces of fish. On our platter, we got salmon, tuna, bluefin tuna, red tuna, and hamachi. The sashimi is generously portioned with super thick slices. The fish was fresh and buttery, but I did wish there was a bit more variety than the 3 different types of tuna.

 

 

Onto the rolls! We ordered a bunch because the variety of rolls was extensive. They're split into raw and fully cooked categories which is a smart way to help customers decide what to order. 

 

Our first roll was the chop chop extravaganza ($18.45). This had double prawn tempura with crab meat inside, topped with chopped scallop, tobiko, and a wasabi mayo drizzle. You definitely get a little kick from the wasabi mayo.

 

 

The dragon roll ($16.45) is an example of a fully cooked roll, with double prawn tempura and yam tempura, topped with BBQ eel and BBQ sauce. Well-constructed, solid.

 

The salmon inferno roll ($16.45) was an avocado, salmon, and cucumber roll, topped with aburi (torched) salmon, BBQ sauce, spicy mayo, and tempura crumbs. This roll could've used a little more sear from the blowtorch, but it was pretty good overall.

 

Our last item was the dragon eyes roll ($13.45), an extra large salmon maki that is coated in tempura batter, deep fried and topped with a drizzle of spicy mayo and BBQ sauce. This was pretty good with a generous portion of salmon inside.

If you're in the deep south, Izakaya Tenkuu is a pretty good option for Japanese food. I would just rethink the table arrangements a bit.

Izakaya Tenkuu

tenkuu-edmonton.com 

2980 Ellwood Dr SW Unit 20

Edmonton, AB

(780) 334-1700 

REVIEW | CORPUZ BAKESHOP | EDMONTON

 

 

 Pillowy soft doughnuts with Asian flavours? Start the car. START THE CARRRRR!

 

 

Corpuz Bakeshop is a small family-run bakery that got their start selling doughnuts at Bountiful Farmers' Market. I remember going to the market one day specifically for their doughnuts only to find out that they were closed that day. Just my luck.

 

But the universe finally listened to my prayers because in addition to their Bountiful stall, they opened up their very own storefront (north of the river!) in the neighbourhood of Eastwood. The store sits just off 118 Ave, directly across from Eastwood Park, with easy parking in front. Keep in mind that the bakery is only open Thursday to Sunday, with their market stall open Friday to Sunday. Go early on market weekends because they do sell out!

 

Corpuz sells brioche doughnuts stuffed with a variety of fillings. The doughnuts are dusted with sugar or polvoron, which is a crumbly Filipino shortbread cookie. Some of their flavours are Asian-inspired, including ube, leche flan, macapuno (coconut), Thai pandan kaya, and durian. Other flavours include strawberry, raspberry macarpone, Oreo, and Biscoff.

During our first visit (yes, I've already gone back), we got 2 x durian, Thai pandan kaya, leche flan, macapuno, and ube. They've increased their prices just slightly since my visit but expect doughnuts to range in price from $5.50 to $5.80.

The doughnuts are soft and fluffy with a generous amount of whipped filling in each. Flavours are light but not subtle, and definitely "not too sweet." My parents especially love the durian flavour. My favourites that I've tried so far are the leche flan and Biscoff, both caramel-like and extremely satisfying.

Look how loaded!

 

We're pretty spoiled when it comes to doughnuts in Edmonton, but Corpuz is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. Some may argue it's a little pricey for a doughnut but to me, it's an artisan product made with the utmost care. It's definitely worth it for me.

Corpuz Bakeshop

www.corpuzbakeshop.com

11812 86 St NW

(825) 888-0122 

- CT

REVIEW | PANINI'S ITALIAN CUCINA | SHERWOOD PARK

 

 

Pizza and pasta. My two favourite food groups. And one of my favourite places to get both is ironically named Panini's Italian Cucina. While panini is certainly on the menu, it's the pizza and pasta getting people through the door. 

 

Panini's is family-run and has been open since 2016. The original restaurant is located on the ground floor of a condo building along Jasper Avenue. Over a year ago, they opened up their second location in Sherwood Park and even more recently, a third location popped up in Jasper Gates.

Whether you get takeout or dine-in, the food holds up really well and is consistently fresh and delicious! It's quickly becoming one of our go-to's on the delivery apps. This post is from our first visit to their Sherwood Park location. 

 

Looking at the menu, Sherwood Park has a few exclusive items, including their calamari appetizer ($25.00). The breaded calamari was crispy and had that characteristic chew. The red onions and red peppers were unique, half covered in batter and fried as well. A touch oily, but this is fried food, not health food. To dip was a side of rosemary aioli. Thick, creamy, and not overpowering.

 

 

We also shared the spaghetti alla carbonara ($18.75). It's prepared using eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, onions, and smoked pancetta bacon. I have no idea if it's made the authentic way but all I know is that it's delicious. Creamy and accentuated with bits of salty pancetta. We also added on the garlic toast baguette for an extra $2.50. 

 

The star of the show at Panini's is definitely the pizza. We got the small Brooklyn pizza ($18.50) with mozzarella, bocconcini, Parmigiano-Reggiano, basil, tomato sauce, and Sicilian garlic oil. Essentially an amped-up Margherita pizza. Fresh ingredients and the crust is thin, crisp but soft, and chewy. I'll have to try their Sicilian square pizza next time!

 

 

I think what I appreciate most about Panini's is that they're not pretentious. The vibes are casual, the prices are affordable, service approachable, and most importantly, the food is delicious.

 Panini's Italian Cucina (Sherwood Park)

www.paninisitalian.com

330 222 Baseline Rd

Sherwood Park, AB

(780) 410-0901

- CT

SNAPSHOTS | YVR 2024 | DAY 4

 

It was our last day in Vancouver and we definitely needed dim sum to finish off the trip. We stayed at Grand Park Hotel which gave us a good birds-eye view of Yue Restaurant just across the street. Our plan was to walk over right when they opened at 10am, so we would have enough time to eat before checking out of the hotel at noon. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Since it was the long weekend, the restaurant was fully booked and unless you had a reservation, they were turning away loads of people at the door.

 

So plan B, we decided to check out early and have dim sum at Tin Tin Seafood Harbour, one of my parents' go-to restaurants in Richmond. There was a short wait before we were seated at a comically large table.

 

We ordered a lot of the classics, including my favourite steamed shrimp dumplings ($9.89).

My sister's favourite steamed shrimp rice roll ($10.89) and the deep fried taro dumplings ($9.89). The taro dumplings had a mild curry flavour to the filling.

The pan-fried diced radish cake with XO sauce ($12.89) was good although there was lots of bean sprouts for filler. Also the obligatory steamed chicken feet with taro ($9.89). 

 

Can't forget the steamed sui mai dumplings ($9.89). Also the dish on the right, deep fried shrimp ball with egg and preserved egg ($9.89) was a total surprise when it hit the table. Somehow in my head, I imagined a shrimp ball with a salted duck egg filling that oozed out like lava. But apparently my reading comprehension is not what it used to be since the menu title described exactly what the dish was. Half a boiled egg and half a preserved egg held together in a crispy shrimp ball. A strange combo that I probably wouldn't order again. 

 

After dim sum, we hit up Richmond Centre to do some browsing and shopping.

I wish Token opened a store in Edmonton! But maybe not. I'm an adult that shouldn't be spending more money on toys (I tell myself over and over again).

Our next stop was the Arbutus location of mello. It's a super popular bakery that specializes in filled brioche doughnuts. I've been meaning to try mello forever and I'm happy to report that it lives up to the hype!

 

 

We ordered three to share, although I would've loved to buy the whole store. Darn luggage space. We tried the injeolmi, strawberries & cream, and cereal milk cream ($5.50 each). 

 

The injeolmi was a limited time flavour during Lunar New Year. Injeolmi is a traditional Korean rice cake coated in roasted soybean powder. I loved this flavour and wish that it could be a permanent menu item! The cream filling was super nutty and and not too sweet. The doughnut itself was super fluffy and soft. It takes about 2 days to make their dough and the result is well worth it.

 

The strawberries and cream was also delicious, but I didn't love the cereal milk cream. The flavour was good but I thought the crunchy cereal coating detracted from the soft dough.  

 

For dinner, we also tried a much-anticipated (for me) restaurant that has become such a Vancouver staple. Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba has 9 locations across Vancouver and surrounding area. They specialize in mazesoba, a Japanese noodle dish. Noodles are coated in a savoury rich sauce and topped with a bevy of ingredients that you're meant to mix together before eating.  

We got the niku mazesoba ($16.50) which came with slow-braised pork chashu, minced meat (pork and beef), runny egg yolk, minced garlic, sesame, green onion, seaweed flakes, grinded saba fish, chives, and multigrain noodles made in house. You can also choose between three sizes (regular, XL or XXL) which corresponds to the amount of noodles at no extra charge. Since we were sharing, we got the XL which was pretty loaded. The noodles were springy and the sauce was umami-packed. The flavour was quite intense and it did get a bit cloying near the end. To combat this, they do have bottles of vinegar on the table to help cut the salt and greasiness.

 

 

My mom had the tamago ramen ($15.99) which had thin ramen noodles in a pork bone broth, slow-braised pork chashu, soft boiled egg, and green onion. The chashu was super tender and the broth was creamy yet light. Not my favourite bowl of ramen in Vancouver but it's decent.

 

Obligatory stop at the McArthurGlen outlet. Not my favourite selection of stores but a great way to kill time if you have a layover in Vancouver. 

 

Home time!

I don't know why it took me this long to finish this blog series, considering this trip took place back in February. *cough*procrastination*cough* but I hope you enjoyed. Until the next trip!

- CT