Restaurant Review: Bündok

BÜNDOK 10228 104th Street ~ bundokyeg.com Instagram: @bundokyeg ~ Twitter: @bundokyeg Co-Diner: The Husband

Bündok has been one of my most desired restaurants to try in Edmonton for a while because they have been featured on a lot of the country's most prominent and important lists. Canada's 100 Best Restaurants listed Bündok at #93 in 2019 and #50 in 2020. enRoute magazine put them at #8 on Canada's Best New Restaurants 2018. And CBC Edmonton's Best Restaurants 2019 named them as one of the Best of Downtown. This place is hot and I had to try them for myself! You'll find the seasonally-centric Bündok (which means "mountain" in Tagalog) right in the heart of Downtown on 104th Street (where everything in the area is cool). I zipped up on a Saturday evening and was happily seated on the sidewalk patio in the pleasant summer heat. The inside of the restaurant is chic. I loved the cobalt blue colour of the walls, the exposed cinder block, and especially the towering shelves behind the bar which contain an array of knickknacks. The industrial vibe isn't all that shocking these days but I definitely appreciated the approachable atmosphere of the space. The buzzy open kitchen, helmed by Chef Ryan Hotchkiss, allows you to peek in on the action. He seems to be doing a whole lot with a pretty small amount of space! Our server was absolutely wonderful and made us feel right at home, as if we were old friends. I was eager to get a cocktail into my hand - something to match my "hot summer night" patio experience among their pretty planters. The Honeypunch ($14.00) caught my eye and sounded very unique.

Yellow chartreuse, amaro sibilla, wildflower honey, lemon, sencha, clarified milk.

From the very first sip, this beverage surprised me. The way the experience evolved on my palate was so interesting! At first the sweet honey notes were front and center. But then a more adult, citrus-bitterness developed, which balanced the drink well. Expertly-crafted. The menu at Bündok is to-the-point. There are four "Snacks" to choose from (loves me some snacks!) and thirteen main dishes from "Shares." Plus two desserts in "Sweet." The whole concept is to try a lot of different things, sharing with your co-diners, and allowing for a full and well-rounded experience of everything that the restaurant has to offer. My husband and I were happy to oblige and ordered a barrage of plates which started to arrive after almost no time at all. Each item that we ordered was served in an order that "made sense" with the other dishes, which I appreciated very much. Every plate is made with the current season in mind, capitalizing on the very best ingredients available. First to arrive was the Fried Zucchini Blossoms ($6.00) snack.

Goat yogurt, lemon zest.

Ultra-seasonal, I love the moments when I find zucchini blossoms on a menu. Fried to a golden perfection, the inside was deliciously tangy and creamy while the citrus pop of lemon made the dish feel very summery and fresh. Next to arrive was Bündok's famed Sea Bream Crudo ($23.00), which looks as beautiful as it tastes.

Thai basil, citrus, chili, olive oil, apple.

I loved the stunning presentation and noted the use of delicately purple chive flowers. The fish was unctuous and buttery, each bite melting in my mouth. I loved the liberal use of (good) olive oil and the wonderful texture added from the shower of crunchy apple and sea salt. Inconspicuous dots of chili sauce brought just the right amount of heat. A gorgeous plate on every level. Next was our other snack! Chicken Liver Tartine ($5.00).

Dark chocolate, raspberry.

The combination of flavours on this plate were quite bold. A lot of competing elements but they did somehow manage to find harmony. The heaping amount of rich and creamy chicken liver mousse was the absolute star for me. And then the shaved bitter chocolate and tart juicy raspberry came in swinging! It was just so crazy that it worked. I had heard that the cracklingly crisp Fried Chicken Skins ($11.00) were a must...

Honey mustard.

Definitely worth ordering, I thought that the presentation of the honey mustard looking a whole lot like an egg yolk (on a pale plate) was very cute. These things are addictive. Double fried and perfectly salted, each bite practically shattered in my mouth like some kind of next-level potato chip. The honey mustard managed to balance some of the fattiness and the whole thing was very delicious. Next is the dish that Bündok is probably the most famous for; Gnocchi Parisienne ($26.00).

Stinging nettle pesto, herb breadcrumbs.

So what makes this gnocchi different? It's the Parisienne technique. In this style of preparation pâte à choux is used instead of potato. This creates a dumpling that is impossibly light and fluffy - like a little pillow made of clouds. This version is a lot less heavy and dense than its potato counterpart. The verdant pesto was very nice, again creating an ideal summer flavour profile and the satisfying crunch from the toasty breadcrumbs really helped to even out how soft this dish truly is. Quite excellent and I would love to see how this plate changes with the seasons. Our last main course dish was the Cider Braised Pork Belly ($31.00), 'cause it's kinda hard to say "no" to a well made pork belly offering.

Spring bean salad, herb vinaigrette.

I'm pretty picky when it comes to the preparation of pork belly because if the fat isn't rendered enough I really dislike the gelatinous mouthfeel. This pork belly was walking a pretty fine line. I could have used for it to have been a bit more crispy but overall it was still enjoyable. The meat was tender and flavourful. I really liked the bean salad that added freshness and a bright herbaceousness.

Lastly, we finished our feast with the Citrus Posset ($10.00), the restaurant's signature dessert.

Asian pear, earl grey syrup.

At first this reminded me a lot of a panna cotta, except lighter and creamier. The difference is that panna cotta uses gelatin while a posset uses citrus acid. This dessert was incredibly lovely. The flavour was bigger than expected and I loved the delicate use of ingredients. Bright, creamy, acidic. This is just what you want after a big meal and it carried on the overall theme of the menu effortlessly. My experience at Bündok was wonderful. I really love the way that the seasons are channeled into the menu and how well they adapt their core dishes to reflect currently beautiful ingredients. This is the kind of hip place that you visit with your foodie friends who love to try a bit of everything. I look forward to visiting again during a completely different time of year (like in the winter) to taste everything in a new way.