Restaurant Review: Canteen
CANTEEN 10522 124th Street ~ canteenyeg.ca Instagram: @canteenyeg ~ Twitter: @Canteenyeg Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
About a decade ago an amazing growth happened in Westmount, making it one of the most exciting central areas. Especially abundant in excellent restaurants, Canteen was a part of this era. It was opened by the same owners as another Edmonton favourite, Red Ox Inn. While Red Ox is more refined, Canteen seems to be a more casual member of a family that continues to strive for excellence in cuisine. Awarded Best Brunch Restaurant 2019 in Avenue Magazine, they have become a major player on the brunch scene.
We visited the restaurant on a Sunday morning and reservations are always a good idea. It's a popular place that only seats 50 and it's best to plan ahead. I love the lit-up red signage on the outside of the building, which is very striking. Upon entering, the room is long, with the bar lining one side of the wall and tables on the other. I was surprised at how minimal the design is - not a single piece of art on the walls - but as I sat in the room, the statement of the simplicity grew more apparent to me. It was almost industrial, with lights that reminded me of a single swinging light bulb in a dark room. It was quite dramatic, in a way.
Our server was incredibly friendly and personable, without an ounce of pretention. We were very well attended to throughout the entire meal. The vibe among the entire staff created a really lovely atmosphere.
First I looked at the drink menu because we can all agree that brunch is an acceptable time to start day-drinking. The menu makes you feel good about it with the header "Top o' the Morning to Ya - Get Yer Drank On..." I like when menus speak to me in the same way that I talk in real life. There are several options to choose from with "The Marty" being the funniest. (It's just beer and bacon... And happiness.) I'm a Mimosa ($12.00) girl myself and liked that they have a different feature each weekend. For my visit the mimosa was tropical themed and I was happy to order one.
I liked the big glass and the refreshing and summery mimosa within. I don't remember exactly what all of the juices used were but there was definitely pineapple and probably orange. It was sweet, tangy, bright, and bubbly. A perfectly made mimosa. The lattes sound pretty wonderful as well and would be an excellent alternative if you're not into the boozy brunch scene. The food menu consists of a few small plates that serve as brunch-like appetizers or lighter fare for a smaller apatite. The waffle stix are especially fun and an easily sharable item. But I skipped ahead to the mains, of which there are seven solid choices. Each one sounds excellent and fills a different craving. I could hear plenty of people around the room ordering the dutch baby pancake, meanwhile they've got a pretty intense breakfast poutine with duck confit on it as well. I spent a good while bouncing around between the options before settling on the Shrimp Toast Benedict ($20.00). Eggs benedict and brunch just feel right.
The description of this dish left me with many questions and I was eager to get the answers. For instance; what's Thai hollandaise? The plate arrived with a beautiful presentation and I noted the lovely crimson strands of saffron sprinkled overtop the eggs. Perfectly poached, each golden yolk cascaded out onto the plate once I cut into it, mixing with the ultra-creamy hollandaise sauce. The buttery sauce had a hint of a spicy kick to it which I suppose was somehow making it "Thai." The shrimp aspect was interesting because I did not expect the shrimp cake preparation that was used. Juicy and flavourful, the shrimp held up really well against all of the other strong elements. Another item that I did not expect were the hash browns, which were made more like a rösti (or potato cookies, as I like to call them). These were delicious!! I loved the brown, crispy, nicely salted outside, followed by the pillowy-soft, well-seasoned potatoey inside. Plus they were served with a wonderful housemade ketchup. I liked this dish a lot and it completely captured everything that you want brunch to be. Canteen is an amazing restaurant that has added a lot to their community over the years. When they first opened they set themselves apart by offering a great deal of innovation, now much more common in Edmonton's dining scene. Canteen's challenge is to keep things from getting stagnant and to keep pushing the boundaries. They have the ability to provide a great mix of familiar comfort while continuing to introduce some new surprises. I look forward to dining with them again and witnessing their evolution as a consistently popular mainstay.
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