Restaurant Review: Happy & Olive
HAPPY & OLIVE 9640 142nd Street | happyandolive.ca Instagram: @happyandolive Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
If there's one recent restaurant opening that I've been pretty excited about, it has to be Happy & Olive. They appeared on the scene last year at a time when opening a new restaurant might have been viewed as an outlandish idea. But with the people behind other such beloved favourites as Red Ox Inn and Canteen at the helm it could be assumed that they had a pretty good idea of what they were doing. In a short amount of time (less than a year!) Happy & Olive has been named Favourite New Restaurant 2023 in the Edmonton Journal and Best New Restaurant 2024 in EDify Magazine. And they're not wrong! Located in Crestwood (in Crestwood Centre to be exact - lots of great businesses there and easy parking!) you'll find a fresh little spot on the corner, a restaurant that is still all bright eyed and esthetically beautiful. The decor isn't over the top; just nice finishes, a combination of various types of seating, a central bar area, and an approachable atmosphere. It feels like a down to earth space while maintaining clean lines and modern sensibilities. The patio is also very lovely and I was happy to grab a table out there on a warm July evening. I found our server to be helpful, friendly, and happy to offer some guidance as needed. Once settled in, I began to peruse the beverage menu and was pleased to find a rather good non-alcoholic cocktail portion of the menu, a trend that is really nice to see on more and more menus. I enjoy a boozy beverage as much as the next gal but sometimes I'm just not in the mood. On this occasion the list of five libation-free drinks were very welcome and I was glad to order The Gabby ($7.00). However, I will say that if you want to stay right on the olive theme it would be a great idea to order The Olive cocktail along with an order of Warm Olives - live your best olive dreams!
Absolute perfection on a hot day! Not only was this beverage sweet and also tart, it was incredibly refreshing. The mint and lemon really made the drink feel like something quintessential to sip on in the summertime. A perfectly ideal patio choice! I enjoyed the way that Happy & Olive breaks down their menu. Do you want something "crispy?" (Um, yes. Everyone does.) There's also "this & that" or how about most people's favourite; "bread things." Or maybe you just need the "hungry" part of the menu. I did find that I required a bit of clarification on whether the plates were meant to be shared and it turned out that a communal dining style was the main intention. Armed with this information we set about ordering a whole bunch of plates that caught our attention with the plan for us all to try a bit of everything. (I love doing this with my family because we all enjoy eating the same foods. I don't like it as much when I go out with friends because, in some cases, tastes can vary quite a lot.) I'd heard a lot of excited buzz about the Fries ($9.00) so clearly those were a must!
Just when I thought that I knew everything that a french fry could be... I was served these. And wow, they are something special. Ultra crispy and likely double fried, the sprinkling of rosemary and parm really added a punch of unexpected flavour. The true surprise, however, was the lemon aioli, which was an absolute delight. I'm not sure that I've ever tasted anything quite like it! Creamy and fresh, this simple dipping sauce brought a whole brunch of bright acidity. It's always nice when a dish lives up to expectations and these fries certainly did. I had also heard that Happy & Olive had a latke menu at some point?? This wasn't the case on my visit but I love a latke and I'm super curious about what this entailed. Next up were the Crab Cakes ($22.00) which I sometimes find can be hit or miss but I loved the sounds of these ones and had to give them a try.
Positively golden on the outside, cutting into these crispy cakes revealed a luscious interior. Like a crab flavour bomb, I was met with actual crab meat and a satisfying mix of textures. I also loved the crunchy and refreshing slaw. I find fennel to be a completely underrated vegetable and it's one of my favourites. I always order it when I spot it on a menu! This dish completely nailed it for me and I think that it was the biggest winner of the night in my opinion. As mentioned previously, the Warm Olives ($9.00) just seem like something that you should probably order at a restaurant called Happy & Olive...
I wasn't sure what "Happy style" meant but I was excited to find out! I loved the variation of types and stunning colours, like little jewels. I'm not sure why this was surprising (it says "warm" right on the menu) but these really were very warm! The oil that they were bathed in was hot, even. Grabbing a piping olive and tossing it into my mouth was a satisfying experience. I also loved how aromatic they were with the use of rosemary and bay leaf. I like to bring a bit of vegetable freshness into my meals and the Beet Salad ($19.00) seemed like a good way to achieve this.
I mean, the colours!! Upon placing this dish on the table, our server instructed that we should toss the salad really well because all of the pistachio butter was on the bottom. Not your average salad in the least, there were a lot of exciting elements to discover. First of all, the beets were obviously gorgeous. But then there were pickled raisins?? Those were incredible little pops of fun. And halloumi croutons?? What a fun idea! Halloumi is having a bit of a moment (who doesn't love a salty cheese?) and it's so cool to see it used in new ways like this. Did I mention the pistachio butter? Because that creamy goodness added a wonderful richness to the dish. This salad felt inspired and interesting, which is not so often said about a salad.
For our main dish (from the "hungry" section) we chose the Moroccan Lamb Rack Chops ($52.00) because I'd heard some great things about it and lamb is one of my favourite proteins.
The tender pieces of lamb were well-cooked (maybe a hair over) and amply coated in a crust of very flavourful ras el hanout style spice blend. Warm and comforting notes of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg mingled with allspice and pepper to create a truly robust profile. My only complaint is that large fat caps were left on each piece of meat, which some may enjoy but I do not. I completely understand that fat adds flavour but I don't want to eat a mouthful of it. The zucchini fritters were delicious, crispy on the outside and a creamy mixture of zucchini and corn on the inside. This dish was alright but as the most expensive plate on the menu, I have to say that I was much more impressed by the other items that we ordered. Lastly, we couldn't pass on dessert and the Coconut Panna Cotta ($12.00) sounded perfect for summer.
I thought that this dessert was just right. Light, bright and fresh. A nice mix of creaminess and acidity. The use of Tajin seasoning was a fun way to add some unexpected heat. For a few sweet (but not too sweet) bites at the end of an al fresco summertime meal, this is exactly what you want it to be.
In addition to their fabulously interesting dinner menu, Happy & Olive also wears more than just one hat. Their weekend brunch has quickly become legendary, they open as a cafe on weekday mornings and also serve lunch in the afternoon. There are so many different ways to experience this restaurant! The cuisine is simply the things that they love to make - and I have to say that what they make is what I love to eat. One of the most exciting restaurants that I've eaten at this year and I can't wait to return for more.
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