Restaurant Review: Juniper Café & Bistro

JUNIPER CAFE & BISTRO 9514 87th Street ~ juniperbistro.com Instagram: @juniperbistro ~ Twitter: @JuniperYEG Co-Diner: Tim Golem

As soon as I heard about Juniper Cafe in Strathearn (which isn't a corner of the city that I visit all that often) I was excited to check them out. They've got a reputation of being one of the most kid-friendly restaurants around and as someone with a small child, this is appealing to me. In fact, their entire vibe felt pretty familiar and reminded me of Lazy Daisy's Café in Toronto, a favourite place of mine that is also incredibly family-friendly. Juniper was also given the "Don’t Skip the Dishes Here" designation in CBC Edmonton's Best Restaurants 2019 (which means that the plates are too pretty to order-in). I visited on a Sunday morning and was ready to brunch! (What else are Sundays for?) The space is a lot larger than I expected it to be and it screams homey comfort. You can tell that many of the large tables are meant to be used communally, which is a surefire way to bring people together. The restaurant promotes the idea of community in many ways and I especially loved the small (sectioned off) play area for kids at the back of the room. They've got glowing hanging stars, a rustic country-fresh atmosphere, and a very cool (and large) gallery wall featuring all sorts of interesting objects and art. In "normal times" you'll even find blankets hanging from the chairs for added coziness. The friendly staff seated us quickly and I found myself contemplating a brunch cocktail, as one does. It had to be the Sunday Caesar ($12.00) being that it was Sunday, after all.

A savoury combination of Raw Peppercorn gin, hot sauce, olive juice, clamato and worcestershire.

I always love a caesar but the ingredient that piqued my interest in this one was the olive juice. You'll often see pickle juice in a caesar but practically never olive juice! I loved this idea because I love olives. Unfortunately, I found that the beverage wasn't anything too exciting overall and I've certainly had better caesars in my day. This one seemed kind of watered down and lacked the punchy flavours that the hot sauce and olive juice had promised. I did enjoy the skewer, however, adorned with a pickled jalapeno and a green olive. Moving on to the food, I love everything that Juniper strives to promote; Fresh, seasonal, homemade, and using organic and local products whenever possible. They even have a chalkboard that lists all of the local producers that they use and I noted many familiar names. The breakfast and brunch menus are extensive, with tons to choose from. Right at the very top of the page is a suggestion: "Start your brunch with..." I was not about to say "no" to a Warm Scone ($4.50).

With honey/lavender butter and berry compote.

If this board isn't the most lovely thing, I don't know what is. We were offered two different types of scones to choose from and selected the blueberry and rosemary flavour. I absolutely loved everything about this little experience. The scone itself was delightfully warm, pillowy soft on the inside, with a nice caramelized crunch on the outside. I loved the way that the rosemary came through, with the herbaceousness playing with the sweet berries. I especially loved the compound butter with honey and lavender mixed in. The tart and sweet compote was wonderful as well. I would order this every time. The rest of the menu is filled with every breakfast comfort food that you know and love. They feature bennies and waffles at Juniper but of course you'll also find bowls and big breakfasts and even huevos rancheros. But if there's one thing that they're famous for, it's the Juniper's Handheld Bennie ($17.00) and I had to try it for myself.

Our signature sandwich with roasted potatoes, it's a masterpiece built on a Portuguese water bun, a perfectly poached egg, arugula, your choice of bacon, spicy pulled pork or roasted vegetables, topped with housemade hollandaise and either chipotle or lemon-garlic aioli.

I really enjoyed seeing a whole new take on the ever-popular eggs benedict and thought that they took this brunch classic in a really interesting direction. I chose to have mine made with bacon because Juniper uses Irvings Farm Fresh bacon - which I am certain is the best bacon in the whole world. I also selected the chipotle aioli for a little bit of a kick. I liked that they're using a Portuguese bun, which has a thick, crispy crust that makes it perfect for saucy sandwiches. The egg was indeed perfectly poached and oozed a golden yolk that I continued to dip my sandwich into. The bacon was absolutely ideal, of course, but not just because it's Irvings - it was cooked to my exact liking as well (and I didn't even have to ask). Extra crispy! The smokiness from the bacon and the aioli was a perfect match. This sandwich is definitely messy but that added to the overall experience which was a delight. The flavours were great and this is certainly a banner menu item that has been well thought out and executed. The roasted potatoes were decently nice as well, cooked to the right tenderness and lightly seasoned. Juniper brings something to Edmonton that people everywhere seek to find. Conscious, REAL food in a comfortable and welcoming environment. I can't wait to return so that I can try their dinner offerings, which sound lovely as well. This is exactly the kind of restaurant that everyone should be lifting up and looking to support, especially right now.