Folk Fest Series / Fringe Eats Series

Favourite: Grandma’s Kettle Korn

Grandma’s Kettle Korn has become ubiquitous with Manitoba summer festivals in my memories. This sweet & salty concoction is made fresh on site, becoming so popular that you can now buy microwave versions that taste barely half as good. Kettle Korn can be a bit pricey, but combine this long bag of goodness with some fun friends and creative eating skills and you have at least 30 minutes of entertainment.

Back at the Fringe this year!

Shop: Tall Grass Prairie Bakery

The Forks
(204) 957-5097

859 Westminster Avenue
(204) 783-5097

Tall Grass Prairie doesn’t need my review. It’s got a dedicated following and plenty of new tastebuds wandering through the Forks to seduce. The whole wheat cinnamon buns are famous across Winnipeg and beyond.

There are a few other delicious bits to spotlight, though.

The cheese croissant is delicious. It’s got the standard topping of cheddar, but inside! Inside, there’s magic. Tender, flaky layers surrounding rich, cheesy goodness.

The vegetable bread pudding is a satisfying choice. Bread pudding conjures images of slap dash leftover concoctions for me, but this generous square is flavourful and packed with goodies. It can be a wee bit greasy from the cheese, but it’s ultimately awesome.

I love that their pies are baked in regular pans that you return for a deposit. The breads are wholesome and can be sliced to your preference. The local, freshly-milled wheat is all sorts of win. Service is always friendly. Why wouldn’t you shop here?

Favourite: Yuki Sushi

McLaren Hotel (554 Main Street)
(204) 956-2849

When Mr. Lee opened his second restaurant in the McLaren Hotel, he was met with plenty of skepticism. A sushi bar taking over the greasy spoon in what’s essentially a rooming house? Few thought this was a lasting venture, but the novelty of such an experiment drew out both the adventurous and the thrifty, and they quickly discovered the charm of both the McLaren location and the Korean family behind the bar.

I started my love affair with Yuki Sushi alongside student season tickets to Manitoba Theatre Centre. Fitting as a cheap and quirky place to bring my date, Yuki Sushi became the standing location for a leisurely pre-theatre meal.

Over the years, I’ve tried most of the menu. Sushi has always been fresh and well-presented, and though we are landlocked, Yuki Sushi does a fine job of serving up tender, dewy slices of fish and seafood. The list of maki is extensive, full of fun, affordable combinations. Specialty rolls cost a fraction of the price at more upscale sushi joints, like Blufish or Wasabi, and though some of the sushi chefs aren’t as particular as Mr. Lee in presentation, it’s always tasty. The salads are quite popular, though there aren’t many on the menu, and the tempura is generally well done, if a little greasy at times. 

I’ve ordered from Yuki Sushi for parties and brought all sorts of friends and newcomers to this hole in the wall. It’s always a hit - something about the diverse mix of diners and the unexpected location. At one time, you’ll have a table of young adult hipsters and another of a young family, when two construction workers from down the street walk in for their daily sushi lunch beside a couple of business types from further south on Main Street.

Service can be slow, but you can’t beat the price. In the end, there’s just something so Winnipeg about it all, you just can’t help yourself!

Review Reblog: Sa’aadal Kheyr I am sad to say that their storefront is now closed! However, you can still order delivery by telephone and email. By telephone: (204) 415-5166 By e-mail: roodadubad@hotmail.com ———————————————————————- My favourite family restaurant in Winnipeg, Sa’aadal Kheyr, delivers delicious, fragrant food every time. I’m glad they’ve survived another year and have been so well-received by the general public! Easy on the wallet, sensational on the tongue - Winnipeg Free Press Sa’aadal Kheyr is a genuine family restaurant, with mom Roda in the kitchen and her two sons out front. Service can be slow at times but the ambiance is warm. Allow enough time and be patient — the food is worth the wait.

Review Reblog: Sa’aadal Kheyr

I am sad to say that their storefront is now closed! However, you can still order delivery by telephone and email.

By telephone: (204) 415-5166

By e-mail: roodadubad@hotmail.com

———————————————————————-

My favourite family restaurant in Winnipeg, Sa’aadal Kheyr, delivers delicious, fragrant food every time. I’m glad they’ve survived another year and have been so well-received by the general public!

Easy on the wallet, sensational on the tongue - Winnipeg Free Press

Sa’aadal Kheyr is a genuine family restaurant, with mom Roda in the kitchen and her two sons out front. Service can be slow at times but the ambiance is warm. Allow enough time and be patient — the food is worth the wait.

Favourite: Segovia Tapas Bar

484 Stradbook Avenue
(204) 477-6500
Open for supper only; closed Tuesdays

Segovia is my favourite restaurant in Winnipeg, holding steady for six months now, and that’s a feat. I’ve visited Segovia three times for three sumptuous meals in what adds up to be about a week’s worth of days. That’s how good it is.

My first visit to Segovia was with supper club on audition night, with Derek trying out for the role of me (Anny). While I am irreplaceable, I cannot deny that our little supper club does not seem to function well as a threesome. He passed our rigorous tests (enjoyment of wine, racy conversation, a sense of gluttony) and has since been welcomed into our/their fold. 

Segovia accommodated our ignorant group upon our late arrival. Doors open at 5 PM and you would be well-advised to arrive as they open. This little joint fills up quickly and they rarely turnover, since a meal of tapas is often luxuriously, slowly enjoyed between friends and alongside laughter and conversation. We sat at the chef’s bar, which was slightly unwieldy for five to share tapas but provided a wonderful view of food preparation.

The menu changes with the seasons, so recommending a specific dish is a moot point. However, Chef Adam Donnelly does seem to focus on some staple dishes that I’d highly recommend:

  • A perfectly-seared Albacore tuna that melts in your mouth
  • A decadent slab of Berkshire pork belly, whose fat you’d be hard-pressed to feel guilty devouring
  • Buttery roasted bone marrow served with crostini and parsley salad, peppered with bursts of deep-fried capers - I admire any kitchen that wastes as little food as possible

After three visits, I’ve tried a wide selection of the menu, which is divided into tradicionales (tradition) and nueva cocina (new kitchen) dishes, as well as charcuterie and cheese, desserts, and various drink sections.

Both traditional and contemporary takes on tapas are worth trying. The simple patates bravas is very popular, but I’d be inclined to save room for more interesting dishes. If you’re looking for something to start your taste buds, I’d select any of the charcuterie and cheese platters, especially one with the quince preserve. Of all the dishes I’ve tried, I would only take a pass on the salt and pepper squid and perhaps the simple tomato bruschetta (not to be confused with the roasted tomato with basil and pancetta). The squid is beautifully prepared, tender and cooked just the right amount, but I found the coating bland and would prefer naked squid if the point is to highlight the taste of the squid itself (given the salt and pepper preparation).

On my third visit, the following dishes were stand-outs:

Smoked duck with steel cut oat risotto and chorizo
The texture of the risotto is perfect, and it couldn’t have soaked up more of the dark, rich flavours of the duck and chorizo. I was sad when we polished off this dish.

Duck and risotto

Seared scallops with cauliflower purée, sherry raisins, and crispy capers
The scallops are delicately prepared and are served perched on a soft blanket, lightly topped with pops of sweetness.

Scallops 

The desserts are miraculous. Save room and share them all. Complex, multi-layered, creative. The cocktails are equally interesting and worth sampling. The staff is knowledgeable about the dishes and wine, so feel free to ask for pairing recommendations.

Overall, a lovely experience. I can’t wait to go back!

Favourite: Shawarma Time 616 Ellice Avenue(204) 774-2109 Oh, the years of my life that I wasted before eating at Shawarma Time! I’d noticed this restaurant’s fantastic name months before I got around to trying its food, and I try not to think too hard about the many weeks of my first few years at University of Winnipeg where I chose to dine in the cafeteria (shudder) or Subway instead. After moving back to the West End, though, it’s a whole ‘nother story! I hit up Shawarma Time about once a month or so, sometimes more frequently because it’s like crack. Granted, our great city has very few shawarma offerings - the other being Baraka Pita Bakery on Main Street - but Shawarma Time has very rarely failed me. It’s a little family-owned Lebanese restaurant on the corner of Ellice and Maryland, plastered with good reviews, and usually full of regulars. A husband and wife team man the counter and they’re always ready with a smile. They’ve been good to me in the past, donating a prize to my fundraiser, and they still recognized me after a year-long absence. The restaurant tends to be warm in the spring until the air conditioning gets turned on for the summer. The three upright spits radiate heat as they slowly cook the shawarma. Three kinds can be found here, chicken, beef, and beef/lamb combination. Each have their own distinct flavouring, with chicken being the lightest and tangiest, while I find the beef to be very deep and rich. It’s one of the few restaurants where I find lamb to be enjoyable, with absolutely no gamey taste. If it’s your first visit and you are a meat-eater, you can’t go wrong with a fresh shawarma. Save one or two occasions (where I got a discount), the meat’s always shaved off fresh, slid into a large pita, topped with garlic mayonnaise, hot chili sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, and pickled turnip (yum!), and finally pressed for a little more stability in a sandwich press. Be forewarned, this is not the place for a first date! If you’re like me, you’ll order your shawarma spicy, which means lots of chili oil that drips all over your sandwich, fingers, and maybe the arms and table. Lots of napkins are necessary! I’ve also had the fries (freshly cut and fried, so expect a long wait), hummus (wouldn’t order it again), baba ganoush (good), stuffed grape leaves (oily), fuul (not for me), and falafel (good). Love this place.

Favourite: Shawarma Time

616 Ellice Avenue
(204) 774-2109

Oh, the years of my life that I wasted before eating at Shawarma Time!

I’d noticed this restaurant’s fantastic name months before I got around to trying its food, and I try not to think too hard about the many weeks of my first few years at University of Winnipeg where I chose to dine in the cafeteria (shudder) or Subway instead.

After moving back to the West End, though, it’s a whole ‘nother story!

I hit up Shawarma Time about once a month or so, sometimes more frequently because it’s like crack. Granted, our great city has very few shawarma offerings - the other being Baraka Pita Bakery on Main Street - but Shawarma Time has very rarely failed me.

It’s a little family-owned Lebanese restaurant on the corner of Ellice and Maryland, plastered with good reviews, and usually full of regulars. A husband and wife team man the counter and they’re always ready with a smile. They’ve been good to me in the past, donating a prize to my fundraiser, and they still recognized me after a year-long absence.

The restaurant tends to be warm in the spring until the air conditioning gets turned on for the summer. The three upright spits radiate heat as they slowly cook the shawarma. Three kinds can be found here, chicken, beef, and beef/lamb combination. Each have their own distinct flavouring, with chicken being the lightest and tangiest, while I find the beef to be very deep and rich. It’s one of the few restaurants where I find lamb to be enjoyable, with absolutely no gamey taste.

If it’s your first visit and you are a meat-eater, you can’t go wrong with a fresh shawarma. Save one or two occasions (where I got a discount), the meat’s always shaved off fresh, slid into a large pita, topped with garlic mayonnaise, hot chili sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, and pickled turnip (yum!), and finally pressed for a little more stability in a sandwich press. Be forewarned, this is not the place for a first date! If you’re like me, you’ll order your shawarma spicy, which means lots of chili oil that drips all over your sandwich, fingers, and maybe the arms and table. Lots of napkins are necessary!

I’ve also had the fries (freshly cut and fried, so expect a long wait), hummus (wouldn’t order it again), baba ganoush (good), stuffed grape leaves (oily), fuul (not for me), and falafel (good).

Love this place.

Favourite: Sa’aadal Kheyr

164 Isabel Street
(204) 415-5166 
Open 7 days a week - phone for hours

I’m thrilled to announce there’s a new Somali restaurant in Winnipeg. My once favourite restaurant, Madina, closed a few years ago, and I’ve been searching for the delicious chicken and rice dish ever since. The city’s second Somalian restaurant has opened just north of the downtown area in a little strip mall along Isabel. It’s taken the place of one of many Vietnamese restaurants in the city, and though it’s sparsely furnished and fairly cold inside the restaurant in the winter, the food is delicious and well worth the visit.

The menu is short, consisting of chicken, beef, and a few western dishes. My boyfriend ordered the beef wrap, which was chunks of seasoned beef wrapped in chapati with lettuce and tomatoes. Though that dish was good, the winner was definitely the chicken and rice that I ordered, which also came with some lettuce. I believe the chicken and rice dish is the suqar chicken I had at Madina, which is a type of “chicken stew” according to the Internet, though without any sort of liquid. It’s chunks of chicken cooked with spices, onions, peppers, and other vegetables, served over a bed of rice. 

Somali food is very fragrant, but its flavours remain subtle while being complex. Anyone could try it without being immediately turned off. At $9.99 for a full meal, including a drink (soda, tea, or coffee), you can’t really go wrong. We also spent an extra $3 to order two pieces of chapati bread to scoop up the rice and chicken. The beef wrap ended up being left to take home, while we polished off the new old favourite. 

Service was not very good, but it’s two young boys working for their family. I believe they forgot our order, as later tables were served before us. I’m sure, though, they’ll learn better customer service as time goes on. With a 4 star review from the Winnipeg Free Press, I expect (and hope!) business will be picking up!

On later occasions, I have also tried the samosas, beef, couscous, and fish offerings. The samosas are really fantastic. They are filled with seasoned beef, finely chopped onions and peppers, and come deep fried in a delicious pastry. The beef dish comes in large meatballs, seasoned well, and the fish tastes like it has been marinated with some spice before being cooked. I enjoyed both of them, but the chicken with a squeeze of lime juice remains my favourite dish. I’m not a fan of couscous, but Mell thought it was great. 

A note about pick-up: they are notoriously bad for having food ready on time, in each case that I’ve ordered take-out. So, order well ahead and show up a little late, and the food seems to be ready then.

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Themed by: Hunson