Lea "sass + class" A.'s Profile

Let me get this out of the way: Food taste was definitely 5 stars. Ambiance/space? Small but cool: 5 stars. So, if you don't mind dropping coin on a well made meal in an intimate venue on a second floor overlooking 109st, then run!

However, no matter how much I enjoyed the food, I have to dock a couple stars due to my group's particular experience. This review may be updated as the young restaurant irons out its kinks, but specifically for us, we had these issues:

[1] Unlike most restaurants, food orders came randomly. This isn't so bad, except the wait time between food orders were lengthy.
[2] They forgot one of our friend's dinners. We only found out until the very end, when everyone else ate their meal and the waiter asked how things were going... and we inquired where his dinner was. It's hard to know that they had forgotten because of issue [1]
[3] Random shard of plastic in the madelaine's jam

The good is that without prompting, they tried to smooth it over by comping the meal. Our friend was being generous and just said, comp the drinks, because when the meal finally came, it was pretty good.

Overall, we would've liked maybe a bit more attentiveness in service so that issue [2] could have been addressed more immediately. [1] may never change as they have limited space and chefs on hand (I'm guessing), so I would say only come here for drinks and snacks, not dinner. And [3] could be a n00b quality control issue that can be rectified.

Also, unlike the first reviews here talking about more reasonable pricing, the prices have increased. The bill came to about $50/couple (though that includes drinks), and while the food was tasty, the portion sizes were a tad small, so we were hungry and thirsty enough to go to Sugar Bowl afterward. Which we preferred more. :P

This is going to be long, so if you're too lazy to read, here's the Cliff's Notes version: food is fantastic, ambiance is hip and young, service is good, and prices are actually reasonable. What else do you need for five stars?

Meanwhile...

How have I lived in Edmonton 20+ years and never, truly, gone to Sugar Bowl? Back in my college years, I went during a cask night and as a non-drinker (well, I just don't drink MUCH), it didn't really leave me with much of an impression. Also, as a "North Sider" I guess it wasn't top of my list when going out to town.

Fast forward to 2012, and one bored Saturday morning, my husband and I decided to go to Sugar Bowl to try their brunch. I wanted to compare their cinnamon bun to High Level Diner's cinnamon bun and just have a chance to try their food in general.

Let's just say we left so impressed, my husband was non-stop talking about the perfect beer pour he had to our friends (and the fact they served alcohol at 11am), and of course, we absolutely loved the ambiance of brick walls, nice patio, and a view of nice trees, buildings and houses (also, nice to see well dressed and attractive patrons of all ages!)

The brunch was tasty, and I enjoyed my poached egg with bison "bratwurst" but honestly, brunch is something that normally doesn't make me go "wow." So, we endeavoured to return to Sugar Bowl for the eve.

So come back we did. Rob ordered the famous lamb burger and was again, so impressed, he urged me to write this review ASAP. I took a few bites of the burger and it's hard not to agree -- lamb burger was cooked to perfection, and the goat cheese just melded so well with the meat. Great amount of veggies with the burger, too. What was ALSO cool was that we told the waitress that we were going to share the burger order and when the food finally came, they served it in two plates, cut in half. Awesome service!

Frulli on tap, by the way, is a revelation. YUM!

In addition, we ordered the smoked paprika popcorn and bread pudding for snacks and dessert and for something so simple, it was executed so well. Tasty!

Prices? For two, it was about $25-30. That includes the beer!

We're definitely going to go back. More and more.

Another fun elite event! What was great about this one is that I hadn't really heard or been or seen Maggie Walt's before, and now I'm sure to check it out another time for the original clothing.

However, what was even cooler was the seemingly top secret event area at the lower level of the store -- it's definitely a cool event space with a bit of an exotic East and South Asian flare, including kites on the ceiling, exotic seating areas on the floor and enclosed in carved wood, some fashion manequins, etc. This fit the entertainment of the evening very well which included belly dancers and henna! Just a cool, laid back vibe.

One star is docked off because I thought we'd get some munchies. Not that I needed to eat, but I like me some noms!

OK. So. I liked it. But...

...I didn't fall in love with it, especially not for the price. Maybe we didn't order the "right" things -- veggie samosas, saffron rice, garlic naan, lamb curry and beef vindaloo -- but it was only "all right" to me.

Don't get me wrong, the naan bread is probably the best naan I've ever had. Ever. I also really enjoyed the veggie samosas and the presentation and sauces that came with it. Still, my palate thinks the down-home taste of Shafi's samosas are the best in the city (until I taste something different).

I think where things started to just go "okay" for me was the curries. They were tasty. Just not $21 worth of tasty. If I were paying that much money for one dish, I want it to make my eyes roll back in my head. It didn't.

The interior is beautiful and the service attentive. Definitely a date place, classy, and I appreciated the head chef coming out to the tables to see if everything was all right. That added an extra level of class to the place, in my opinion.

Maybe we should've ordered one of the tandoori options or something else, but overall, while I liked my experience, it tasted good... I would take my fine dining dollars elsewhere.

This place is fantastic. Recently discovered by my sister, she's been making a lot people converts, and it's pretty easy to see why.

What makes this place different from other hot pot places is that each seat gets its own hot pot -- yes, you read right, each person gets their own personal hot pot device and broth. Speaking of broth: you have a plethora of choices! Not just "normal or spicy" from other places -- you have a butter broth, a lamb broth, a Szechuan broth, and many more. My sister ordered the butter broth and I ordered a half/half lamb broth: one half spicy, one half regular.

As it's a hot pot place, for $25, it's all you can eat -- you order from a piece of paper quantities of ingredients instead of having to go up to a buffet table to pick your own items. My favourite pieces were: lamb slices, fish, and squid. I also enjoyed the mussels, black fungus, and dried tofu sheets. Of course, a ton of veggie options are available, too, and you can even order spring rolls and green onion cakes! They even have a sauce bar where you can create your own exotic sauces and dips for your cooked items.

It's a rare Chinatown place that takes reservations per table due to its popularity. It fills up pretty quick, apparently, on weeknights and weekends. Though, during my visit on Sunday afternoon (4:30pm reservation), it was pretty tame in terms of busyness, so if you want a chance to try this place out and not feel too hot due to steam and people, then this may be a good time to check it out.

Talk about a hidden gem in the north side of Edmonton!

The food is FANtastic! The special calamari people have been raving about? I saw my husband lose his manners and try to lick the bowl in public. Just the perfect spicy sauce that complimented the seafood really well -- and the squid was not overcooked, it was just the right chewiness; hard to find in land-locked Alberta.

The lamb chops were just perfectly cooked, too: the right medium rare. My husband ordered the Iskander kebab which was very unique -- donair meat with a tomato sauce that he curiously found familiar tasting (he is Polish!) and tasty.  Every person who ordered had generous servings on their plate.

On Saturday nights they have a belly dancer which just added to the ambiance.

On top of which, the owners graciously accommodated our large group of Yelpers with friendly attentiveness.

Highly recommended! What a great evening!

Went here for my sister's birthday party and was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the food and appreciated the cosy, shabby-chic atmosphere.

We went for dinner and I ordered their lamb special and it was cooked to perfection. A beautiful medium rare throughout, and some creamy stuff underneath. I actually don't remember if it was potato or some other root veg, but it was great!

My hubby had the pork from their regular entree menu -- while the taste was great, the execution just fell a wee short -- pork could have been a little less dry.

Service was steady and no real faults.

What makes it fall short of 5 stars is essentially how slow the food got out. I didn't really notice too too much, since we were a big party and chatting up a storm and so when the food came it didn't feel like we waited a long length of time, but we did notice it took a while.

Culina I think would be best for a date night than maybe a large party due to the size of the venue and the intimate feel of the atmosphere, but I'm definitely going to go back.

Brittany has outdone herself with this recent Yelp outing! Kudos to Yelp, the venue and ALL the vendors!

The theme was great, and it was so heartening to see everyone dolled up and looking fabulous. The venue looks deceptively small from the outside, but the interior was able to hold a burgeoning crowd as the night went along. I like the two levels of the interior as that adds an extra way to view events occurring below or in front -- which included swing dancing, burlesque, and a photo booth!

I have to mention the staff at Suede were very friendly, encouraging us to eat the food taken out, all smiles, and some were even dressed up following the theme which made me confused for a split second as I didn't know they were servers, haha! :)

Speaking of which, the food and drink samples were really great! Like others, I wasn't bowled over by the mac and cheese, but the crab cakes, beef wellington, ginger chicken, and poutine were definite winners. A surprise dessert selection capped the night with a warm chocolate dipped churro, and even a spoonful of creme brulee! SO GOOD. In general, the kitchen was pretty good at sending out food warm, which is so hard to do in a giant party setting like this. Impressive.

I was driving so I didn't drink that evening, but I did take a sip of Cafvino, the coffee wine, and it was yummy. Definitely will make a splash in town.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who were a part in making this night happen. Awesome evening. Would be hard to top this.

Due to the massively good Yelp reviews and also recommendations from friends that aren't on Yelp, my sister and I decided to go to the Beauty Parlour to get our locks lopped off. For me, it was about time, as my overly long hair had become unmanageable and relegated to a pony-tail status on a regular basis.

It's a little hard to find because they are situated on the second floor above a Vespa dealership. Kind of like Harry Potter's 1/2 station, you just magically find a door smooshed between businesses. However, just like magic, you open the door and the concrete behind you melts away to reveal a warm, wooden staircase.

I call the interior design "grandma chic" -- kinda like visiting a really really stylish old lady's house with antique detailing, wood, and flowers. Very cool and inviting! Seating area is also very stylish, and reminded me more of a restaurant lounge area rather than just a seating area to wait for your stylist.

I had Stephanie, who I essentially gave vague instructions about wanting the majority of my length cut off, and that I was thinking of side bangs, maybe layers. Somehow, despite the vagueness of that, Stephanie was able to expertly shape my hair into something super stylish!

Another thing I LOVED was the fact that she suggested a new part for my hair -- normally, other stylists just kind of use my natural part or if they ask about it, I shrug (I'm not an expert) and then they don't assert their opinion. When my shrug eventually came, instead of cowing, Stephanie made a part where she thought would be attractive and suggested it to me -- which was the right choice! It looks so much better with my bangs there!

I also have to say, I was super super impressed with how she blended my layers.

They also have a complimentary 15 minute touch up to your bangs/hair edges 3-4 weeks after your hair cut to help fix anything or just touch it up! Awesome.

I will be back AND recommending the Beauty Parlour to many more soon.

It's not my fave Korean restaurant in town, but it's okay. I like it, but I don't love it.

I think their general Korean fare is pretty decent, but not for the prices they offer -- for example, for equivalent price, Bi-Bim-Baab further south has a MUCH much nicer interior, and more fanciful presentation of dishes, while Bul Go Gi House is a lot more stripped down. Which, as you should know based on my reviews, I don't mind at all (my fave places can be dives), but then the taste should blow me away.

I think if you are here, you have to go for the BBQ, and order the kalbi and the bul go gi, the restaurant namesake. I wasn't impressed with their fish stew as, ironically, it tasted too fishy to me.

And despite being into "authentic" Asian food, I have to say my FAVE in the entire restaurant is their unearthly red, deep fried and battered, spicy and sweet chicken! I don't know what it's called on the menu, but the description is there. It's my husband's fave, too, and he will hoard it all to himself.

Bul Go Gi House is an institution in Edmonton, as I believe it's one of the oldest Korean restaurants in town, but for equivalent price, I would head over to Bi Bim Baab.