Edible Canada (Dine Out Vancouver) – Seal, Rabbit, Lamb Heart…Yum
Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to a preview of the Dine Out Vancouver 2017 menu at Edible Canada. I have never been to this restaurant before but have heard good things from friends so I was super excited! This year, their dinner menu is priced at $30 which is quite reasonable considering their offering of eclectic ingredients like seal, rabbit, and lamb heart. I for one am all about trying new things so I instantly took a liking to their menu when I saw all these cool ingredients.
We started with the Pacific Cod and Pemberton Potato Pakoras with jalapeno apple chutney, fresh mint and pickles. I thought cod pakoras as a concept was weird but once I tasted it my inhibitions quickly all went away. These light crunchy pakoras were friggin delicious!!
The Crispy West Coast Humbolt Squid (+$3) with chermoula vinaigrette, white bean hummus, and dried olives were less memorable but still a solid ‘calamari’ sort of dish.
This looks like an entree but it’s actually an appetizer! The Grilled Alberta Lamb Heart (+$4) was made with gaujillo adobo, cilantro, and hominy corn grits. I know most people describe exotic meat (or meat parts) as something you’re already familiar with, like chicken or beef. But to be honest… it tastes exactly like an organ. Not to say it’s a bad thing at all because I actually quite enjoyed it! But it doesn’t taste like chicken or steak. So just a forewarning, if you order this, be prepared to eat something texturally different than what you’re used to!
The Quebec Rabbit Orecchiette (+$4) was made with mushrooms, confit onions, shaved brussel sprouts and parmesan. It was super delicious but very light in flavour so I was left with a feeling of wanting more.Overall a great dish if you’re feeling like pasta but don’t want something too heavy.
The Haida Gwaii Rockfish & Mussel Stew with Moroccan tomato broth, heirloom carrots, chickpeas, and cilantro was good but it wasn’t one of my favourites only because it seemed too normal compared to the other dishes. If I had to choose between the entrees, I’d go for some of the more unique items like Seal or Rabbit. 😀
There are two options for Dessert and we were lucky enough to try both. This Chocolate Pot du Creme with cassis and crystallized ginger was fruity yet decadent. The blueberry looking fruit on top is actually cassis which is a type of black current berry. It provided a bit of sourness which some people may or may not enjoy (we had both at our table).
The other dessert is Pumpkin Sticky Toffee Pudding with maple bourbon custard, candied walnuts. It kind of reminded me of a dense bread pudding which if you think about it, can never be bad. Rich, comforting, carbs. Yup, that’s what this was.
All in all, I would highly recommend Edible Canada for their boldness in cooking with unconventional ingredients, their dedication to educating tourists and locals on real ‘Canadian cuisine’, and their execution of all of these dishes as it was one of the best DOVF experiences I’ve had.
Service Rating: N/A
Food Rating: 4/5
Price: $$$
Overall Rating: 4/5
Happy Eating!
