SA LUTE S & S H O UT O UT S
Flowers and drinks are becoming popular in Calgary! Anna Ecal and Jaline Qureshi have opened Besties Floral Café, a micro café in Crescent Heights, at 920 Centre Street N, serving Blume lattes and Ritual Doughnuts. Gifting for kids and adults is top of mind here, and they share the space with Cherry Tree Lane Toys. There’s a grab and go flower wall, fresh and dried arrangements, and a lovely selection of food and drink-related gifts, online too. They also offer private and open workshops for six people max. 10-6 pm, closed Mondays. Florist Raina Moon has been wanting to open a Korean café for six years, and now her dream is a reality. And Some Flower Café is at 540 7 Avenue NW, in Sunnyside, serving all-day brunch of French toast and waffles, with sparkling soda drinks, (try lavender-ade and rose-ade!) and house-made Croffles and Croffins to eat in or take home. Moon uses only premium Korean, organic, washed leaf green tea, and the thought and care of her beautiful flowers wrapped in Korean paper is evident. Seven days, 9 am-close. Canmore’s new restaurant, EpiCanmore (EpiC), is from the Rocky Bean Co. and Crepes N Go food truck folks. Specializing in handcrafted sourdough breads and sweet and savoury crepes using organic, locally grown, milled grains and ancient methods of fermentation, they also make sandwiches and bake pastries throughout the day, all washed down with ethically sourced and locally roasted coffee. There are a few tables and bar seats inside, with mountain views from two outdoor picnic tables. 102 Boulder Crescent from 7:30 am, closed Sunday-Monday. From the owners of Edmonton’s The Common and 9910, along with head chef 6 Culinaire | June 2022
Winnie Tsing Chen, Fu's Repair Shop is a fun, Asian-inspired restaurant now open in the ex-Prairie Fish and Chips space at 9902 109 Street. Come for dumplings, dim sum brunch, and Chen’s dad’s beef noodle bowl (all priced to end with .88), boozy bubble tea and cocktails, with DJs every Friday and Saturday. Walk-ins only, Thursday-Saturday, 5 pm-late and Sunday brunch. Talking of bubble tea, Calgary has a new Chatime (its tenth!) franchise from Taiwan at 8560 8A Avenue SW, in West Springs. With a vast drinks menu, you’ll be spoiled for choice in this fun and colourful café. Partners Genevieve and Sarah make specialty signature milk teas, juice drinks with coconut jelly and tapioca pearls, sparkling fruit drinks, brown sugar pearl drinks, smoothies, slushies, and virgin mojitos. With 24-hour marinated popcorn chicken, three types of fries (and really good house-made spicy mayo) a few stools and plenty of power points, recharge yourself and your electronics seven days, lunch and dinner. You’ll also be spoiled for choice at Edmonton’s Ancaron Macarons, with 40-50 flavours of Korean-style “fat macarons” with their giant fillings! At only $2 each or six for $10, they can be picked up Thursday-Saturday, 12-5 pm at 10336 82 Avenue NW, or ordered for one of their scheduled deliveries to Red Deer, Airdrie, Calgary, and St. Paul. Thomas Dahlgren, of Calgary’s Von Der Fels, has opened Missy’s This That at 348A 14 Avenue SW, an understated bar with a laid-back atmosphere and loud music. Come for a casual evening of original or traditional cocktails, and beer or wine from the “tickle trunk” case, along with snacks of charcuterie, Canadian cheeses, and Sidewalk Citizen key-lime pie. Thursday-Sunday, 5 pm to 1 am.
Edmonton’s Cheese Factory restaurant space, at 8943 82 Avenue, is now home to Mario’s Poutine & Pizzeria, who are serving up Quebec poutine with home-cut fries and cheddar cheese curds from the Cheese Factory, as well as delicious pizza, garlic fingers, sandwiches, and panini. Seven days from 11 am. Calgary’s Pho Dau Bo has been popular for all its 14 years, and now Sarah and Long Thai have opened Mot To, a bright and fresh restaurant – just like the food! The menu is authentic but modern, with very creative takes on Vietnamese classics, like the inspired, elevated salad rolls with crunchy pastry inside, the genius Pho Grilled Cheese (made with their famous 16-hour broth), and soft-shell crab banh mi. And we applaud two friers – one for gluten-free. Open lunch and dinner, and for private events, at 1609 Centre Street N, closed Mondays-Tuesdays. The talented team at Craft Beer Market have opened another winner. Central Taps + Food is a cool, modern restaurant bar at The District in Beltline, with crushable cocktails, beer - draft and cans - $5 daily shots, and zero proof drinks, along with a curated menu from Chef Mike Pigot that fit all sizes, whatever you’re in the mood for, with a lot of shareable appies, handhelds, salads bowls, and pizzas. We love the wall of speakers and the photos of “misfits” all eating, (think Amy Winehouse meets Anthony Bourdain) - food and music do bring people together! 224 12 Avenue SW, 11 am-close seven days.
