.cafe linnea.
Tonight was a second round trip to Cafe Linnea in Edmonton. The restaurant is right beside both Duchess Provisions and Doughnut Party, so for those of you who know me well, you could say I was surrounded by the things I love most.
Tonight was a sister's night out with just one of my 5 sisters, and oh what a night! The last time I had come to Cafe Linnea was on Prix Fixe Tuesday and they obviously were working with an overabundance of winter veggies because carrots, beets and parsnips were at the "root" of the menu. Tonight we also showed up expecting to go the same direction with the set menu, however scoping out the plates of those around us, we decided to take dinner in a different direction. I'll get to the food in a minute.
First, let me just talk about the atmosphere. It's adorable in the cafe. They have a bar of edible plants growing in the centre of the open and airy room. My favourite part of the restaurant is the little chairs that look like a bright little patch of moss is growing instead of a cushion. Something about those chairs kindles the thief in me and I want to casually walk out with one under my arm hoping nobody notices.
The second thing worth mentioning is that no matter what you decide to eat at the restaurant and no matter the time of day, when they ask you if you would like more of their housemade warm sourdough bread you say "YASSS PLEEZ". Basically keep repeating this until they forcibly cut you off. It is out of this world.
Ok, now here is the food. I know you just came to look at food porn.
When you first order they bring you a little amuse- bouche. Tonight's was salmon on toast. Pretty simple and tasty.
For our meal, we decided to order a couple appetizers to share and then get desserts (to not share- I won't share no dessert with no body)
Next up was our first appetizer, the Scallops Crudo. It was a first for me trying raw scallops and I was very surprised and not at all disappointed! The scallops were in a light grapefruit sauce with small chunks of grapefruit, green apple, mint and radish. So delightfully light and packed with flavour! Kudos to the crudos.
Next appetizer was the Tarte Flambee. I wasnt sure what to expect by the description but it turned out to be this delicious flatbread! The cheese was the highlight of the tarte, and I forgot to ask where it came from. My guess was a goat ricotta of sorts.
Moules in Turmeric Butter- These were super flavorful mussels. We both enjoyed them a lot but when we got down to the mussels that had been swimming in the turmeric sauce I wasn't as interested. Is there such thing as the butter being too turmeric-y? We also had a good conversation about the proper way to say turmeric. It's been decided one should only say TER-MER-ICK. So don't mess that up or I will be a snob and correct you.
DESSERT!
I was so looking forward to dessert but it appears I ordered the wrong thing.
Cafe Linnea supplies all their desserts from Duchess Bakery so as you can imagine it is hard to go wrong with a selection. I played it safe and went with the Pear-is-best (a play on Paris Brest) that I have had once before in Duchess. It was delicious don't get me wrong but once I tasted some of the Chocolate Fennel Tart I knew I made a mistake in not being adventurous. The tart was so tasty! Crunchy and a bit hard to eat but it was packed with such a nutty and fennel flavour that was hard to ignore! Also being topped with a thick cream and salted caramel didn't hurt any either.
Pear-is-best
Chocolate Fennel Tart
All in all it was a great meal! I highly recommend going to Cafe Linnea and especially on Prix Fixe Tuesday! For 35$ per person you could eat a meal like you would at any other nice fixed menu place but for half the cost. Or go our route and try the best of their best which I think lies in the petite plats and desserts! Go go go. You'll not be disappointed! (Unless you are. And then too bad, because you're wrong. Linnea is a gem.)
I'll just leave this photo of my favourite sourdough right here. (And they sell it by the loaf so I can stuff my pregnant face in the middle of the night!)
Tonight was a sister's night out with just one of my 5 sisters, and oh what a night! The last time I had come to Cafe Linnea was on Prix Fixe Tuesday and they obviously were working with an overabundance of winter veggies because carrots, beets and parsnips were at the "root" of the menu. Tonight we also showed up expecting to go the same direction with the set menu, however scoping out the plates of those around us, we decided to take dinner in a different direction. I'll get to the food in a minute.
First, let me just talk about the atmosphere. It's adorable in the cafe. They have a bar of edible plants growing in the centre of the open and airy room. My favourite part of the restaurant is the little chairs that look like a bright little patch of moss is growing instead of a cushion. Something about those chairs kindles the thief in me and I want to casually walk out with one under my arm hoping nobody notices.
The second thing worth mentioning is that no matter what you decide to eat at the restaurant and no matter the time of day, when they ask you if you would like more of their housemade warm sourdough bread you say "YASSS PLEEZ". Basically keep repeating this until they forcibly cut you off. It is out of this world.
Ok, now here is the food. I know you just came to look at food porn.
When you first order they bring you a little amuse- bouche. Tonight's was salmon on toast. Pretty simple and tasty.
For our meal, we decided to order a couple appetizers to share and then get desserts (to not share- I won't share no dessert with no body)
Next up was our first appetizer, the Scallops Crudo. It was a first for me trying raw scallops and I was very surprised and not at all disappointed! The scallops were in a light grapefruit sauce with small chunks of grapefruit, green apple, mint and radish. So delightfully light and packed with flavour! Kudos to the crudos.
Next appetizer was the Tarte Flambee. I wasnt sure what to expect by the description but it turned out to be this delicious flatbread! The cheese was the highlight of the tarte, and I forgot to ask where it came from. My guess was a goat ricotta of sorts.
House Charcuterie board- the board tonight featured a chicken sausage, shaved beef, a pork and chicken liver pate, and smoked pork loin with all the various condiments and pickles one would expect. My favourite was the pate. I am already a fan of pate, and anything topped with large granule salt is usually up my alley but this pate was something different than just usual liver pate. Thicker, almost of a loaf then a spread and it had little nuggets of pistachios hiding in the occasional bite. Perfection.
Moules in Turmeric Butter- These were super flavorful mussels. We both enjoyed them a lot but when we got down to the mussels that had been swimming in the turmeric sauce I wasn't as interested. Is there such thing as the butter being too turmeric-y? We also had a good conversation about the proper way to say turmeric. It's been decided one should only say TER-MER-ICK. So don't mess that up or I will be a snob and correct you.
DESSERT!
I was so looking forward to dessert but it appears I ordered the wrong thing.
Cafe Linnea supplies all their desserts from Duchess Bakery so as you can imagine it is hard to go wrong with a selection. I played it safe and went with the Pear-is-best (a play on Paris Brest) that I have had once before in Duchess. It was delicious don't get me wrong but once I tasted some of the Chocolate Fennel Tart I knew I made a mistake in not being adventurous. The tart was so tasty! Crunchy and a bit hard to eat but it was packed with such a nutty and fennel flavour that was hard to ignore! Also being topped with a thick cream and salted caramel didn't hurt any either.
Pear-is-best
Chocolate Fennel Tart
All in all it was a great meal! I highly recommend going to Cafe Linnea and especially on Prix Fixe Tuesday! For 35$ per person you could eat a meal like you would at any other nice fixed menu place but for half the cost. Or go our route and try the best of their best which I think lies in the petite plats and desserts! Go go go. You'll not be disappointed! (Unless you are. And then too bad, because you're wrong. Linnea is a gem.)
I'll just leave this photo of my favourite sourdough right here. (And they sell it by the loaf so I can stuff my pregnant face in the middle of the night!)
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