Ciao Dec/Jan 2016 number one hundred one | Page 56

ciao! reviews
push boundaries with fusion-influenced flavour, like a chicken roll
incorporating crisp wonton strips
and Thai sweet chilli sauce. An
option for those who avoid meat is
loaded with greens and veggies.
The short menu also lists bowls
that pull from a variety of cuisines,
from a coconut-imbued Thai green
curry to a take on Korean bulgogi
drizzled with fiery miso aioli and
topped with a glistening fried egg.
Glossy pink cubes of salmon and
tuna fill the poke bowl, nestled next
to spiralized carrots, edmame, avocado, cucumber, and lettuce. The
traditional Hawaiian dish is lent a
briny note by threads of seaweed
and a mix of soy sauce and lightly
pungent wasabi-punched aioli. A
tribute to Filipino cuisine (and a
Filipino sports hero) the Pac Man
Special tops rice with a bevy of veggies and rosy twists of sweet and
smoky tocino sausage, a rare find
outside of home kitchens.
Flair is added to even the smallest details. Burritos are wrapped,
cut, and served in bamboo steamer
baskets, and signature take out boxes
are styled up with a colourful fish
illustration.
The steady parade of lunchtime
diners moving through the doors
find equal satisfaction in superbly
fresh prepackaged salads, traditional
nigiri, and fruit and spinach packed
smoothie cups ready to be blended
at the counter. Goma ae blends delicate strands of seaweed and blanched
kale with an addictive miso-peanut
dressing . For those with more time
to sit and sup, specialty coffee drinks,
by-the-glass wine, and Asian beer on
tap round out the selection.
Concept-driven eateries have
proven popular for entrepreneurs,
and Chosabi shows the strongest
players deliver with outstanding taste
and uncompromised flavour.
Chosabi is open Mon-Sat 10:30
am-8 pm, Sun 12 pm-5 pm.
54

ciao! / dec/jan / two thousand sixteen

FEAST CAFÉ BISTRO
Neighbourhood . . . . . West End
Address. . . . . . . 587 Ellice Ave
Phone . . . . . . . . 204-691-5979
Entrées . . . . . . . . . . . . $9-$14
Food is many things, from basic
sustenance and nourishment to an
exercise in creativity. In many ways,
the food we eat is tied to identity.
When Ciao! pioneered Manitoba
Regional Cuisine as a dining category
in 1997, seeking to highlight the food
of this land and its people, pushes
for the simple addition of bison,
lakefish, or wild rice to a menu were
completely novel.
Today these regional staples have
become ever more popular, but
in the hands of Christa BruneauGuenther, these ingredients speak
with added significance. Feast Café
and Bistro opened on the corner of
Ellice and Sherbrook last December,
and in doing so became Canada's
first Indigenous cuisine restaurant.
At a time when our country is,
more than ever before, acknowledging the rights of Indigenous peoples,
Feast represents both a celebration
and a reclamation of the ingredients and techniques that make up
First Nations food. On the menu
are homey staples, like bison chili—
twists on comfort fare that would be
at home in many kitchens—alongside preparations that have spanned
generations, like the pillowy bannock
that forms the basis of many dishes.
Inside the welcoming room in the
former Ellice Café space, accented
with warm colours, pendant lamps,
and large black and white photos
of prairie scenery and traditional
scenes—a canoe, a tipi, bannock
cooking over a fire—the intimate
restaurant feels at once chic and cozy.
Food is straightforward, filling,

and well prepared. A twist on French
dip made with shredded bison is
juicy and bursting with flavour,
a melty mess of Bothwell cheese,
sautéed peppers, and mayo lightly
kicked with fresh horseradish.
Pickerel "sliders" (presented open
faced) make use of shore lunch
flavour enhancers—lemon pepper,
chive, and dill—to amp up the
favourite fish.
Indian Tacos are the signature
dish, a riff on popular powwow food
from Southwestern First Nations
groups like the Navajo. Feast's version is all Manitoba, topped with a
hearty bean and local bison chili.
Puffy wheels of lightly fried bannock support a mountain of chili,
lettuce, salsa, and a drizzle of sour
cream hinting of chipotle. This may
be the only taco that requires a fork
and knife, but it is easily devoured.
The same light-as-air frybread
makes the base for pizzas with creative toppings. A vegetarian version
sporting nutty-sweet roasted butternut squash, a rich cream sauce, a
smattering of pine nuts, and chipotle
cream is an out of the park hit.
Simple variations on classic
breakfast items draw neighbourhood crowds in the morning, from
pancakes and French toast to "eggs
banny" on a bannock bun.
While fare is familiar, hinting
of classic diners and home cooked
meals, small substitutions point to
Feast's real charm. Bannock replaces
bread in nearly every dish; bison sausage swaps for breakfast sausages
and pepperoni on pizza; fish fingers
become oven-baked pickerel. From
the use of traditional ingredients to
the warm neighbourhood atmosphere, dining becomes more than
just the experience of a meal; it is
a connection to land, culture, and
community.
Feast Cafe Bistro is open MonThu 9 am-4 pm, Fri and Sat 9 am-9
pm.