Restaurant Review: Korq Winehouse & Kitchen

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays and prepping for our whirlwind vacation, we really tried our best to get together with all our close friends and family in December.  Which also meant a lot of eating out, but lucky for us, there were some interesting restaurants that opened up around that time so we got to explore new spaces and without the worry about a lack of choices. Korq Winehouse & Kitchen was one of those places that opened up late last year and we couldn’t wait to sip some different new wines and munch on some yummy new dishes.

Atmosphere: Modern and contemporary designs featuring multi-level dining spaces and an amazing wine wall over the revitalized bar.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $20s

Food & Wine: Korq has a nice sharing menu for those that are like us and love to try every dish. However we decided that day to even split the items that were meant to be small appetizers or personal entrée sizes. I guess old habits die hard and I’m just a family style kind of diner.  From the Small menu, we ordered the Tartare made with Alberta beef tenderloin, flavoured with capers and pickles, sides of mustard, wasabi and crunchy crostinis. We had to order more bread since there was lots more tartare to go around. I liked the idea of having the mustard and wasabi off to the side because often times I can find the tartare too acidic due to the addition of pickles, capers, mustard and more. Being able to control the tartness of the dish was a bonus.

Next our waitress brought out the Fish Sliders from the Share menu, made with a combination of steelhead and whitefish and topped with roast pepper relish and aioli in a bannock bun.  I found the fish to be a bit under seasoned and the bread to be a bit tough. I think it would go better with a sweet roll or a brioche bun and I did like that it was a slider format allowing easier sharing amongst our group. I enjoyed the pan fried Calamari. It’s a nice twist on the typical deep fried version, although lacking a bit of the charred goodness from the grilled version. It was an overall light dish and a nice appetizer.

With my husband there we always tend to order the Mussels if it’s on the menu. This version included both mussels and clams cooked in white wine with chorizo, potato and shallots. The mussels were quite sweet and I always enjoyed the combination of mussels and clams to switch things up a bit. The broth was light, overall a simple yet tasty dish. We also had an order of the Mediterranean Lamb Flatbread, I found it to be a bit gamey, so for those that enjoy their wild game meats, this flatbread is for you. Served with a side of mint cucumber yogurt, it made for a nice dipping sauce for the crust.

From the Big menu, we sampled the Buttered Chicken Curry, which isn’t your traditional buttered chicken curry. Instead it is served on papardelle noodles, making it a fusion Italian Indian dish. I enjoyed the creaminess of the chicken curry and the pasta was cooked well but our table did find the dish a bit under seasoned. The Braised Spring Creek Short Rib was nice and tender and I really enjoyed the carrot mustard puree. It was a comforting dish that I could eat again especially during this cold Calgary winter.

For dessert, we had the Beignets and Sticky Toffee Pudding. My husband was a bit disappointed with the beignets since he’s been traveling to and from the Southern United States recently, but I’d have to say there were a bit firmer than I would have liked. It did come with ice cream and that definitely helped! The sticky toffee pudding was a bit dry and the toffee sauce was darker and tasted more of molasses as opposed to caramel, which was different for me, but our dining companions seemed to enjoy the more concentrated version, to each their own!

We started with a bottle of the Domaine de la Janasse Cotes du Rhone, smoky and bold with strong berry notes, definitely a good wine to pair with meat dishes. Next we tried the Cuvelier Los Andes Coleccion, which was extremely tasty and very well priced, medium bodied with a sweet lingering finish. It’s a very easy drinking wine and will be a nice accompaniment to less meaty fare.

My Picks: Braised Spring Creek Short Rib

Overall: It was nice to see a new restaurant on the west end of downtown since majority of them now seem to be along 17^th Ave or in the suburbs. As with all new restaurants it’ll take a bit of time for them to make little tweaks to their menu, can’t wait to see what modifications are coming our way!
 

Korq Winehouse & Kitchen

801 6 Street SW

Calgary, AB

(587) 352-5677

Website: www.korqwinehouse.ca