The weather is warming up and spring has finally arrived. After the deep freeze we experienced in February of this year, I am extremely excited for sunny skies and plus double digit temperatures. Nothing celebrates warm weather more then spritzy fresh cocktails like some of the ones we were treated to by JD Darnes at the newly opened Waalflower. We were super excited when we got invited down to try out their menu and delicious libations.
Atmosphere: Relaxed dining area looking in to the open bar or the open kitchen surrounded by accents from the original historical De Waal building.
Price Range: Mid $10s - $20+
Food & Cocktails: It was a chef’s tasting menu that night, so every course was a surprise coupled with delicious house crafted cocktails. To start we had the Chickpea Socca with labneh, raisins and smoked salt. I wasn’t expecting a middle eastern flare and was genuinely excited. The combination of the tangy yogurt with the sweet and salty aspects of the dish worked very nicely together. At the same time we were also served Olives sourced from Greece, Sicily and Turkey with citrus coriander chilies. Both dishes worked well in getting our appetites kicked up to high gear. The Gardener’s Tonic was the drink pairing made with herbs from the garden as you can guess from the name, a linger taste of fresh peas shoots really comes through especially when paired with the appies we were eating. Plus, the color of the drink is so bright and beautiful, perfect for summer.
The next set of dishes were heartier with Lamb Meatballs in a charred tomato sauce with artichoke, goat feta and parsley. The meatballs were full of flavour and not at all gamey, which was exciting for me because I’m not a huge fan of the gamey taste of lamb. I think the combination of the charred tomatoes and the parsley really helped. The Eggs and Sausage dish is the quintessential breakfast for dinner plate with beef merguez, dates and tomatoes. A bit salty, a little bit sweet from the dates, made for a knockout plate, this is how breakfast for dinner should be done. We were treated to the Dead Ahead Irish Red Ale by Caravel Craft Brewery as the pairing for this course. It was smooth with notes of honey and caramel which played nicely with the meaty dishes we were eating. The crispness of the beer also cleansed my palate and readied me for the next couple dishes.
This was probably my favorite course of the night because I love raw fish preparations and here we were served the Ahi Tuna Crudo with grapefruit and pepperoncini and the Steelhead Trout Gravlax with fennel, tomatoes and cucumber. Both dishes were extremely fresh and exciting (not to mention oceanwise), especially with ingredients such as tangy grapefruit and refreshing cucumber you can’t go wrong with either of these plates. If that wasn’t enough to evoke spring and warm weather thoughts, our cocktail pairing was the Bon Vivant – a champagne sangria which tasted literally like summer in a glass. Champagne as a Sangria? You can’t go wrong with that ever! My husband thought it tasted like gummy bears and how is that ever a bad thing?
For our mains we were treated to the whole roasted Barramundi with a caponata sauce. Since the concept is family style, I enjoyed the presentation of the whole fish, which is how I’ve grown up eating fish. Barramundi is hugely popular in Australia, so I was excited to hear that they are now raising them locally here in Alberta. If you haven’t tried it, you’re in for a treat because its super flaky and buttery. The other dish was the Rossdown Farms Chicken with oregano spinach lemon potatoes and garlic tzatziki. Again, I really liked the Mediterranean take on this dish. The chicken was flavourful and tender, perfectly cooked, which could be hard to do at times with white meat. We were served the Waalflower cocktail with this course, made with Drambuie and Japanese yuzu, rose petal liquor with a whole skinned lemon. It had a nice citrus overtone, but it didn’t dominate the cocktail. The citrus notes played well off the tangy flavours of both dishes and helped cleanse the palette.
To end our evening, we were treated to some housemade sugar cookies to finish everything on a sweet note.
My Pick(s): Steelhead Trout Gravlax, Ahi Tuna Crudo
Overall: The menu by Chef JP Comte has a unique mix of Canadiana, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. I enjoyed the dishes that had a bit of everything and it made me want to go back to try the ones that we didn’t get to taste that evening. Not to mention the tasty and creative hand crafted cocktails that elicit the flavours of summer and exotic getaways – here’s eyeing “The Zombie” drink!
Waalflower
24 4 St NE
Calgary, AB
(587) 349-9008
Website: waalflower.ca
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