[Review] Edmonton, AB - North 53

10240 124 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5N 3W6

After 5 months of waiting, I made my way down to North 53 to see what the hype about. Following my Avenue Magazine Bible, I was able to cross North 53 off my list as one of the top 3 restaurants in Edmonton. The most exciting part for me was the fact that North 53 is a Tapas Restaurant! I love the concept of sharing with your friends because it allows you to try everything on the table. The concept was also very fitting for the restaurant since it was Asian-fusion inspired! North 53 seemd to come off as a dark, yet very quaint little place when we arrived. It was quite easy to find at night with the white neon light with the number "53" outside the restaurant. When we walked through the door, it gave off a very chill lounge vibe with the backlight of the bar lighting up part of the restaurant. We were greeted quite quickly after we arrived and the girl helping us seated us at a quiet candle lit table for two, right by a window. The one thing I probably like about the restaurant is how the seating is arranged. Wherever you sit in the restaurant, one person is bound to be able to stare outside the window, I could only imagine how nice and bright it is during brunch time; that story will be for another day. During our dining experience, we ordered 3 different items + dessert at the end (because dinner is never complete without some sweets!) After 15 minutes, we finally agreed on the Tuna tataki, Fried chicken and Bulghogi game hen for our mains.

TUNA TATAKI:

• Rating: 3.5/5 starfishes

• Pricing: $16

• Categorized as a small tapas dish.

• This dish was decked out with pickled carrots & daikon, juniper aioli, bok choy and wonton crisps on top of 4 pieces of tuna.

• The sour and acidic taste of the pickled vegetables took away from the fish taste because of it's powerful flavour.

• Wonton crisps added a nice crunchy texture to the plate since the tuna was so soft.

• The purple dots were ponzu gel - a Japanese citrus flavoured soy sauce with a multitude of simultaneous flavour profiles including salty, bitter, sweet, and sour.

BULGOHGI GAME HEN:

• Rating: 3.5/5 starfishes

• Pricing: $26

• Game Hen on top of kimchi pancakes and topped off with crispy mushrooms and onions, accompanied by a side of maple gochujang for dipping.

• The hen was nice and succulent and the dipping sauce gave it the extra kick it needed!

• Gochujang is a Korean chilli paste used as a staple for many of their ethnic dishes. Our side of maple gochujang was a nice balance between sweet and spicy! I usually have a high sensitivity to spicy food, but the sauce for our dish wasn't too overwhelming for my palate, which was a bonus for me because that meant I could eat it!

• The crispy mushrooms and onions added a nice texture and flavour to the combo. But they were still soft enough to slightly melt in your mouth with the chicken.

• I wasn't too much of a fan of the kimchi pancakes (especially not with the chicken) because the combined flavours of pickled, sweet, and savoury distracted my mouth from the chicken. Then again, I am not too much of a fan of kimchi either so that might be the problem. On a side note, there is no actual kimchi pieces inside - which is what I thought we would find! The pancakes weren't too bad on their own though, with the maple gochujang.

FRIED CHICKEN :

• Rating: 3/5 starfishes

• Pricing: $11

• We didn't get a picture of the fried chicken but it came with a sour cream & onion dip

• The one thing I liked about the chicken (other than the dip) was the fact that the chicken itself was not very oily. At some places, they use a lot of rub and deep fry the chicken a lot and it comes out dripping, but this one was the opposite!

• I thoroughly enjoyed the dip because I am a sucker for sour cream. This rendition of Korean Fried Chicken with green onions is one that I prefer because of the light yet creamy pairing with the sour cream!

• I would recommend this for people who would like to stick to the straightforward and simplistic dishes that are a safe choice to make when eating out! It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't my favourite either.

CHOMEUR A LA MODE:

• Rating: 4.5/5 starfishes

• Pricing: $13.5

• Classic Quebecois dessert made of softly baked cookie dough with a small layer of chocolate baked on the inside and a side of vanilla ice cream.

• The top was slightly bruleed, but it was enough to give the dish a bit of a crisp to it.

• I would definitely recommend this dessert to anyone going to try out North 53; it won my heart for the night! It was so nice and warm and melted in my mouth like a fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie.

• The warmth from the dessert also melted the ice cream when you put it together and it made my spoonful taste creamier and sweeter than ever! Don't get me wrong, the dessert was still good even without the ice cream that is how magical it was!!

Overall, North 53 had some interesting food combinations that they offered and definitely gave us a run for our taste buds on a couple dishes. I wouldn't be running back to them immediately, but it will definitely stay on my list as a place that I would take another friend to! With all the excitement, I am looking forward to the new restaurant that they are going to be opening by Rogers' Place - Baijiu. Asian-fusion seems to be trying to get their foot in the door in Edmonton's food scene, and I can't wait to see what else they have to offer.