I kicked off November with some pretty delicious eats at Edmonton's newest restaurant, Ampersand 27 (&27). Promising an experience "crafted to be different", Ampersand 27 was no trick, and definitely a treat!
You might already know of chef patron and owner Nathin Bye, previously the corporate chef at the Lazia Group (Lazia, Wildflower Grill, East). &27 will be his fifth venture, with a main concept of locally sourced cuisine but with a global and diverse influence. The name? "Ampersand" at one point was considered the 27th letter in the alphabet, a slurred form of "and (&) per se and" that traditionally followed after "Z". Because it didn't resemble a speech sound, it eventually fell out of favour, seemingly, "different" from the rest of the alphabet.
Drinks menu includes a good selection of cocktails and beers. I opted for the Scintillant Fig, a play on an Aperol Spritz (my new fave!). Presentation was impressive, my glass coming out with a frozen star anise on the bottom and an Aperol, grapefruit shrub, and Prosecco mixture poured at the table. Lovely! The grapefruit flavours were prominent, which I enjoyed, and near the end of the drink, the star anise had broken free and left a pleasant aroma.
Joe went for their version of a Caesar, the Vodka Swine: vodka, Clamato, crisp bacon, twisted Caesar fixin's (dijon, maple, tabasco). It had quite the kick to it, and wasn't overly salty as some drinks can get. He must have enjoyed it, ordering a second round for the night. For my next visit, I'm looking forward trying the wine selection. &27 has the Enomatic wine preservation system, which allows for a sampling of their available wines, charging by the ounce, your standard glass, or by the bottle.
Most dishes are for sharing, bigger than your average tapas plate, comfortably allowing 3 - 4 people to grab a couple of bites each. Ampersand 27 also features a handful of larger provisions (main entreé formats) and flatbreads.
The maple butter pork belly would make anyone's mouth water. It's pork belly, come on. A significant amount of slices will make diners happy all around. Additionally, it came with baked beans and (heavily) seasoned Southwestern mesquite corn, a little overpowering to my taste, but definitely flavourful. The fritters were ahh-maaaazing. A sweet corn batter mixed in with a little bit of cayenne pepper, hint of vanilla, and agar to hold when deep fried, they had the smoothest texture! Past the crispy exterior, the texture reminded me of cheese. They could have given me a plate of pork belly and fritters and I'd be in heaven.
Our second dish: an Arctic char crudo. Thinly shaved asparagus on top of sliced raw Arctic char, with what appeared to be tempura-based batter deep-fried avocado slices (yum!), sesame crisps and truffle and soy reductions spotted on the plate. One of Ampersand 27's Asian-inspired dishes, the plate was refreshing for us, a stark contrast to our maple butter pork belly.
The menu features a variety of meats, cheeses, breads, patés, pickles, and condiments for a DIY-style of charcuterie. For meats, you can't go wrong with Proscuitto de Parma, and to try something different, we ordered the lamb merguez (sausage), and chorizo. My favourite was the chorizo, an in-house recipe (it's pretty spicy!) and made for &27 by D'Arcy's Meats in St. Albert. Wildgame Consultants make the lamb merguez for them, a gamier flavour than I would have imagined and less flavourful compared to the chorizo.
Our cheeses for the night, both from Quebec: Brie Cendre Des Pres, a pasteurized cow's milk soft cheese; and a wedge of Baluchon, a raw cow's milk semi-firm cheese. Both were soooo good. The brie was beautiful, with a maple wood ash line, and oozed easily onto our baguette slices. Joe's preferred the Baluchon, a super creamy cheese with a smooth texture and milder tones of earthiness and herbs. Ampersand 27's selection of cheeses is a mix of in-house (herbed ricotta), local (pecorino from The Cheesiry), and Canadian selections. Yum! We also threw in full sour Kosher pickles to the mix.
I ordered the Citron Bleu, a lighter alternative to the other dessert options on the menu The lemon buttermilk mousse was smooth, creamy, and very reminescent of a lemon meringue pie. Blueberry compote and Earl Grey gels to add another dimension of flavour, and milk crisps for an extra crunch rounded out the dish. Absolutely loved this dessert!
It's early in the game, I know, but honestly if I hadn't known it was a soft opening, the evening seemed as if they had been there all along. Our orders were taken quickly, and food was timely spaced. Nathin Bye was very much on the floor, visiting tables, chatting, and happy to answer my questions. It was a pleasure meeting him in person! Definitely will return for dinner, it's a great spot for sharing plates for sure. Ampersand 27 also offers a lunch menu, plus a brunch menu on the weekend. read more