Love for the Locals: Remedy Cafe

I'd like to introduce you to my favourite spot in Edmonton for a good Chai tea latte, as of a year and a bit ago - Remedy Cafe. I meant to write about it much earlier, but only remembered to do so after having revisited the place last night!

Remedy Cafe, where the slogan is "Be Spicy - Drink Chai!", isn't your ordinary cafe. In addition to its assortment of coffees, teas, and desserts, Remedy serves quality East Indian/Pakistani food. Remedy Cafe offers full meals of rice and curries, as well as some great deals including the "2 Chai lattes and 4 Samosas" combo for only $12.50. As well, most of Remedy's baked goods and savoury eats are of the vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free sort, so in addition to the options of 1% or 3% milk to be added to your beverages, you may also opt for soy or almond milk.

There are 4 locations in Edmonton - 1 in the University area on 109 Street, 1 on Whyte Ave, 1 on 124 Street, and 1 downtown on Jasper Ave - with a new cafe-to-be in the Terwillegar neighbourhood on the southside!

Each location gives you a bit of a different experience. All are run by hipsters, as seems to be the case with many cafes and coffee shops these days. P first brought me to the University location, and we have since been back at least a couple of  times. The location in the University area tends to be louder in terms of the music being played in the background as well as the people that hang out there. Not the best place to study, but there's a really neat vibe if you sit upstairs by the windows when it's rainy out. The staff also tend to be a bit more laidback, which can be good and bad at times. I find myself preferring the downtown location the most (so far). The music is played at a more comfortable volume, there's a bit more space, and there's better lighting. Service is also arguably a bit better at the downtown location because they give you a number to take to your seat, and bring everything to you, whereas you're expected to wait and pick up your order from the counter at the University location. It's also a nifty feeling to be at a cafe in the middle of downtown at night :)

All locations are open from 7:30am until midnight Monday to Friday, and 8:00am to midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

Remedy Cafe at 10279 - Jasper Ave.

Mini bar seat area.

Hustley-bustley downtown location around lunch hour on a weekday.

Diverse assortment of furniture and weird lamps. Love.

High tables and high chairs?

The Kashmire Chai - a delicious Chai latte topped with pistachios and rose petals. This is good at any time of the day. I highly recommend it.

Traditional Chai - another delicious Chai latte topped with ground cinnamon. Quite nice too! :)

If Chai isn't your thing, there are so many other kinds of tea to choose from, but to be honest, if you don't have their Chai at least once, you are missing out.

The 4 Samosas that came with our Chai lattes last night. They were filled with potatoes, peas, and delicious spices. So good...

The hallway leading to the washroom in the downtown location has chalkboard walls with multiple colours of chalk for you to draw and write things with. Fun!

Remedy Cafe makes for a nice date or relaxed hangout with friends. Their hours and products make it suitable for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a late night thing! Thanks to P, this is one of my go-to spots in Edmonton for a smooth latte and a snack (usually a slice of cake or some samosas). I have yet to try any of their curries or even half of the kinds of cake they serve...all the more reason to return! But please for the love of all that is good in the world, try their Chai for me.

-M

B-b-b-baking: The Gastronomicon/Necro-om-nomicon

After a two month-long hiatus, I figured that I should get back to blogging! It has been insane lately... For instance, I recently attended my graduation from library school - I am a Master of Library and Information Science! I hope to resume posting at least once or twice a month, but please bear with me while I re-adjust to life :) And what better time to return to writing than to recapture one of my favourite days of the year, Halloween?

This year, P and I enjoyed a quiet, low-budget Halloween at home with homemade dinner and a movie. I tackled the "Gastronomicon", a ghastly but tasty homage to H.P. Lovecraft's "Necronomicon", originally crafted by Elizabeth Ellis on her own Blog of the Fed! H.P. Lovecraft was a horror fiction writer of the 1920s, and is well-known for his stories encircling the "Necronomicon" (or "Book of the Dead") and "Cthulu". His stories are one of my guilty pleasures that I enjoy time after time. You can learn more about H.P. Lovecraft and his other creations on The H.P. Lovecraft Archive.

My 9 x 13" monstrous masterpiece! I am happy to report that we succeeded in consuming the entire thing on Halloween night. :)

The "Gastronomicon" (Adapted from The Blog of the Fed)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp granulated white sugar

1 tsp table salt

1 cup warm water

1 packet of quick-rising yeast

1 Tbsp olive oil 

Pizza sauce or tomato-based pasta sauce

2 cloves of garlic (for the eyes)

2 black olives (for the nostrils)

Onion (for the teeth)

Shredded cheese 

Your other desired toppings

1. In a small bowl, combine the water, quick-rising yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir gently until dissolved.
2. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the yeast mixture into the flour, and mix until combined.
4. Knead the dough, then form it into a ball. It'll be quite sticky at first, but keep kneading until it no longer sticks to your hands.
5. Smear oil on the inside of the mixing bowl, and place the ball of dough in the center. If you use an herb-infused olive oil, it makes the dough smell really good, and you can save on buying fresh herbs! I used the oregano-infused extra virgin olive oil from Oliv!
6. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, leave it in a warm place, and allow it to rise for at least 1 hour. The air can be dry and cool in Alberta, so I like to put the covered bowl into the microwave *turned off* along with a mug full of hot water. While the dough is rising, you can use some time to prepare your toppings.
7. Once the dough has doubled in size, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick spray, and preheat your oven to 400 F.
8. Remove the dough from the bowl, and knead it a couple of times to incorporate the olive oil.
9. Gently press and spread it until it evenly fills the pan's surface, and sculpt the face of the Necronomicon on the surface of your pizza dough. It works well to create ridges that stick out a bit to pronounce the facial features.
10. Coat the surface of the dough with sauce, right to the edges so that no piece lacks it. I tend to use pasta sauce more often than purchasing actual pizza sauce, because it's what I have on hand. Still super delicious!

Saucy and evil, just the way I like it :P

11. Add toppings to your heart's content! Aside from the garlic, olives, and onion, I opted for diced tomatoes, spicy genoa salami, sauteed mushrooms and onions (prepared by P), and of course, shredded cheese (We got the pre-shredded "Pizza" one by Kraft that has mozzarella, cheddar, and provolone). I forgot to get baby shrimp that I could use for maggots. The Necronomicon didn't have maggots as far as I know, but it would have looked pretty awesome!

Toppings galore!

12. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is super melty and kind of bubbly.
13. Enjoy with a bloody-coloured beverage, and hope that your Gastronomicon doesn't attempt to devour your soul from inside your stomach! >:)

If making sparkling cranberry juice like I did, be sure to use at least 2 thirds cranberry juice to 1 third 7-Up/Sprite, or it'll just taste like cranberry-flavoured 7-Up, unless that's what you like. To each their own...

I hope you all had a Happy Halloween! :D

-M