1/17/2015

Love for the Locals: Ampersand 27

For my pre-birthday birthday dinner, P and I finally got around to trying out one of the newer additions to Whyte Ave -- Ampersand 27, and it was definitely the perfect choice for the occasion.

(My birthday present to myself was a brand new phone, so rather than the mediocre pictures you've seen from my Samsung Galaxy SII, these photos are coming to you from a fancy schmancy Nexus 5.)

Ampersand 27, or &27 is certainly "crafted to be different". Something like a fine-dining tapas-style restaurant, it is located on Whyte Ave at 10612-82 Avenue, where Murrietta's used to be. As you sit and enjoy your meal, and look around at, well...everything, you can't help but feel how well the food and space complement one another, courtesy of Chef Patron and Owner, Nathin Bye.

We started off the meal with our drinks, which they charmingly referred to as "Causes, Cures, & Remedies". P opted for a glass of Merlot, while I indulged in a virgin rendition of one of their cocktails - Hot Days. The regular Hot Days includes a concoction of Appleton Rum, Giffard Apricot, Pomegranate Honey Reduction, Almond Milk, and Earl Grey Ice. While the regular cost for one of their cocktails averaged at about $11.50, they only charged me $4 for a virgin one. It was a great deal, but I'm sure I was missing some extra notes by passing on the rum and brandy. Perhaps there will come a day when I choose a boozy drink with the actual booze in it :)

Ampersand 27 also serves Q water in its still or sparkling form, for which they charge $1. There has been some criticism due to the fact that they charge for water, but part of the proceeds from the water sales goes to the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation.

The dinner menu, for the most part, is a collection of share-able items, which means that you can try multiple inventions of theirs at the same time. P and I decided on the Seared Albacore Tuna from "Share & Share Alike", creating our own "Charcuterie" board, and the Seafood Paella from "Larger Provisions".

To really top off the experience, Executive Chef, Greg Myshynuik came around to greet customers at their tables including ours. He asked us if we had just ordered charcuterie, and before we could say "Seared Albacore Tuna", he recited the rest of our meal from the top of his head. He also said that he would check to make sure our food was coming out in a timely manner, and that it did.

Charcuterie - There was a full page of items for you to put together your own charcuterie board. We chose the Chorizo ($3.90/50g), Britannia 5 Year Aged Cheddar ($6.82/50g), Rustic Marble Rye ($3.50/6 half slices), Smoked Rainbow Trout ($3.94/50g), peanut fries ($5.00/elliptical bowl the length of P's forearm). As tempting as things like fresh boccocini can be, I'm glad that they have options like aged cheeses, as one with a sometimes disagreeable stomach. There isn't much more to say than that it was all very delicious. Of course, my favourite part was definitely the peanut fries. They are your standard shoestring potato fries, but are fried in peanut oil, and then topped with a touch of salt and what they called "chipotle honey dust". I'm pretty sure that just means it's some form of magical fairy dust that's edible to mortals. These things are crazy addictive, and now, P and I have somewhere to go for some really good fries at night!
Seared Albacore Tuna - Pickled Hearts of Palm, Citrus, Seaweed, Cashew Puree. It felt almost as if the dish was situated on the ocean floor. I wasn't a huge fan of the "hearts of palm", but it was likely because they were pickled, and I'm just not a fan of pickled things. Really, I just wanted the tuna, and it was amazing.
Seafood Paella ($28) - The seafood paella changes daily, so the price will vary by market price. Ours had mussels, clams, and chorizo. The rice had a divinely smooth texture with so much flavour, yet not too much. Yum.

Homemade saltwater taffy accompanied the check - one was root beer, and the other was cucumber-gin. I've found that out of all of the boozy things I've taken a sip of, I've enjoyed gin and tonic the most. P says it's because it tastes more herbal rather than old things and wood. That said, I opted for the cucumber-gin taffy.

My favourite part of the restaurant. Apparently it was meant to emulate a forest scene with mountains and a river with a starry night sky, and I love it.

I'm not sure how it's possible, but while everything at Ampersand 27 looked beautiful, it also tasted beautiful. It felt as if each morsel had been cared for individually...Bravo.

P and I were so full after indulging in our savoury dishes, that we had to opt out from ordering dessert. But don't you worry - we will be back.

If you're in a mood for indulging your eyes and tastebuds simultaneously, but don't necessarily have a huge budget, I'd recommend a visit to Ampersand 27. And please try the peanut fries for me :)

-M

P.S. Check out the winter issue of Fine Lifestyles Magazine for a featured article on Ampersand 27, and more amazing photography by P!

Ampersand 27 on Urbanspoon

1/05/2015

Looking Back: 2014

Similarly to last year, I can't believe it's already 2015.

This past year has been quite something! As I opened my doors to new opportunities in life, I also opened my blog up to new horizons in BC, Ontario, and Quebec with my temporary move for school and professional development adventures, made and reunited with some wonderful friends, and made and ate some delicious things!

More accomplishments(?) for 2014 include the following...

  • My blog is now over 2 years old!
  • I fell in love with a place called, "The Bag Lady" in London, Ontario.
  • I spent Chinese New Year with extended family in Toronto!
  • I made my first loaf of sandwich bread and made it into French toast for my friends who didn't go away for Family Day.
  • I made some *bleep* good butternut squash soup for the first time thanks to my purchase of a Magic Bullet.
  • I grew my own basil and dill plants, named Hazel and Phil, respectively, but I lost them to aphids because I'm a terrible gardener/horticulturist.
  • I messed up a few batches of my go-to scones because I was too lazy to go out and get shortening or butter.
  • Some guy gave my dad some rhubarb, so I made pastries with it.
  • P and I made a freaking amazing masterpiece for Halloween - the Gastronomicon/Necro-om-nomicon, and devoured the entire thing...*grin*
  • I made lasagna for my parents and they didn't hate it!
  • I put potato chips into cookies and they turned out amazingly. There's no going back now...
  • I made some horrendous samosas that don't deserve to be called samosas - they were so bad that I couldn't even eat a whole one myself. The rest are currently sitting in the deep freeze, and P has said that he will take them, but I am afraid that they will just suffer the same fate as the black bean cookies of yesteryear.
  • Rather than letting my Tim Horton's giftcards from Christmas presents and badminton tournament prizes go to waste (because I am not much of a fan anymore, on the account of my parents going to Tim Horton's several times every week), I used them to provide breakfast and coffee to those who aren't as fortunate as me to have a safe and warm home with more than enough food.
  • P is still my #1 food companion/photographer/fan, and I hope that won't change.
  • I'm nearly at my 100th post! That day will probably call for confetti or something.


Things I want to work on include the following...

  • Getting a personalized domain site up and running!
  • Consistently using better quality photographs when I can afford it. (I still use the camera on my Samsung Galaxy SII, because that's all I have ._.)
  • Try more weird foods and discover new flavours in the world!
  • Find more hole-in-the-wall eateries, because more seems more doable than "all".
  • Broadening my knowledge of culinary techniques and fearing nothing!
  • And as always, maintain my blog so that I can
    • Remember what I ordered at a place I visited for the first time
    • Remember what something I ate looked like
    • Remember the good times and company I've had
    • Remember food and restaurants that I will rarely get the chance to visit
    • Document my culinary ups and downs in the kitchen
    • Share with others
    • Stare at them when I'm bored and there's nothing new on r/food
    • And lastly, to remember places I like to eat at and those that I do not like to eat at and should never go back to.
Thank you to everyone for supporting my continued blogging, especially P and friends who have to wait for me to take pictures of their food before eating. Here's to another year of wonderful food and friends and friendly foods! :)

-M