What the Truck?! Sept 11, 2015

Cooler fall weather has finally arrived in Edmonton, which sadly means the end of food truck season. Luckily, I was able to attend a total of four What the Truck?! food truck events this year to satisfy my love for trying new food truck food. The most recent event I attended was the Finale in Churchill Square a few weeks ago. This time however, I attended the event as a Golden Ticket winner!

What the Truck?! Finale in Churchill Square.

The Finale event featured 35 food trucks nicely spaced out on Churchill Square and on 99 Street. I loved that there was much more room between each truck which helped to ease line ups and avoid crowding. The weather was warm and sunny as well - perfect for hanging out in a festive, outdoor environment trying new food and supporting local businesses. 

Golden Ticket.

As a Golder Ticket holder, I was asked to come half an hour before the start of the event. Essentially, the Golden Ticket allowed me and a friend pre-entry between 3:40 PM to 4:00 PM - we got a 20 minute head start with access to all the food trucks without having to wait in line. Planning what you want beforehand is recommended, especially if you want to try food from multiple trucks in a short amount of time! 

Strawberry Shortcake Mini Donuts.

Our first stop with the Golden Ticket: Jackie O's for Strawberry Shortcake Mini Donuts ($8). Don't worry - it looked a lot prettier when we first received it! I guess one small downside about having a Golden Ticket is that I didn't really have time to stop and photograph my food (#thestruggle, right? #foodieproblems). I was definitely more focused on trying to order as much food as I could. When we finally sat down to eat, my friend Yusra (who ordered these donuts) felt that the strawberry topping had really soaked into the donuts making it a lot sweeter than she had hoped. This is best eaten right away.

Chocolate Waffles on a Stick.

The next stop was The Wafflery, a food truck new to What the Truck?!. The Wafflery was serving both sweet and savoury waffles, but as someone with a sweet tooth, I knew I needed to try their Chocolate Waffles on a Stick ($5). And I'm glad I did... these waffles were amazing! So soft and fluffy, and the caramel sauce drizzled on top rounded out each bite. The sprinkles were a fun, colourful touch and added some texture as well. I'm kind of sad that I offered one stick to Yusra before I tried it myself... if I had known how good it was, I definitely would've devoured both on my own! 

Chicken, Preserved Apple, and Bacon Skewers.

It's no surprise that I would start out with dessert. So to actually fill me up, I headed over to Bully Food Truck to try their Chicken, Preserved Apple, and Bacon Skewers ($8). Three small skewers consist of fresh Hutterite chicken, preserved apples, ground pepper, and smoky bacon served with brie cheese cream. A really delicious combination, and I easily finished off all three. But the best part of this dish? The salad it came with!!! I don't usually rave about salads, but this one was so good! Very refreshing and something that I would love to eat again. Bully was also able to make my order quickly - much appreciated since I wanted to move fast from truck to truck within my 20 minute pre-entry time. 

Curry Puff.

The next food truck on my list was Molly's Eats to try their Curry Puff ($3), a puff pastry filled with curry beef and potatoes. This doesn't look like much, but of course I'm not one to judge a book based on its cover. My first bite into this was impressive: the perfect flakiness of the pastry, the flavourful beef, a little bit of spice. This definitely packed a lot of punch for something so small. I only wish I went back for more! 

Pork and Apple Pie.

Another new food truck I checked out was The Pie Eatery. I wanted to try their Pork and Apple Pie ($7) after reading that CBC's food columnist Twyla Campbell had chosen this as the best food item at Taste of Edmonton 2015. So how did it taste? The first bite was unexpectedly surprising in a good way! I thought the filling was a perfect balance between the savouriness of the pork and the sweetness of the apple. The pastry itself was also great. Not to mention how good it smelled when I cut into it! I think the beauty of puff pastries is that it can hide such amazing flavours inside it, making for a delicious and welcome surprise. 

Rearview Mirror.

At this point, Yusra and I were both out of hands!!! But I was well prepared for that to happen - I brought a large reusable shopping bag to carry the rest of our food! The things you do for food am I right? But hey, I thought bringing a large bag was quite clever of me (hahaha). And now for the last but certainly not least stop using my Golden Ticket: Chedda' Heads! I loved their Hellbent grilled cheese sandwich that I tried back in August for What the Truck?! in Telus Field, so it was very nice to see them again at the Finale. I wanted to try something new so I went for their Rearview Mirror ($9) grilled cheese sandwich which consists of cheddar, granny smith apples, bacon, and maple syrup. Apparently my theme for this event was apples and bacon, seeing as this was my third dish containing both! I loved how the crispy and slightly tart apple slices paired well the bacon. Another impressive grilled cheese sandwich by Chedda' Heads, as expected. 

My spread!

So here was my spread of food after my 20 minute head start! Although I went a bit past 4:00 PM, I managed to get most of what I wanted in a short period of time. It was really nice to order food early, and at each food truck I went to I was greeted with warm and friendly hellos. 

There were only a few downsides about my experience with the Golden Ticket. Some food trucks I wanted to check out showed no sign that they were ready for the Golden Ticket winners (for example, a closed food truck or no one standing outside the truck to greet us), especially at the start of my pre-entry at 3:40 PM (pretty much all the food trucks appeared ready closer to 4:00 PM, towards the end of the pre-entry period). I also found that I had to wait longer than expected for some of the food items I ordered, usually because it was still being baked or cooked. Consequently I spent more time waiting at certain trucks, even though I had initially expected to receive my food within a fairly reasonable time in order to move quickly from truck to truck within the 20 minute time frame. I was optimistic that I would be able to check out more than 6 food trucks using the Golden Ticket after all. Lastly, I felt there was some miscommunication about what the Golden Ticket really entailed... some thought that the ticket would extend past 4:00 PM thereby letting me actually skip real line ups (but that wasn't the case). 

Proud of myself for scoring an impressive spread of food.

I do understand that it wouldn't make much sense to prepare a big batch of food to be hot and ready for only 2-4 people with guaranteed pre-entry. By the time such food is requested by more people when the event actually begins, it probably wouldn't have been as freshly made as it could've been, which is likely a situation most food businesses would want to avoid. Considering that, I think it would have been really nice if skipping the lines with the Golden Ticket could have been extended (even by 15 minutes or so) to be past the actual event start time. That way, there wouldn't be a pressing need for me to move as quickly, but food trucks would still be able to guarantee that the food they serve is freshly made not only for the Golden Ticket holders but for the other What the Truck?! attendees as well. 

Overall, my experience at the What the Truck?! Finale in Churchill Square was excellent! I feel really lucky to have won pre-entry to one of my favourite events, not to mention the perfect weather that came with it that day. I'm happy that I was able to check out new food trucks but also revisit some favourites. An aside: this is the first What the Truck?! event I've attended without CJ (who happily eats what I can't finish). Can you believe I managed to eat all that food alone (with just a wee bit of help from Yusra lol)? 

Congratulations to everyone on the What the Truck?! team for a successful finale event to wrap up the season! Thank you again for the Golden Ticket! September 11, 2015 (the day of the event) was also proclaimed to be "What the Truck Day" by City Councillor Andrew Knack. Awesome news! I'm looking forward to the next season of What the Truck?! events. Click here to read the recap of the finale event by What the Truck?!. Follow What the Truck?! on Twitter (@whatthetruckyeg) and like their Facebook page. 

What the Truck?! Aug 22, 2015

Happy September! School started a week early for me this year (I want my summer back please!), so I'm hoping to find a balance between my studies and updating my blog. So before the university grind really begins, I would love to share my recap of the August 22, 2015 What the Truck?! event that took place in Telus Field.

What the Truck?! is a celebration of food trucks and food truck culture in Edmonton. I always make sure I'm free to attend What the Truck?! events because I love being able to try lots of food truck food in one location. Check out my recap of What the Truck?! at Northlands Park.

Telus Field.

The event was held in Telus Field, a place that I would always pass by driving to Downtown but never really had a reason to check out until What the Truck?!. It was so nice to see people making the most of the location by playing catch in the infield or by picnicking in the outfield.

The Hungry Dodo food truck.

Fish & Chips & Salad.

To kick off my dinner, I decided to try Fish & Chips & Salad ($8) from The Hungry Dodo, a food truck that was new to What the Truck?!. The Hungry Dodo is Edmonton's first Mauritian food truck and serves 100% halal food. You can learn more about them here. The English style battered cod fish fillet had a nice, crispy exterior and paired surprisingly well with their avocado sauce - a change from the usual tartar sauce or ketchup. The fries, although plentiful, were just okay, while the salad could have used some more dressing but was refreshing nonetheless. I really enjoyed the big portion size though!

Chedda' Heads food truck.

Hellbent grilled cheese sandwich.

Next on my list was Chedda' Heads Hellbent ($9) grilled cheese sandwich. I've heard many good things about their grilled cheese sandwiches ever since the May 23 What the Truck?! event, so I knew I needed to give one a try. The 3 cheese blend along with the avocado slices gave every bite a pleasant creaminess, while the sweet and spicy Doritos added a satisfying crunch for contrast. Soooo good! Who would've thought avocado and Doritos chips would work so well together in a grilled cheese sandwich? The sandwich was also served with a side of chips and a pickle.

Spiced! Food Truck.

Karachi Beef Naanwich.

Another food truck new to What the Truck?! was Spiced! Food Truck. CJ wanted to try their Karachi Beef Naanwich ($8) which came with spiced! slow roasted and pulled beef, greens, chutney, and yogurt dressing. Kettle chips were also served on the side. I loved how flavourful the dish was: the crunchy greens and yogurt dressing was a perfect contrast to the spicy, Pakistani-influenced karachi sauce and tender beef. CJ instantly devoured his share of the naanwich, and ended up asking for more bites from my share!

Casa 12 Doce food truck.

Quesadillas Doradas. 

I was already a bit stuffed after eating the naanwich, but CJ insisted on trying just one more dish! We went with Casa 12 Doce's Quesadillas Doradas ($8) to finish our dinner at What the Truck?!. This dish comes with 3 corn tortillas filled with potato and feta cheese, which is then folded and fried. I'll admit that I imagined a soft shell quesadilla when I ordered this menu item, so you can probably guess I was surprised to receive a hard shell quesadilla! Nevertheless, CJ and I really enjoyed the crunchiness of the corn tortilla, the filling and sour cream, and the refreshing salsa mexicana served on the side.

Picnicking in the outfield with my @cheddaheads Hellbent grilled cheese sandwich in hand. Fun evening at @whatthetruckyeg trying new food with @cj_benito 😄🐻🐻 #whatthetruck #whatthetruckyeg #wttgoldenticket #yegfood

A photo posted by Stephanie Gonzales (@sk_gonzales) on Aug 23, 2015 at 10:07am PDT

What the Truck?! at Telus Field was fantastic! I had such a fun time picnicking in the outfield with CJ enjoying the warm summer weather, listening to great music, and eating delicious food. What the Truck?! seems to always pick amazing venues for their events... I loved the previous location at Northlands Park but I think I enjoyed Telus Field even more! It was a nice change to just sit/lie down on a picnic blanket instead of having to eat standing up or sitting on benches.

One thing I noticed was that 3 out of 4 of the trucks I visited did not use a ticket-based line management system which was first tested out at the Northlands Park event. While each truck has their own method to manage lines and orders, I thought the ticket-based system would have been useful to the trucks that I found to be a bit slower in sending out their food.

These guys make a mean grilled cheese. #whatthetruck #whatthetruckyeg #yegfood #wttgoldenticket

A photo posted by Charles Benito (@cj_benito) on Aug 23, 2015 at 9:23pm PDT

So which food truck won mine and CJ's heart for the evening? Chedda' Heads! Although everything we tried was really tasty, we both agreed that Chedda' Heads' Hellbent grilled cheese sandwich was our favourite pick. I hope to see them at future What the Truck?! events!

The event at Telus Field was the last chance to enter to win a Golden Ticket. CJ and I entered by sharing our photos of the event on social media using the hashtag #wttgoldenticket and by filling out feedback cards. The winners of the Golden Tickets were just recently announced and I'm excited to say that I was one of the winners! Yay!!! Thank you to everyone on the What the Truck?! team! I'm looking forward to the upcoming final What the Truck?! event of the season which takes place Friday September 11, 2015 in Churchill Square from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM and features 35 food trucks. I plan on eating tons of food that day (check out the finale menu here)! Be sure to follow What the Truck?! on Twitter (@whatthetruckyeg) and like their Facebook page.

What the Truck?! July 10, 2015

There are so many events happening in Edmonton this weekend! Edmonton Airshow, 4th Street Promenade Al Fresco Block Party, and Edmonton International Fringe Festival are just some of the events you can check out (click here for a complete list of events and activities to do in the city this weekend). On my list this weekend is What the Truck?!, a food truck extravaganza event happening Saturday August 22 (today!) from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Telus Field (10233 96 Ave NW).

What the Truck?! celebrates food trucks and food truck culture by bringing together many food trucks in one location. There have been three What the Truck?! events this year, with two more left for the season (one today and one on September 11, 2015). What the Truck?! has become a favourite event to attend because I love being able to try a wide variety of food truck food at one time.

What the Truck?! at Northlands Park.

This blog post is about the What the Truck?! event I checked out in July at Northlands Park which was held in conjunction with Park After Dark. This was my first time attending a What the Truck?! event at a location other than Churchill Square, so I was really excited to see how the evening would go at a new place.

This event was also the first time testing a new ticket-based line management system which help the trucks communicate to attendees when they are (close to) running out of a particular menu item. I thought this new method was great, although it does require more planning and looking at the menus beforehand. 

Duck Fat Fries.

My goal for this event was to try food from food trucks that were new to What the Truck?!. My first pick for the evening: Duck Fat Fries ($8) from Northlands' own food truck 1879 Where Taste Begins. On top of fresh cut kennebec fries were elephant garlic, herbs grown from Northlands Urban Farm, and Bernie sauce. I loved how this was full of garlic flavour, while the sauce had a nice tang to it. Sadly, I found this menu item to be a little disappointing overall because the fries alone didn't seem freshly fried and lacked a desirable crispiness. Essentially, the fries only tasted good if there was sauce to accompany it, but I also felt there wasn't enough of the sauce.

Jamaican Beef Patty.

Next I tried a Jamaican Beef Patty ($7) from Meat Street Pies, another food truck new to What the Truck?!. Inside the flaky pastry were ground beef, scotch bonnet pepper, and onions with spices and spicy herbs. Taking my first bite, I was surprised at how flaky the pastry was! Superrrrrr flaky. The flakiness was a bit much for mine and CJ's liking, although we did enjoy the ground beef and the level of heat and spiciness we got with every bite. We ended up drinking all our water trying to finish this off!

Mixed Berry Sorbet.

After the spicy kick we got with the Jamaican beef patty, CJ and I just wanted something refreshing to cool down with. I suggested Dolce & Banana's Mixed Berry Sorbet ($4.50) which was made up of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries - pretty much my favourite fruits in one cup. I loved the texture of the sorbet and the combination of all the berries: a little sweet and a little tart, but overall very delicious.

Dinner with a side of horse. Hehe.

What the Truck?! at Northlands Park was really fun, and my favourite part of the event was definitely the location this time around! A warm summer evening grabbing a few bites with Park After Dark happening nearby made for a memorable Friday date with CJ. Line-ups were much shorter at this event compared to the kick-off event at Churchill Square back in May, so it certainly allowed for more chances to try more food. Even though I tried fewer food items than I had hoped, What the Truck?! at Northlands Park is my favourite What the Truck?! event I've attended so far! Heading to Northlands Park was a nice change in scenery for CJ and I. 

A reminder: today's What the Truck?! event at Telus Field is the last chance to enter to win a Golden Ticket which lets the winners enjoy a 20 minute head start and skip the lines for the final September 11, 2015 event. There are two ways to win a ticket, which you can read about here. 

Here is my entry to win a Golden Ticket. Use the hashtag #wttgoldenticket on social media (Instagram/Twitter/Facebook): 

Fun #Fridate at Northlands Park for @whatthetruckyeg! Really enjoyed the location. Here are the Duck Fat Fries from new food truck #Truck1879 ☺ #whatthetruck #whatthetruckyeg #wttgoldenticket #yegfood @cj_benito

A photo posted by Stephanie Gonzales (@sk_gonzales) on Jul 11, 2015 at 7:11pm PDT

See you foodies at Telus Field tonight! 

Crossroads Pop Up Restaurant

On Sunday evening, CJ and I had the pleasure of attending the first Crossroads Pop Up Restaurant, a farm-to-table event featuring a six course tasting menu inspired by the story of "The Three Little Pigs". Using locally sourced produce and humanely treated animals, Chefs Alex Villeneuve and Michel Nasrabadi put together a series of entrées cooked with straw, wood, and brick. There were two seating times (4:30 PM and 7:00 PM) with tickets priced at $55 per person available for purchase through YEGlive. 

The Mercury Room hosts the first Crossroads pop-up dinner.

The Crossroads pop-up dinner was held at The Mercury Room, a space which doubles as a music/performance venue and a vegan restaurant/bar. I had never been to The Mercury Room before, so I was a little sad to see there weren't any windows to allow for natural lighting for my food photos. Apart from that, I thought the ambiance of the room was great. There were about 26 guests at the 4:30 PM seating time with each seating time having a maximum of 30 guests. 

Table set-up.

The menu.

It's been awhile since CJ and I had a candlelit dinner together, so I really enjoyed how the table set-up made the mood more romantic and intimate. A menu was provided at every seat so guests could follow along throughout the six course meal. 

Icebreaker.

To start off the evening, we were given an Icebreaker. When I first read this on the menu, I thought it was just going to be a drink that was meant to start conversation amongst the guests. But it was more than that. It was, quite literally, an ice breaker. Sitting on top of regular ice cubes was a hand blown isomalt sphere, meant to be tapped open using a spoon. The sphere, now broken into pieces, melds with the rest of the drink comprised of fizz and simple syrup. At first this drink tasted like diluted candy, perhaps a bit watery because of all the ice. However, as I continued to drink, I could taste more fruity and sweeter notes. CJ and I really liked the concept behind this drink and the double meaning behind its name. 

Local Mushroom Tortellini.

Time for food! The first dish we received was a baby crimini and button mushroom tortellini in a traditional white wine and cream sauce. Aged parmesan, Italian summer truffles, and locally grown pea shoots were used to garnish the dish. Each piece was quite small, but was very flavourful with a little bit of spice. I loved how the mushroom tortellini paired so well with the cheese. I also gave pea shoots a try for the first time, which was a pretty neat experience. So far, off to a very good start!

First Little Pig.

I was immediately impressed by the presentation and colours on the plate when the first little pig arrived. Circling the straw cooked genesis pork tenderloin and sauce were beautiful orange ribbons of locally grown carrots. I liked how the carrots resembled straw in my eyes so that really added on to the story of this dish. A deep purple edible flower and nasturtium leaf were also used as garnish. I started with the carrots which were surprisingly enjoyable - dry at first but rehydrated in my mouth which gave a subtle sweetness. My pork tenderloin was a bit dry but CJ found his to be tender and juicy, so I found myself wishing for more of the BC nectarine and wild horseradish sauce. Lastly, the nasturtium leaf had a strong peppery taste (too strong for my liking) so the contrasting perfume-y and delicate taste of the flower was more up my alley.

Second Little Pig.

The second little pig featured apple wood smoked Boston shoulder which was thinly sliced and tender with a lovely smoky and slightly spicy taste. It was even more delicious paired with the walnut and pomegranate (or Fesenjan) sauce. The otherwise ordinary baby arugula was made excellent with the smoked cheddar and blueberries. I only wish there was more of the cheese! The two chips in the salad gave a satisfying crunch, adding some texture to the dish. The BC cherries were an interesting surprise - biting into the cherry, I quickly got a hit of booze! It's been a long time since I've had alcohol so the taste of the bourbon cherries wasn't really for me. Nevertheless, I thought this dish was well executed and full of comforting flavours.

Third Little Pig.

The third little pig and the last entrée dish of the night was also beautifully presented with an edible leaf and flower as garnish. The cured local pork belly was brick cooked (maybe even brick shaped hehe) and served with a veal peppercorn sauce. I thought the pork belly was flavourful with a good ratio of meat to fat, while the sauce was hearty and delicious. The purple yam mash was a pleasant and mildly sweet starch that CJ and I both loved. The buttered local carrot snap peas on the plate was pretty neat: the carrots were prepared using molecular gastronomy and made into spheres inside the peas. A really fascinating technique, but I felt that the peas definitely overpowered the taste of the carrots - in fact, I'm sad to say that I didn't taste carrots in my bite at all (I wish I had tried the carrots on its own!). Other than the buttered carrot peas, everything on this plate was very tasty.

Creme Anglaise.

For dessert, we were given two flavours of creme anglaise ice cream spheres: lactose free coconut mango (with an edible flower garnish) and rock salted caramel. The coconut mango was fruity and not too sweet with a smooth, creamy texture. CJ and I absolutely loved the salty sweet flavour of the salted caramel ice cream, even though it melted faster than the coconut mango. Unsurprisingly, CJ now wants to create his own ice cream using rock salt! 

Handmade Macarons.

The final dish of the night were these gorgeous handmade French macarons filled with local Evans cherry jam. The macaron shell was perfectly crispy on the outside but moist and slightly chewy inside. The cherry jam tasted amazing and I adored its bright red colour. Underneath the macarons was dehydrated peanut butter and nutella powder with a soft and fluffy texture which rehydrated in my mouth and tasted exactly like peanut butter and nutella! So cool and very innovative! CJ and I were quite curious to learn how it was made and were really excited when Chef Michel explained the process to us. What a wonderful way to conclude the evening! 

After the dinner, Chef Alex and Chef Michel went around speaking to all the guests. CJ and I had such an amazing experience and I'm really looking forward to seeing what these two up and coming chefs will bring to the Edmonton food scene in the future. I thought the menu was very innovative and successfully showed how (food) science and art can come together to create something delicious and unforgettable. You could tell that a lot of passion and hard work went into every dish. Well worth the $55. 

I think pop-ups are a great way for new businesses to test their ideas and see what works and what doesn't. I felt there were only a few very small downsides throughout the dinner, but other than those I thought everything tasted phenomenal overall. My favourite dishes? The second little pig and definitely the handmade macarons! CJ's favourites? The third little pig and the macarons as well! The service at The Mercury Room (Instagram: @mercuryroomyeg and Twitter: @mercuryroomyeg) was also excellent - the servers were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about each dish. The evening flowed really well and each dish was served in a timely and orderly fashion. Congratulations to the Crossroads culinary team and Chefs Alex and Michel for putting together a successful inaugural pop-up dinner! Be sure to check out the Crossroads pop-up Facebook page by clicking here to keep updated about future events. 

Heritage Festival 2015

August long weekend is not complete without a trip to William Hawrelak Park for the annual Servus Heritage Festival. This 3-day showcase highlighting Canada's multicultural heritage is my favourite summer festival because there are so many things to see and do: shop for clothing and artwork, watch performances, make crafts, and (the best part!) try culinary delights from approximately sixty pavilions which represent over 85 cultures.

I visited Heritage Festival on its very last day, just like last year (click here to read my recap of Heritage Days 2014). It was super hot and sunny outside but I was determined to survive the heat and visit all the pavilions on my list!

A full sheet of 30 food tickets.

I usually go for at least 30 food tickets for the price of $25 each year. However, prior to the festival, I entered a giveaway by Edmonton Tourism for 30 food tickets and much to my surprise, I was one of the winners!

@manabeam @TamaraVineberg @InformalTravelr @NathanAhamed @sk_gonzales are our winners! Each receive 30 food tickets! Just DM for more info

— ExploreEdmonton (@EdmontonTourism) July 28, 2015

Thank you Edmonton Tourism for your generosity! I was pretty stoked that I was able to save money this time around.

Fruit Punch Tropicana Slushee.

As much as I wanted to use the tickets for only food, a cold, thirst quenching beverage was a must to combat the summer heat. I decided to try the Tropicana Slushee (5 tickets) from Indonesia (Site 57). The fresh, fruit punch flavour of this icy drink was perfect to cool down with.

Tameya.

5 new pavilions joined Heritage Festival this year so I wanted to make sure I visited some of them. The first new pavilion I checked out was South Sudan (Site 12A) to try their Tameya (3 tickets). These small deep fried balls consist of chick pea, oil, salt, onions, and a spice mixture. These bites were fried to a beautiful colour and had a soft texture inside. They were also packed with flavour and not too spicy either. I only wish there were more than 3 pieces! But so far, a great way to start off an afternoon of trying new food.

Fried Haitian Chicken.

Another new pavilion I visited was Haiti (Site 9) to try their Fried Haitian Chicken (6 tickets). The two pieces of chicken had a thinly fried exterior but the inside was tender and juicy. I also really liked how this menu item was served with rice for a more filling meal. However, I would say that the real standout was the salad - a refreshing bite followed by a spicy kick that built up as you ate more.

Halo Halo.

I was not planning on getting Halo-Halo (9 tickets) from Philippines (Site 16) at all, but my friend suggested sharing it between 3 of us. Halo-Halo translates to "mix-mix" in Tagalog because of the need to mix the shaved ice, milk, sugar, ice cream, and sweetened fruits together. But for the hefty cost of 9 tickets, this particular Halo-Halo left me disappointed. This treat definitely lacked colour... where was the bright green or red nata de coco? Or the purple ube halaya or ube ice cream? Part of why I enjoy eating Halo-Halo is having a variety of components for even more flavour but I felt this one didn't deliver on that end. I also thought it was a little strange adding in shredded cantaloupe (also used in their Melon Drink). However, this treat was great for keeping us cool but I wouldn't recommend it just because it was quite expensive for what it was. 

Lebanese Style Fries.

The last new pavilion I decided to check out was Lebanon (Site 30) for their Lebanese Style Fries (5 tickets). The fries were hot and fresh, perfectly crispy, and paired very well with the delicious garlic dip and parsley. It was heaven in my mouth! Normally I would wish for more garlic dip but the fries were actually quite good on their own too. 

Kara-age.

If you read my recap of last year's adventure at Heritage Festival, you might remember that I was inspired to try Japan's (Site 32) takoyaki because of an anime. Well, the same thing goes for this year. Episode 17 of Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma was all about kara-age so I wanted to see for myself what kara-age was all about. And what better place to try it than at Heritage Festival? Kara-age (5 tickets) is marinated and coated deep fried chicken. The one I received was excellent: fried to a perfect golden brown, crispy on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside. This was hands down the best food item I tried all day! Now I know why there was so much hype about this dish in Food Wars. You can bet that I'll be hunting for chicken kara-age next time I'm craving Japanese.

Picarones.

Finally time for something sweet! I went for Picarones (5 tickets) from Peru (Site 36) to satisfy my sweet tooth. Picarones are fried Peruvian donuts served with syrup. These donuts don't look like much, but they were unexpectedly delightful. The exterior had a satisfying crunch but the inside was soft and fluffy. They also had a subtle spicy sweet taste which truly made these one-of-a-kind. The syrup also added just the right amount of sweetness. These Peruvian donuts were another favourite of mine, and CJ even described them as "killer". 

Fruit Punch Drink.

My friend ended up giving me her leftover food tickets, so CJ and I just used them for a nice, cold beverage. We got ourselves two Fruit Drinks (2 tickets) from Ukraine (Site 3) to cap off our day at the festival. If you're looking for a simple, fruity drink to keep cool then I would suggest making your way to Ukraine because they offer a 16 oz drink for just 2 tickets (whereas other pavilions have 16 oz drinks at 4 tickets or more). It's also cheaper than the beverage tents which sell drinks for 3 tickets. Just something to keep in mind for next year's festival! 

It was super fun to take part in the festival's 40th Anniversary and try out new food from many different cultures. The festive sights, sounds, and smells in a beautiful outdoor setting all made for a wonderful afternoon celebrating Canada's multicultural heritage.  A huge thanks once again to Edmonton Tourism for the food tickets! I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for next year's Servus Heritage Festival. Don't forget to give Servus Heritage Festival a follow on Twitter (@EdmHeritageFest). 

K-Days 2015

Do you have a list of summer festivals that you make sure to attend each year? I do! K-Days is just one of many summer festivals in Edmonton I enjoy visiting. During this annual 10 day exhibition, Northlands Park transforms into an exciting fair ground complete with rides, concerts, food, and so much more. Let's not forget about the huge shopping area and multiple indoor attractions as well.

I went to K-Days with CJ on the very last day and we decided to spend most of our time trying out midway food. Last year I only ate food from the indoor food court named "Eat at the Grand" so I wanted to give the new midway food a try. Click here to check out my recap of K-Days 2014.

Dulce Mini Donut Popsicle.

Not even 5 minutes had passed after entering the fair grounds and I had already scouted out the first new food item I wanted to try: a Dulce Mini Donut Popsicle ($5) from Family Freezed. I thought this popsicle was quite enjoyable... it wasn't rock-hard frozen when I got it so I could actually bite into it without the cold hurting my teeth. At the same time, it didn't melt quickly so it held its shape as we walked around in the sun. As for the taste, the specks of cinnamon in the popsicle created the perfect complement to the mini donut bits. I loved seeing these two summer time favourites come together into one delicious treat. Family Freezed is a Calgary based company making gourmet ice pops but I hope to see them again at K-Days next year!

Pineapple Whip.

I'm sad to say that I didn't go to Disneyland during my trip to Southern California this year so I couldn't try their famous Disneyland Dole Whip. But when I learned that there would be a version of it at K-Days, I knew I needed to try it! This Pineapple Whip ($5) can be found at two stalls in the centre of the Midway - just look for the large sign saying "Pineapple Whip" or the big soft serve ice cream cone. I was expecting the pineapple whip to be yellow in colour, but this one was pure white. Nevertheless, this treat was very light and refreshing! I thought the portion size was great too. I definitely want to recreate this at home using Gemma Stafford's vegan and gluten free recipe. 

Crazy Cone.

Even more sweets! Another new food item at K-Days this year was the Crazy Cone ($6), a hollow J-shaped puffed corn tube filled with your choice of vanilla or chocolate (or both!) soft serve ice cream. I opted for both ice cream flavours to get the best of both worlds. I thought the soft serve had a slightly heavier icy taste but that made it ideal for holding its shape at the ends of the cone. The flavour of the crunchy, puffed corn tube was mild so it paired surprisingly well with the ice cream. Overall, this wasn't too, too crazy but still very fun to eat. 

Maple Bacon Box.

After taking in all the indoor attractions, something more filling was a must. We headed back outside to try the Maple Bacon Box ($11 for a large), a new noodle box offering from SaltSpring Noodle Bar. It was nice to see that the noodles were cooked fresh and in water instead of oil. Made with chicken, bacon, and noodles in a sweet maple sauce, the sweet and savoury flavour combination was a huge hit for us. CJ also noted that the noodles were cut quite shorter than expected, but I thought that was a good thing because it meant for more bites (which gave the illusion of eating more). In fact, we brought this noodle box indoors to watch the last SuperDogs show of the day and ended up finishing it all more than 30 minutes later (quite a long time if you ask me lol!). 

SuperDogs!

Overall, the midway food I had during my trip to K-Days was great. Each item was fun and appealing in its own way, and most importantly, everything I ate was memorable. I'm glad that I was more adventurous this year since 3 out of 4 food items I tried were new to K-Days! My personal favourite among the four was definitely the Pineapple Whip because it was the most refreshing option on a hot summer day. This year's food experience was way better than last year even though I mostly ate sweet food. I'm already looking forward to seeing what new food will be offered at K-Days 2016. Be sure to follow K-Days on Twitter (@KDaysyeg) and like their Facebook page!