Flavours of Saskatoon
Life was hard once upon a time but these days folks on the prairies are eating very well indeed. By WAHEEDA HARRIS.
SASKATOON has long been known as the breadbasket of Canada but it can now also brag about its dining scene. Inspired by an endless list of ingredients that can be raised, grown and foraged, Saskatoon chefs also know collaboration is the key — sparking creativity and solidifying the food community with each new inspiration.
Diners who want to experience some memorable flavours celebrated on the prairie need to add these places to their list for morning, noon, night (and the times in-between):
Breakfast
Night Oven Bakery This French-style bakery welcomes a steady stream of customers, lured by bread varieties such as Saskatoon Sourdough, Brioche, Red Fife Whole Wheat, Lentil Rye and 100% Spelt, made from freshly milled local grains. But there are also plenty of sweet treats a la française — croissant, pain au chocolat and seasonally inspired galettes. And order a Venn Coffee, another creation from owner Bryn Rawlyk. www.thenightoven.ca
Drift Sidewalk Café Quirky and charming, this Riversdale cafe offers a myriad spaces to congregate over java, sammies, munchies or crepes, surrounded by local art and found objects. Check out the west coast vibes in the Vista Lounge and its popular Rooftop Patio for brunch, crafty cocktails and Mediterranean-inspired shareable salty snacks. www.driftcafe.ca
Lunch
Odd Couple Yuen family's philosophy of east meets west, with classic Asian dishes and some prairie ingredients, keep fans regularly returning for palate-pleasing options like Vegan Vietnamese Noodle Soup with a carrot, daikon and jicama broth and mushrooms or Thai pork two ways with larb salad and coconut rice featuring Pineview Farms pork. Perfect pairing: a pint of Collab, a partnership between Odd Couple and 9 Mile Brewing (with a tap room across the street). www.oddcouple.ca
Baba's Perogies — Comfort food doesn't come any simpler — Baba's has been making perogies for over 30 years. The recipe has never changed and neither has the method, with Ukranian ladies making 6,000 perogies a day by hand. Go for it with the Super Combo: five potato and cheese perogies, two cabbage rolls, one smokie sausage, sour cream, fried onions and bacon. And for those in a rush, this is the only drive-thru perogie restaurant in the world. www.babasperogies.com
Dinner
The Hollows — Diners will appreciate thoughtfully created cocktails and meals from seasonal and foraged ingredients, as well as the quintessential 1960s design and examples of this former Chinese-Canadian restaurant's décor. Chefs Christie Peters and Kyle Michael offer contemporary dishes, like a layered beetroot salad with goat cheese and basil oil or tasty seared scallops with saffron risotto. And a sweet seasonal finish to dream about: Sea buckthorn curd with haskasp sorbet and mini meringues. www.thehollows.ca/menu/dinner
Odla — A true farm-to-plate experience thanks to its owner Farm One Forty, a supplier of holistically raised meat to several local restaurants. Opened in spring, the market offers seasonal vegetables, preserved items and honey, while the menu offers prairie flavours like chickpea and carrot fritters, grilled beets with toasted quinoa and sunflower seeds or seared pike with parsnip rosti, carrots and chimichurri. www.odla.ca/restaurant
Sweet Treats
Darkside Donuts — Fingers crossed you'll get to try the Prairie Grid donut made with Eau Clair craft gin and Porters Sour cherry tonic. Or the kid-in-everyone approved classic Saskatoon Berry Dip. www.darksidedonuts.com
Homegrown Ingredients
As home to 44 percent of Canada's farms, this province grows wheat, chickpeas, flax, lentils, mustard, sunflower, rye, canola, barley and wild rice to name a few. But it's also home to several distinctive berries, including the Saskatoon, aka serviceberry, similar to the colour of a blueberry but with a sweet and nutty flavour; Haskap also known as fly honeysuckle, is blue, but elongated and with a tart flavour and tiny seeds similar to those of a raspberry; and the sunny yellow Sea Buckthorn, not found in the ocean, but a berry flourishing on a prairie shrub.
Freelance journalist WAHEEDA HARRIS has been fortunate to explore six of the seven continents, happy to learn the culture, music, style and cuisine intrinsic to each, and insuring her hot sauce collection keeps growing.