WHY NOT VISIT THIS COOL NEW EATERY ON 109 STREET
Dinner at Why Not Cafe is the kind of surprising restaurant experience most of us hope for — great food hidden behind an unassuming exterior.
Tucked away on the second floor of a consignment shop on 109 Street just north of Whyte Avenue, the only street access to the Why Not Cafe is from a small door with the cafe’s name and address on it, up a dim flight of stairs in a hallway painted black.
The second-floor room has big, bright windows looking out over 109 Street, wood composite tables and comfy enough metal chairs. Like the stairwell, the walls and ceiling are painted dark grey and black, with a mish-mash of local art and chalkboard specials hanging on them.
It’s the kind of fun but slightly wacky space you’d expect if your teenagers decorated your basement rec room — a room where they’d eat Ichiban noodles and takeout pizza.
Luckily, you’ll find neither at this impressive new restaurant.
Why not? Because chef Levi Biddlecombe is in the kitchen preparing a compact menu of small plates that are beautiful, delicious and definitely at odds with the roadhouse decor.
Biddlecombe, who trained in culinary arts at NAIT, ran the popular food truck Attila the HUNgry and was head chef at Packrat Louie before opening the Why Not Cafe about six months ago. While the food is still casual, it is a far cry from burgers and fries. There are nachos, but they come with homemade queso ($5). For the more adventurous, there are Nacho Average Wontons, made with wonton chips, kimchi shrimp, garlic sesame aioli and shaved cabbage ($12).
The cafe’s version of a burger is an ever-changing feature slider. On the night we visited, it was
two beef-and-pork patties with pimento kimchi cheese on fabulous, slightly sweet homemade buns, alongside a spicy salad of bean sprouts and microgreens ($12).
We also tried the baked, smoked mozzarella ($11), a hunk of house-smoked cheese drizzled with honey and baked in marinara sauce in a small cast-iron pan, served with crostini. The sweet, tomatoey sauce was perfect with the smoky cheese, piled hot and gooey on the crusty bread.
The “zook nudes” (short for zucchini noodles, $13) were vegan, gluten-free and fantastic. Lightly sauteed, they were served slightly warm with herb-walnut pesto and roasted cauliflower cream.
Though all the dishes were standouts, my favourite of the four we tried was the octopus ($19), cooked confit, meaning slowly in fat or oil. Tender and sweet, it was the first time I’ve had octopus prepared this way, and it was easily the best I’ve eaten. Four or five meaty chunks were served with a Romesco sauce and herb radish salad, topped with walnuts and pomegranate seeds.
The four dishes were plenty for two people, and left us with no room for dessert. We did try a couple of yummy cocktails, including the Thai- Quila Limeade, with coconut tequila, coconut water, lime juice, Thai basil, a few chopped strawberries and a coconut salted rim — a refreshing and tasty starter. So too was the Summer Jam, a kettle sour beer from Collective Arts — an Ontario brewery — mixed with muddled raspberries.
The menu has about a halfdozen starters and another halfdozen sharing plates, with plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans, including a vegan charcuterie plate (as well as a version with house-made meats).
The lone server/ bartender was friendly and knowledgeable about the dishes and cocktails. And she seemed genuinely pleased when we complimented the food, saying she’d pass our comments on to the chef.
The space itself is fairly small — about 32 seats, or seven tables with a small bar along the back. On the night we visited, the place was empty when we first arrived around 7 p.m., though several couples arrived over the next hour-and-a-half. I can only guess that people are having a hard time finding this little gem, or are too distracted by the city’s sudden burst of spring to spend time eating indoors.
Why Not Cafe should soon be opening its small, rooftop patio (pending city approval), which will hopefully attract the outdoor dining crowd. Like any local restaurant, this one needs — and most certainly deserves — customers to keep it afloat. Why not give it a try?