A Curtis Comeau photo essay
Words and images by Curtis Comeau
I love eating food in a bowl.
This may be my education in the study of humanities speaking here, but physical bowls are part of our cultural fabric. The earliest bowl ever found is 18,000 years old. Since then, various bowl designs have been discovered from sites from ancient China, Greece, Mesopotamia, Europe and several North American Indigenous cultures.
The bowl is a perfect vessel for a chef to combine flavours and fully express their culture or themselves creatively. Eating a well-balanced mixed bowl is pleasing to the eye, and when created with fresh ingredients, well-balanced protein provides exceptional value and is tasty and comforting. This past fall, I ventured into Edmonton’s restaurant scene and discovered various bowls that speak to value and cultural expression.
Buok Korean Bowls
Buok Korean Bowls
Owner Henry Song created Buok to pay homage to the food he ate growing up. “Many people think most Korean food is fried, but only a small portion of it is, most Korean food consists of fresh and pickled ingredients.” They offer several Korean-inspired bowls like the Buok classic, the Bibimbap and Buddha Bowl. “A lot of people have a Buddha bowl on their menu because it’s a healthy option, but ours comes with my auntie’s Buddha rice, made with multigrain bean rice, which is very high in protein and the bowl also has vegan kimchi.” Most people forget that traditional kimchi is not vegan. “Our kimchi is house-made, and we are proud of it. My mom still comes by and ensures we are making the kimchi properly,” laughs Song. They also offer a build-your-bowl option so that you can get creative.
Hawaiian-style poke at Hawaiian Poke & More
Hawaiian Poke & More Poke Bowls
My hat goes off to any restaurant that opened during the pandemic, let alone a small mom-and-pop shop wanting to open a tiny traditional Hawaiian restaurant. Most of us know poke as flavoured tuna in a bowl topped off with the ingredients you want. Traditional Hawaiian Ahi poke is a bit different. It is still flavoured crosscut yellow fin tuna, but it is served alone in a bowl with rice on the side. “We are a traditional Hawaiian restaurant, so serving Ahi poke the island way is important to us,” says Ana Maria De Leon, owner of Hawaiian Poke & More in Terrace Heights. In Hawaii, tuna and its flavour are the heroes of poke, so they don’t want to mix it with other ingredients. “If two guests come in for the first time, I always recommend ordering two poke flavours so they can share and try both.” The restaurant serves both salmon and tuna poke and has a range of options, including Sweet and Spicy, Wasabi, Spicy Mayo, Oyster and Kimchi.
Central Social Hall Breakfast Bowl
Central Social Hall Breakfast Bowls
North Americans love brunch, so what better way to express our late wake-up Sunday tradition than with a Brunch Bowl? Central Hall’s brunch bowl combines all the classic brunch items; crispy potatoes, avocado, greens, sausage and two poached eggs with hollandaise sauce. “We took everything people love from brunch and combined it. It’s the perfect winter brunch bowl,” says owner Jesse Kupina. Stroll in on a Sunday to experience it for yourself.
Tien Tuyen Vermicelli
Tien Tuyen Vermicelli Bowls
You would be hard-pressed to find a better take-out bowl than one of the staples of Vietnamese cuisine, bún tô, (vermicelli bowl) at Tien Tuyen in southeast Edmonton. These tasty bowls come in a wide assortment of toppings. Generally, they include Asian vermicelli, crunchy vegetables, basil and mint accompanied by a nuoc cham dressing, made with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chillies. What separates a great bún tô from an excellent bún tô is the quality of grilled meats. The Tien Tuyen #29 (bún 4 màu) offers up some of the best Vietnamese BBQ pork and beef I have ever tasted, and they add a spring roll for good measure.
Tokiwa Ramen
Tokiwa Ramen Bowls
The charming and hilarious episode from Seinfeld: The Soup (No soup for you!) comes to mind when I think of Tokiwa Ramen. Why? The NO-SOUP sign! You see, Tokiwa prepares soups daily, and there is a limited batch, so be sure to roll up for lunch as soon as they open at 11 am, or else you risk hearing the words ‘no more soup’. Another interesting fact is they do not offer take-out ramen. The owners believe that ramen is best eaten fresh, so it can be presented properly to the paying customer, which makes it impossible to take out. I appreciate an artisan’s unwavering commitment to their craft, but it is even better when that artisan creates some of the best ramen this city has to offer.