Highlands Kitchen in Edmonton, AB
The Highlands Kitchen (formerly Culina Highlands, and now unfortunately closed!) was a bit of a hidden gem in Edmonton. Tucked away just north of the beautiful Ada Blvd, they offer the older neighborhoods of east Edmonton classic Canadian cuisine with the heavy, stick-to-your-ribs type dishes that you make at home, though they never seem taste this good.
Restaurant type: Country cooking, local, cafe/brunch, heavy, rich and satisfying, simple, Canadian
Honest flavour: 9/10 - The Highlands Kitchen may not offer extravagant pieces to their culinary puzzle, but they don't need to. The majority of the menu consists of Canadian dishes done right, without that unnecessary random ingredient that adds to the mystique and not to the flavour. I'll be the first to admit- it's hard to mess up breakfast, but my Highlands Platter was outstanding. The ham and sauerkraut complimented each other in both portion size and flavour, the biscuit was soft, fresh, and buttery, and my eggs and potato hash were moist and full of flavour. For being such a large, rich breakfast, I was expecting to feel greasy and tired, but I left feeling comfortable and completely satisfied.
Ingenuity of flavour: 7/10 - Though you won't find many foreign ingredients, you may find some new flavour and texture combinations you hadn't thought of at the Highlands Kitchen. The ingenuity found at the Highlands Kitchen is mostly apparent in the simplicity of their dishes and in their central focus that they execute perfectly in every dish: Umami. The menu is a textbook example of how a savory kitchen should present it's offerings, with an array of different meats and cheeses, each with it's own blank carbohydrate slate to help present the dish's focus. Some of the more inventive offerings include the breakfast poutine with pulled pork and a fried egg, the pork crepe with saskatoon berry BBQ sauce, and the bacon-wrapped dates. It's these few plates that stray from the more staple Canadian dishes that keep the Highlands Kitchen interesting and fun.
Restaurant Vibe: 7/10 -The room is small and intimate, but bright, airy, and fresh feeling with that country kitchen ambiance. Wooden chairs, white walls, and the typical Canadian accessories such as antlers and mason jars complete the vintage, hip feeling, and we felt comfortable just being able to relax and talk about our weekend. Though nothing about the restaurant's dining room or overall atmosphere stands out as being groundbreaking, the laid back feeling seemed to match the mood for our Sunday brunch perfectly.
Overall Value: 8/10 - I understand that $40+ for two people to enjoy brunch may seem excessive, but the simple truth is that the quality of food we received was worth every penny. Our service was on par with what I might expect from a restaurant of this caliber- helpful though not exceptional, but on the whole I was satisfied with the portion size and value of our meal.
Final Thoughts: There's a reason why Food Network's 'You Gotta Eat Here!' has showcased an episode on the Highlands Kitchen- it just plain tastes good. I appreciate a menu as simple and upfront about it's flavours as the one found at the Highlands Kitchen. The plate I received was exactly what the menu suggested, though the rich, deep flavour I found was a surprise, and it will keep me coming back for cooking I simply don't have the ability to do at home.
Highlands Kitchen