Panel Picks: Food Worth Flying for Across Canada

Sweetgrass and wild blueberry ice cream at Feast Café Bistro

Winnipeg, MB

Feast Café Bistro in Winnipeg has a menu inspired by traditional Indigenous foods and ingredients. “You need to try the sweetgrass ice cream. Smooth, creamy, subtle, floral and truly Canadian.”
– Roger Mooking

Apple fritter at Halo Donuts

Moncton, NB

Halo has made a name for itself thanks to its fresh-made doughnuts with bold icing colours and unique toppers (the Caramel Apple features a green glaze with flecks of toffee, while Cotton Candy is a tie-dye swirl of blues and pinks). “It’s very trendy in Moncton – people travel from everywhere to try their doughnuts. My favourite is the apple fritter.”
– Rahil Rathod

Plain Jane Dim Sum at Fu’s Repair Shop

Edmonton, AB

Fu’s Repair Shop may be known for its cool cocktails, but its all-day dim sum dishes like the buttery Plain Jane, topped in sesame and crispy fried shallots, are equally top-notch. “This dish is a flavour bomb. It’s so good, you’ll want to order seconds.”
– Shane Chartrand

Grilled Seedy Sourdough Flatbread at Delara

Vancouver, BC

The sourdough flatbread at Delara, a modern Persian restaurant in Kitsilano, is made fresh in-house and served with seasonal dips. “Bread is such an important component of Persian culture. You can feel the love being passed from generation to generation.”
– Aman Dosanj

Chicken liver mousse at Paname

Montreal, QC

Seasonal Quebec ingredients take centre stage at this classic French bistro. Don’t miss Paname’s “velvety chicken liver mousse, topped with a crisp onion, potato and chicken-skin crumble and dollop of plum compote, served with a stack of lightly toasted brioche.”
– Laura Osborne

Korean steamed buns at Dojo Ramen

Regina, SK

Co-owner Christopher Cho some of his top childhood comfort foods at Dojo Ramen, a new Regina restaurant for Korean street food and Japanese ramen. “The pork-belly steamed buns are my favourite – soft and fluffy, filled with succulent, flavourful meat (or soy-glazed mushrooms) and crisp lettuce or family-recipe kimchi. My mouth waters just thinking about them.”
– Allan Pulga

Pan de jamón at Noctua Bakery

Toronto, ON

Noctua Bakery started as a pop-up offering fresh pastries and breads that sold out every week. Now, they’ve got a permanent space in the Junction. “Daniel Sáez’s forearm-sized pan de jamón (a holiday-season special) is a gorgeous homage to the chef’s roots – feathery brioche dough wrapped around smoked bacon, Black Forest ham, boozy macerated raisins and Arbequina olives, accented with a touch of panela sugar.”
– Tara O’Brady

Moqueca soup at Sundog Trading Post

Yellowknife, NT

This community hub and event space doubles as an ice cream parlour, coffee shop and casual restaurant. “Sundog Trading Post makes their own ice cream and delicious waffle cones. They also make delicious paninis and salads, and my all-time favourite, the moqueca soup: regional fish, coconut tomato broth, red peppers, chilies and cilantro-lime sauce.”
– Sousanh Chanthalangsy

Green pea soup at Auberge Saint-Mathieu-du-lac restaurant

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, QC

In the tiny kitchen of this family-run inn, chef Samy Benabed creates an array of seasonal dishes inspired by Quebec terroir. If you’re lucky enough to see it on the menu, order “the cold green pea soup, garnished with charred peas, lemon basil and marjoram leaves, chive flowers, and a sprinkling of pea pod ashes.”
– Catherine Lefebvre

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