Feb. 01, 2012 - Issue #850: Godot

Go north, young man

You'll need a solid sense of direction to get to EAST

EAST
16049 - 97 St, 780.457.8833
 

It's not often I head to the north side of Edmonton for a meal, but when it's EAST, the latest member of the Wildflower Grill-Lazia family, I knew it would be worthy of the drive.

EAST has been branded as authentic, modern Chinese food with a Malaysian twist. The interior is vibrant: lining the back walls are bold-coloured silk batik panels which bring warmth to a room with a modern design concept with ties to both Lazia and Wildflower. I'm a visual eater, and walking by the all-glass exterior gave us a preview of patrons enjoying dishes I was ready to dive into.

Malaysian food is relatively unknown in Edmonton. Comprised of Malays, Chinese and Indians, the country continues to develop dishes that are derived of multiple ethnic influences. The aroma when my friend and I walked in was captivating, as was the full-photo menu of dishes. I was thankful for the colourful assortment of pictures, but when I set down the photo menu and looked at the one with prices I was shocked—these weren't the prices I remembered from a recent trip to Kuala Lumpur. That's when we figured out we weren't in just another Chinese restaurant.

We were showered with attention the second we walked in the door, and with a menu that is so unique, we were given abundant descriptions of the origins and tastes of several dishes. The kitchen was able to find a few ways to work around my gluten issue and, as we waited, we had a pot of Ginger tea ($3.95): copious amounts of ginger infused with rock sugar in the best tea I have ever had in Edmonton.
 

Soon our table was graced with a truly Malaysian concoction and house speciality, the butter prawns: a stunning plate of wok fried butter prawns were buried beneath a pile of golden floss. We learned it was shredded egg crisp cooked quickly with hot chillies; the egg caramelizes in delicate strings to produce a sweet taste with a crunchy texture. Neither of us had ever seen or tasted anything like it. It was delicious—I literally picked the plate clean.

Next up was Malaysian-style Cantonese noodle—Hor Fan noodles with beef, jumbo shrimp, scallops and vegetables topped with whisked egg sauce ($15.95). Our server showed us how to mix around the noodles, which were swimming in sauce, before experiencing a unique texture of noodles in a smooth egg sauce. We learned the thick gravy like sauce is a Malaysian characteristic that distinguishes it from dishes from other regions of China.

For veggies we ordered the Kai Lan two ways ($14.95), wok-fried Chinese greens with garlic and crisp thin leaves with golden dust and ginger thread. With a slight crunch we both agreed they were cooked perfectly.

Between the two of us we were stuffed with leftovers still on the table. We had kept our photo menu throughout the meal, and as our bellies swelled and we sipped the last drops of the ginger tea, we were already pointing out pictures of what to order next time.

After I learned that the Nasi Lemak, proclaimed a national dish in Malaysia, could be ordered from the lunch menu in the evening, I was already looking forward to my next visit. EAST has a menu that is filled with unique flavours and textures that are definitely worth driving for. vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus