Jade Yi, Alberta Springs

Good morning,

Strip malls are rarely a good bet for sit-down dining and when it comes to Chinese food it’s often just a takeaway counter that you encounter. It’s very few, in my experience, that don’t enjoy this cuisine but it’s uncommon to find a kitchen with such a higher degree of technique. That’s what this restaurant in Kanata offered and I’m looking forward to going back.

With our continued focus on Canadian Whisky, I’m happy to report that I found an old favourite hiding out in an LCBO in Orleans and for the money, this 10-year-old spirit is both a gentle sipper and great mixer.

Lastly, I will be attending the annual YMCA Embassy Chefs Showcase as a judge tomorrow and if you’ve been contemplating attending this important charitable event, click on the link for more information.

Grab your favourite beverage and let’s begin.

Ralf Joneikies, food and drink editor. [email protected]

CHINESE

Jade Yi’s Kitchen should be a Kanata Chinese staple

• Name + address: Jade Yi’s Kitchen, 5104 Kanata Ave.

• Diet: meat, seafood, vegetarian

• Appetizers: $3.50-$10

• Mains:$17-$30

• Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

• Licensed: No

• Website:www.jadyiskitchen.ca

Having lived in cities with high concentrations of Chinese restaurants, I’m always interested in learning what’s new in our own backyard and I recently found Jade Yi’s Kitchen. 

It turns out that it’s been around for a number of years but is relatively new at its current location in a Kanata mall where you’ll find Windbell Sushi and the second Kowloon Market shop. It was also a very pleasant surprise with a level of cookery that was better than just average.

The weather was a little crisp outside and so I began with a hot and sour soup. It’s something I’ve largely stopped ordering as it tends to underwhelm in our Chinese restaurants but, optically, the Jade Yi version did appeal.

It was a healthy portion that had not been thickened too aggressively with corn starch and was loaded with the requisite bamboo shoots, black fungus, silken tofu and egg.

It had a good amount of shrimp and velvetized chicken, but the sour element was a little absent and I needed to add my own black vinegar to the leftover portion at home. All in all it was a soup for those trying it for the first time: decent but not memorable.

Much better were the deep-fried shrimp balls that followed. Naturally crisp on the exterior this was well-prepared shrimp; soft and sweet and delicately seasoned. They were as good as I’ve had anywhere.

The same could be said of the siu mai. Roughly chopped pork was both juicy and tender, and I recalled a recent Ottawa experience where the dim sum was brought in by a food service company at a greatly inflated price. A reminder to always ask if your food is made from scratch in their kitchen.

As good as those items were, the supple lusciousness of the shrimp-stuffed eggplant was guaranteed to be cemented in memory. The sauce was deep with peppery goodness and garlic and the shrimp paste popped with each bite resolving into the creamy eggplant. Well done.

There’s a certain charm to the contrasting textures found in crispy chow mein noodles covered in satay-sauced beef and vegetables. Some absorb that sauce while others remain firm with crunch, but then you get that sweet onion and tender beef elevating each mouthful. So much so that you forget how full you’ve gotten because you just want more of that sensation. 

These noodles were that good and were just as appealing reheated as leftovers. 

I was expecting a fairly run-of-the-mill experience but instead, I was served food that came out of a kitchen with a chef who had long-time experience cooking such food. Textures, balance of flavours, tenderizing of meats and dim sum recipes were all much better than I’d expected and it’s a restaurant to which I’ll return when I’m out shopping in Kanata.

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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Insider: Dim sum adventures in Jadeland

More terrific Chinese cuisine to ring in the new year and you needn’t be parched if you’re “dry.”

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Insider: True flavours of Northern China at Harbin Chinese Restaurant

This hidden gem in Kanata is worth a trip out.

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The perfect takeout Chinese food

Fresh, properly prepared Chinese-Canadian fare at decent prices

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THE CANADIAN SPIRIT

Alberta Springs a winning value

Alberta Springs 10 Yr. Whisky | Canada | LCBO Code # 461434 | $69.95 | 1750 ml 40 % alc.

This is a whisky made by Canada’s great Alberta Distillers. For many years, while running liquor shops in BC, it was a staple of my bar (for lack of a better descriptor). 

Returning to Ontario, this popular spirit appeared to be in short supply and now it’s only available in a 1.75 litre format. I can only speculate as to why. 

This is one of those products that flies under the radar for some reason and frankly it should be more widely available and in more than one format.

While Canadian whiskies are uniformly referred to as “Rye” it’s simply not true that the majority of these spirits are predominantly rye. Alberta Springs has wheat, corn and rye in the mash bill with the corn and wheat giving you a soft and sweet character and the spicy pepper quality of the rye coming through the longer the whisky rests in the glass.

You’ll notice apple and pear aromas and flavours followed by toasty almond, oak and a delicious toffee note on the mid-palate.

The whisky has been barrel-aged for ten years after which it is blended and returned to barrels for further aging before release. 

This is a very soft and appealing dram that has had a considerable amount of effort put into it for the price. Have it in cocktails or even as a Tuesday night sipper. It’s a quality spirit for those that love Canadian “Rye” and for those beginning their whisky journey.

As of this writing there are 15 bottles at the LCBO in Orleans at 4220 Innes Rd. If you’d like to see more of this spirit or more Canadian whiskies at the LCBO make sure to speak to your store managers.

QUICK BITES

• Restaurants Canada, Canada’s voice for food service has issued this statement on tariffs. [Restaurants Canada]

• Canadians are keeping their money in Canada but what do we look for on the label when buying Canadian? This story is a good guide. [YouTube]

• The Quebec government is implementing a law to help restaurants recoup losses from patrons who don’t keep their restaurant reservations. [CBC]

• American whiskey distillers are continuing to express concern over tariffs. [YouTube]

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