I had had my visit to Edmonton restaurant Biera circled on my calendar for weeks. After all, it’s one of the top-rated dining establishments in the city and currently sits at #61 on the Canada’s Top 100 restaurant list.
Seated amidst a functional brewery, Biera goes with a share plate model and serves up an excellent variety of menu options. As a group, we started with the Ricotta dumplings with whey butter and Swiss chard and the spicy Ash roasted banana peppers with roasted cheese curds, pickled peppers and habanero oil. Both were excellent and offered unique blends of interesting and flavourful ingredients.
Next up was the Sunflower seed and rye risotto with 24-month Mimolette cheese and sunflower shoots. For me, this was an outstanding take on one of my favourite classic dishes. I should also mention here that Biera offers an extensive cheese menu, which we unfortunately didn’t have an opportunity to experience.
Awesome Shareables
From there we moved on to the Charred Ontario Maitake mushrooms with seaweed butter and house kosho. For me, this was a little taste of home and was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to try Maitake mushrooms which are known for their amazing medicinal properties. Needless to say, I was impressed by this flavor combination and plan to source these mushrooms locally.
For the finishing numbers we tried the Korean style beef short ribs with wort glaze, brassicas, and pickled BC pear; Grilled ACME chicken with Taiwanese cabbage, sour cream sauce and chevril; and smoked Berkshire pork hutsepot with mustard boullion and root vegetables. All were excellent in the their own right and carefully explained by a friendly and knowledgeable serving staff (which you know I like).
I can honestly say that I understand all the hype and positive reviews that this restaurant is getting. I get what they are trying to deliver. The food and site-brewed beer is on point, the menu is unique and imaginative, and the service is great. I’ll definitely make a point to check this one out again in the summer so I can try the cool outdoor patio.
