| With the recent surge in national pride due to our beloved Calgary Flames earning a spot in the Stanley Cup finals, I thought it’d be a good time for a purely Canadian culinary experience.
Oh! Canada (815 Seventh Ave. S.W.; phone 266-1551) presents the best of each region’s fare from coast to coast, such as Atlantic cod tails, Quebec blue Ermite cheese, Winnipeg rye bread, Saskatoon berries and Alberta bison. The portions are large and the food is predictable, if not average, but what’s fun about the menu, and sure to elicit a few chuckles, are its entrée names.
Shovel the Wok ($11) is a stir-fry with vegetables and shanghai noodles. Chili à la Parka ($12) is a lean-beef-and-bean chili topped with aged Canadian cheddar and served with corn bread. "Eh" Sadias ($12) are chicken quesadillas with barbecue sauce, sweet bell peppers, red onions, bacon bits and mozzarella cheese that’s baked between tomato and spinach tortillas. The TSX Venture ($5) is the soup du jour.
On a recent lunchtime visit, I ordered The Tragically Hip ($14), an Alberta beef sandwich served on freshly baked ciabatta bread with caramelized onions, spicy rouille and aged sharp cheddar, served au jus with fries. It’s a delicious sandwich and something of a cross between beef dip and a Philly cheese steak. The Sunshine Coast Crab Salad ($14), with spinach, orange segments, sweet bell peppers, roasted pecans and snow crab, has a nice peach vinaigrette dressing but the salad itself was limp and overpriced.
My friend chose The Gretzky ($13), a smoked turkey sandwich on the lovely ciabatta bread with Canadian maple bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. The sandwich would have tasted better if it was warm and had thicker pieces of turkey. He also ordered The Green Party ($6, starter size), a gingered Caesar salad with Canadian Leoni-Grana Parmesan. I like my Caesar salad straight up so I didn’t care for the ginger infusion. I’m hoping the restaurant will soon name a sandwich after our own "great one," perhaps calling it Iggy’s Breakaway.
We were too full for dessert but it sounded awfully enticing: Callebaut Chocolate Soufflé ($7), with a chocolate lava centre and served with fresh strawberries; and Mamma’s Banana Bread ($5), served with locally made maple-cinnamon ice cream and caramel sauce.
The three-level restaurant seats 175 people, with a patio for 45, and with its view of Century Park, it brings the outdoors inside. However, with the exception of the maple leaf-esque carpet, the odd lacrosse racquet and a few photos of Canadian scenery, the interior of Oh! Canada resembles that of a chain restaurant. The place was packed at lunch so its formula is obviously working, but, at the risk of being tacky, I think Oh! Canada needs to ham it up a bit – i.e., it should incorporate more Canadiana into its décor and then it would be an even better place for out-of-country visitors.
While you’re waiting for your food to arrive, read the menu’s collection of Canadian facts. For example, did you know the three top-grossing Canadian movies of all time are Porky’s, The Care Bears Movie and Meatballs? And, did you know that five-pin bowling, snow blowers, the pacemaker and walkie-talkies are all Canadian inventions? |
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