I am starting off simple and choosing a small deli in a local organic food market that I attend quite regularly named Pangaea. It is located in downtown Edmonton on 104 st a block north of Jasper Avenue and to my recollection is a recent addition to the eclectic mix of shops that line the street of our beloved outdoor Farmer's Market (which to my elation will return to 104 st from City Hall at the end of May)!
Like I mentioned previously, this establishment is a small and primarily locally supported. They pride themselves in supporting locally grown produce as well and organic meat. All of their products are of the highest quality possible and the deli products are completely hand made from scratch, which is something I have to admit I was really excited about!
Each day the staff in the deli section prepare a number of specials from scratch that cater to omnivores, carnivores, vegetarians and vegans! However, since it is so small, they only prepare a small variety of foods each day and while there is not a huge variety of choices the products that they do have are outstanding!
On Saturday afternoon when my friend Amanda and I ventured through the cold, slushy weather their vegan special was roasted broccoli and butternut squash sandwich and potato leek soup. As soon as we walked in we were greeted by a number of smiling faces, and we were asked if we had ever visited the deli before and we were offered a sample their vegan soup that twitter had told us they had.
I decided that soup and sandwich would be the best combination for me today, and I (obviously) opted for the special they had!
As we paid for our meals, they offered to warm up our sandwiches on the panini grill and we agreed since it seemed to be the most delicious choice! We sat down to eat our lunch and one of the deli staff brought over a sample of one of their raw cookies they made that morning, she was incredibly knowledgeable and clearly passionate about the food that they make which helps the customers get excited about the food they are about to consume! It is very refreshing to see such commitment.
I started off with the sandwich because I was so intrigued with the combination of flavours, I had never seen broccoli or butternut squash in a sandwich before, but I was not about to scoff at it! Though the vegetables had been roasted they still maintained their crunch and freshness associated with raw vegetables but had a warm and savoury tone to them that was outstanding. When it was paired with the smooth homemade almond mayonnaise and the warm toasted bread it ended up being so much more than a sandwich. The layers of flavours all paired together really nicely but still maintained a distinctive separation allowing every bite to showcase something different.
I am a huge fan of soups especially on day like Saturday when the wet heavy snow will chill you right down to the bone, and this soup did not disappoint. The potato and leeks were blended together to create this smooth and creamy soup (but with no dairy added)! The onion like taste from the leeks was paired excellently with just the right amount of dill and it finished off with a nice light peppery spice.
I couldn't have been more pleased with my lunch! I felt like we made the right choice after a long hectic day at work!
Hope you all enjoyed my first attempt at restaurant blogging, I am still learning how this works and I can't wait to hear your feedback!
Be well.
Becki
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