10228 104 St NW, Edmonton

Last week, I finally got the chance to go to Bundok. It’s located right on 104th street and 102nd avenue, relatively close to the Arena. I’ve heard good things about this restaurant, but haven’t had the chance to go. Looking at the address, I was actually quite surprised that I didn’t notice it before, since I venture that way frequently to go to the Farmer’s market. Update: They got a new sign! Easy to spot

Parking is always a bit tough downtown. There is of course the street parking nearby, but be wary to event nights at the arena. The city of Edmonton extends the hours and the prices of the street parking when something is going on at the arena.

According to their website, the name of the restaurant is a play off the word Boondock, meaning off the beaten path. They are located right in Ice District in Edmonton, and has the intentions of celebrating the people and food of the community. Their menu is meant for sharing, and more of a family-style of eating. We opted to get their two largest dishes, the striploin and gnocchi, and their chicken liver tartine (and a couple of drinks of course).

The Chicken Liver Tartine was one of the things on their menu that I’ve heard good things about, so that was one of the items I was eyeing. Pâté was one of my favourite things to eat when I was growing up. My mom used to always make it herself, getting liver from the butcher. The spread was light and a bit more runny compared to other pâté that I’ve had. There was a very generous amount and it was layered on thick, and served with pear jam. I recommend getting this one to try, easy to share between two because it comes cut in half, and a great way to start off your meal.

Gnocchi is another favourite of mine, but I’m always a bit wary to try it. I’ve had some really bad gnocchi in the city before. The gnocchi at Bundok is not what you might expect, because it is done Parisian-style, so, no potatoes. Being flour-based, it was very light and, as our server described it, melt-in-your-mouth. Served with a mushroom ragu, spinach, and bread crumbs, it made for a very satisfying combination. Worth it for one of the larger dishes.

The other large dish we got was the grilled striploin. This comes served with a herb pistou, coarse salt, grilled broccoli, and a potato haystack. The striploin came out well prepared and pre-sliced, and overall, aesthetic. The dish was executed nicely, and was good, but I found with the price of $38, I might have been better off ordering a couple of their other dishes.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Bundok. I usually don’t talk too much about service unless it was incredibly bad, or incredibly good, so I want to point out that the service that I got here was excellent. Dishes were well-explained, we were checked-in on an appropriate amount of times, and recommendations were welcomed. Another great addition to the downtown scene! I’ll be sure to be back to try out other dishes! Next on my list is the deep-fried chicken skins, because… how can you go wrong with a dish like that!

Update: Summer 2019

Biera is a new partner restaurant with Mealshare! It’s a non-profit organization that helps youths in need. They partner up with restaurants, and certain items on the menu will have the Mealshare logo. Every time someone buys that particular item, Mealshare will donate a meal to a youth in need! It’s an awesome program and it’s great to see so many restaurants participate.

Three dishes from Bundok are a Mealshare item: The Fried Chicken Skins, Grilled strip loin, and the citrus posset.

It was my first time having the fried chicken skins and they were delicious! Comes with honey mustard, it’s light and airy and the accompany sauce really cuts the richness. Very balanced and delicious.

The grilled striploin is also executed really nicely. Cooked perfectly, tender, and delicious! Definitely can’t go wrong with this dish either.

The citrus posset was also a great dessert. Light and citrus-ey, not too sweet. I really enjoyed this weet bite to cap off the meal.

Always enjoy my evenings at Bundok! Definitely check them out. I also ended up getting a couple of non-mealshare items! The gnocchi is a favourite of mine. So fluffy and delicious! And tried out their spot-prawn tartine which was so light and flavourful.