Ciao Aug/Sep 2017 Digital Digital_CIAO_AugSep2017 | Page 25

ciao! reviews
CLAY OVEN
Neighbourhood . . . . . . . Downtown
Address . . . . . . . . . .1 Portage Ave E
Phone . . . . . . . . . 204-982-7426
Entrées . . . . . . . . . . . . .$15-$18
Like the wood fi red pizza oven or the
Brazilian churrascaria, the tandoor
is a tool singular to its cuisine. At
Clay Oven, char-touched, blistered
fl atbreads and smoky curries show
that traditional Indian cooking
methods inspire more than the
name.
The restaurant's three locations
in the city each boast st ylish digs
that elevate the dining experience. At
Shaw Park, the swanky dark toned
room with touches of sparkle over-
looks the baseball diamond: curry
and a ball game is quintessential of
Winnipeg's multiculturalism.
The experience begins with a
ride up to the second floor in a
sleek glass elevator, giving a view of
the city. That is, unless you prefer to
study the images of Indian cuisine's
essential spices on the elevator walls.
This includes a helpful guide listing
medicinal properties of each (so go
ahead, order seconds).
A special menu explores the
tastes of the little-known cooking
style of the Hakka people. A fusion
of Chinese and Indian fl avours and
cooking techniques results in dishes
like ginger laced lamb, a fragrant stir
fry style dish touched with warm
spices. Another hallmark, manchu-
rian sauce, appears several times on
the menu. A Chinese sauce adapted
to the Indian palate, it lends a hint
of heat and a salty tang to fried veg-
etable fritters.
Pickerel is a standout appetizer,
adding a third element of fusion to
the party with the use of Manitoba's
favourite lakefish. The flaky fish
is breaded and tossed in a slow
burning sauce piqued with chilli.
Traditional Indian dishes are
equally impressive. Chewy and
charred, freshly baked naan is heav-
enly, especially when showered with
fresh garlic and parsley or stuffed
with cheese. Hearty curries in chic
silver dishes (holding more than
meets the eye) encourage eating
family style.
Favourites like channa masala
and subtly sweet korma are can't-
miss picks. Vegetarians will delight
at the range of options, including
palak paneer accented with an unex-
pected kick and packed with cubes
of soft housemade cheese.
Drawing from light, seafood
forward cooking style of India's
southern regions, prawn vindaloo
incorporates tangy tamarind and
coconut. The bright, acidic notes
of tomato shine in this sweet and
tangy dish.
Like good fusion food, Clay Oven
performs the magic trick of marry-
ing seemingly disparate elements
into a seamless whole. You may
fi nd yourself wondering why you've
never eaten in a glam dining room
over a baseball diamond before.
Clay Oven is open Mon-Fri 11:30
am-10:30 pm, Sat 12 pm-10:30 pm,
Sun 12 pm-9 pm.
ASIAN HOT POT
Neighbourhood . . . . . . . Corydon
Address . . . . . . 740 Corydon Ave
Phone . . . . . . . . . 204-615-8878
Entrées . . . . . . . .$11.95-$25.95
Hot pot is a traditional dish believed
to have originated Mongolia, and
popularized in China,Thailand,
Japan. The basic premise is simple:
a boiling pot of stock to which a
variety of ingredients can be added,
crafting and instant and every
changing soup. Like fondue or
Korean barbeque, this cook at the
table treat brings the action out of
the kitchen and allows diners to
customize their own dinners.
This Corydon Avenue spot is the
city’s only hot pot restaurant, with a
mind-boggling array of options to
craft your own DIY deliciousness.
Meals are served for a flat fee
plus a couple dollars for broth:
$11.95 for a lunch special with fi ve
items, or $25.95 for the all you can
eat option, which sets no limits on
the number of add ins. A check-
list of 20 broths and more than
70 different ingredients to add in
makes for plenty of options to mix
and match. These include a range
of skinny to wide noodles, thinly
shaved beef, pork, and lamb, sea-
food, fish balls and cakes, bean
sprouts, mushrooms, and even
fresh eggs that can be cracked and
poached at the table. Thin slices of
kabocha squash melt into tender
sweetness after a few minutes in
the bubbling broth.
The soup is served in metal
tureens, one per diner, which are
placed over burners at the table
and soon reach a roiling simmer.
Flavourful broths range from
basic, like ginger and green onion
or curry, to exotic—adventurous
diners may opt for soup sim-
mered from sheep’s foot or silkie
bird (a breed of chicken). As for
“deer pizzles”—not for the faint
of heart. Richly fl avoured beer and
duck broth is an excellent choice,
releasing a malty aroma and swim-
ming with dark shreds of duck.
Spicy crab broth, delivered to the
table with the whole shell inside,
is packed with umami flavour,
though not for the spice-averse,
slicked with a rich red pool of
Szechuan chile oil.
The experience is an ever evolv-
ing meal, as flavours transform
with the addition of new items.
Ingredients vary in optimal
ciao! / aug/sep / two thousand seventeen
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