Adventures in Edmonton: The restaurant you've never heard of...

“They’re closing down and I never got a chance to go” my spouse said roughly two weeks ago. “So, I’ve made a date night for us.” “Ok,” I replied (the least planning I’ve ever had to do for a date night), “where are we going, or do you want it to be a secret?” “It’s not a secret, but it is unheard of.”

The Unheardof restaurant has graced Edmonton for 35 years. It’s been around longer than I have. Despite all the history, and perhaps living up to its name, the restaurant did not come up in conversations or foodie blogs very often. I only heard about the place a few years ago myself. It’s possible that this lack of critical attention is by design—that loyal customers don’t want anyone else to know about their favourite neighbourhood eatery so that they’ll always have a seat. And, it’s probably for the best, because the food is good, and the seating is scare.

Unheardof’s interior is a throwback to the past. It feels like early century dining. There are antiques and old paintings and a giant buffalo statue. I’m not sure what the buffalo is about but it’s kind of fun. The space is small which is ideal for the type of dining experience Unheardof specializes in, and it allows for high quality service and thoughtful food preparation.

I had a multi-course meal and it was overall good, with some excellent dishes and some mediocre ones (nothing bad though). There was an extremely tasty lobster ravioli dish that seemed to have lemon zest in the dough—huge flavours. There was an apricot sorbet that was splendid. Most importantly, the crème brûlée was one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. Unfortunately, the main dish, although well prepared, was a little bland which was surprising considering the ravioli.  Meat and potato folks would have loved it though, and it’s hard to fault it merely on account of being a traditional, grass-roots sort of dish.

Sadly, June 13 marks the last day Unheardof will open its doors to the public. So, I’m letting you know you’ve got roughly one month to get in there before it’s gone.  Uhmm, just don’t tell anyone else. 


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