By Vincent Lee (@vinceleewpg)
U of W president Dr. Lloyd Axworthy (far left) and the friendly staff of Elements -- The Restaurant (VINCENT LEE / CHRISD.CA)
The front counter at Elements -- The Restaurant (VINCENT LEE / CHRISD.CA)
Elements — The Restaurant officially opened its doors today inside the University of Winnipeg’s Richardson College for the Environment and Science complex. On Thursday, media had a sneak peak and a sample taste of a few items on the breakfast menu.
U of W president Dr. Lloyd Axworthy was also present at the sampling and received a brief tour of the restaurant on campus.
“Our new Furby-Langside campus, with its state-of-the-art residence, daycare centre, and science complex is a hub of activity well into the evening, accommodating more than two thousand people daily. Now we have a health new food outlet to service this hub and the broader community,” Axworthy said in a release.
The three items on the menu that were sampled were Bacon Dusted French Toast, Huevos, and Spicy Bacon Caramel Popcorn.
If you were wondering, yes, you read correctly, “Bacon Dusted French Toast,” a creation by Elements’ chef team and Executive Chef Ben Kramer.
The seating area at Elements -- The Restaurant (VINCENT LEE / CHRISD.CA)
“We try to add a little bit of food chemistry into our meals,” he said, and do they ever, because instead of icing sugar on the French toast, it’s dehydrated bacon. Believe me, it tastes delicious. Chef Kramer gave me a spoonful of pure bacon sugar that they make at the restaurant to try, and it’s truly epic (only funny if you recognize the reference). Apart from the bacon dusting, the French toast is comprised of whole grain bread, egg, vanilla, served with choice of house made jam or Canadian organic maple syrup. I had the strawberry jam, and it had the adequate amount of texture and jam consistency.
The Huevos were also excellent that include two locally-made corn tortillas, smoky pinto beans, salsa, red sauce, Bothwell cheddar, and two eggs of any style. The smokiness of the pinto beans didn’t overpower the other ingredients, nor did the cheese distract from the eggs.
Finally, not on the breakfast menu — but highly anticipated was the “Spicy Bacon Caramel Popcorn.” It contains organic popcorn, bacon, peanuts, and chillies. It’s not overly spicy, nor does it just taste like bacon (but that wouldn’t be a bad thing either). The fat kid inside me was jumping for joy the entire time.
The restaurant is licensed and has a nice selection of red and white wines, featured cocktails (try the smoked tomato caesar), beer (local Manitoba Half Pints available, as well as Honey Dew Organic Beer), along with other beverages (Yes, there is a barista bar and the coffee certainly made my day).
Overall, projected good eats here.
Elements — The Restaurant will be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner located at 599 Portage Avenue. Hours of operation are Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (last seating), Friday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (last seating), Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (last seating), and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last seating). Prices range from $5 to $21. For more information visit their Facebook page or UWinnipeg.ca.
