What exactly is Canadian cuisine? It’s a tough question, in part because of how vast the country is. But in most places — and most definitely in Alberta — it includes meat, specifically of the red variety.
Fuzed Kitchen + Bar has Sirloin Steak, a Steak Bites appetizer and Steak Sandwich, but as its name declares, it also has what’s become a common practice at any “Canadian cuisine” establishment: a “fused” menu featuring international dishes that have become so common and Canadian-ized they might as well count as Canadian dishes themselves.
Sitting in Century Park with giant front windows framed by long wood beams (“It looks like a restaurant in a mountain town, like Banff,” my recently returned world-travelling friend said as we walked up), the interior is shiny and sleek, with plenty of space and many sports-filled screens. As its website boasts, it’s a great place for south siders to start their night before hopping on the LRT and heading downtown to an Oilers game or show.
Neither of us are big beef eaters, so after some scrumptious gyoza, we scanned for other options on the menu, which include a mix of things like the Naan Sampler and Poutine, Chicken Souvlaki and Fuzed Style Cubano, and Gaelic Chicken and the Tandoori Chicken Plate. I went with the Pan Seared Salmon, which swam with the tender vegetables on my garlic butter-soaked plate, and my friend’s Shahi Paneer was firm, not flaky, with naan that was fittingly Canadian — meaning thicker than you’d likely find at an Indian restaurant.
In addition to hearty, meat-filled meals, Canadian cuisine might mean taking foreign flavours and playing it safe, but that’s not a bad thing, as long as the restaurant doesn’t claim to offer something more authentic than it actually does. In that sense, Fuzed comes as advertised, with a reasonably priced menu full of Canadian and Canadian-ized dishes that might not wow you, but definitely hit the spot.
Fuzed Kitchen + Bar
Blue Quill | 2335 111 St. NW Edmonton
587-200-6786
fuzedkitchenandbar.com
