Open only for lunch Thursday to Sunday, Tulip Sandwich Shoppe is the daytime alter ego of Otto Food & Drink, a beer and sausage bar — and a favourite spot for me and my kids. In fact, we’ve been coming here since the literal day it opened, and frequent it so often that my kids have named the playground across the street “Otto Park.”
Tulip shares Otto’s DNA: relaxed, communal, and quietly exceptional. It was born from owner Ed Donszelmann’s long-standing dream to add a lunch concept to his Amsterdam-style neighbourhood pub. Donszelmann, who is simply known as “Ed,” in McCauley and Norwood, wanted something the area was missing: a laid-back but high-quality sandwich spot. He’s been talking about it since Tulip’s chef, Rosie Colangelo, was a server at Otto. The pandemic threw a wrench in his plans, but it also inspired Colangelo to go to culinary school. Five years later, she’s returned to take the reins of Tulip’s small but inventive menu.
My best friend Matt, also an Otto regular, joined me for lunch on its soft opening weekend. We agreed that the Tonnato Melt — open-faced, briny, and bold with tuna spread, pickled onions, and fennel — is best cut in half and eaten like crostini. It’s the kind of sandwich that demands your full attention, punchy with every bite and generously topped to the edges.
The Tonnato was Matt’s favourite, but it’s the Babe that won me over. Built on grilled focaccia from local “focaccia guy” Justin Vion, it’s layered with thinly sliced mortadella from the Italian Centre, pistachio pesto, and a whipped lemon ricotta that pulls everything together. Colangelo uses Canadian mortadella over thicker Italian style, preferring its lighter mouthfeel. “It melts in your mouth,” she said. Absolutely it does.
We also tried the Slappy Joe, a red lentil, bulgur, and caramelized onion mix that began as a failed veggie meatball that kept falling apart. “It was born this morning,” Colangelo told us (in hindsight, the menu did feel a little warm when I picked it up). Inspired by mujadara, the Arab lentil porridge of my childhood, it’s hearty and comforting. As for the name, it comes from Colangelo’s mom’s expression for casually throwing something together: “Just slap it up.”
All the sandwiches are Colangelo’s inventions, but one has Donszelmann’s influence in particular. “He insisted on having one ‘very Dutch’ item,” said Colangelo. The outcome was Das Otto, a simple raisin bun with butter and smoked cheddar. It’s small, humble, and tasty.
The sandwich portions are light, so the incoming soups or salads will help round out the meals. No plans for coffee or pastries, though — if you want those, Donszelmann says, “Go next door (to La French Taste). You’re welcome to bring it here.”
Tulip Sandwich Shoppe
Alberta Avenue | 11405 95 St NW, Edmonton | 780.477.6244 | ottofoodanddrink.com
