Page 22 - 01-Jan-Feb-2025

Junoon Lounge brings north-Indian
flavour to south-side Edmonton
BY LAUREN KALINOWSKI + PHOTOGRAPHY ASPEN ZETTEL
ix green and orange shot glasses stand
in line on the table, each topped with
a bite-sized, crisp-fried puff ball. Parul
Rai, the woman who designed the
menu at Junoon, shows me how to pour the
tangy, spicy juice into the puff and pops it in her
mouth in one bite.
“I want to offer different things so people can
experience all the different flavours,” she says as
my bite bursts with spices playing on my tongue.
The puff is filled with yogurt, embellished with
microgreens, and paired with tamarind juice
that I could either mix into the snack or quaff
to chase it down. Each shot glass is a unique
creation of spiced juice — cumin, tamarind
and mango — and I experience sweet, sour
and savoury as I go down the line. The other
golgappe fillings include potatoes, chickpeas,
onions and spices, and play nicely with the
spicy juice. I feel like I could eat 100 without
feeling full.
“These are our Indian digestive appetizer
snacks, made for the hot climate in India, with
herbs and spices to ease the stomach so you can
enjoy the rest of the meal,” Rai says. It feels like
an extension of an amuse-bouche but not quite
an appetizer, and I know I’ll drive 45 minutes
from downtown to taste it again and again.
As I make my way to Ambleside,
I’m shocked at the foodie haven I find.
The Italian Bakery group just opened its new
Italian market, Tesoro. Google Maps shows me
second locations of central foodie spots —
Tiffin, El Corazon (in Keswick), The Black Pearl,
XO and Japonais Bistro — that have all opened
in this part of town.
22 EDify. JANUARY • FEBRUARY.2522 EDify. JANUARY • FEBRUARY.25