dineoutwinnipeg:

Review: EAT! bistro

274 Garry Street
(204) 949-1231

part1.

Owner Kelly Hughes and Chef Candace Hughes have turned a typical stuck-in-the-70s Chinese restaurant into a charming and attractive used bookstore, bistro, and cultural events venue. The remarkable growth of their business in its new location attests to the potential of downtown Winnipeg in the hands of smart, passionate citizens.

My first visit to EAT! bistro happened as a result of attending a Girl Geek Dinner at the last minute. I walked in and was immediately enchanted with the eclectic, colourful interior. Each nook has an interesting conversation piece and everything works together to make a lively, engaging story.

I flipped through a storybook-covered menu, played with the unique salt and pepper shakers, and then indulged in a tapas-style meal with fellow girl geeks. We sampled the flatbread pizza and soup of the day, crab cakes, tempura onion rings, and the house salad for our mains and finished with a slice of ultra-rich, flourless chocolate cake. The cake was definitely the star of the night, its dark, velvety texture somehow satisfying the chocolate cravings of four women with just a few bites each. We paid our individual bills and retired to the smoking room Winnipeg’s Cultural City Hall where girl geekiness abounded.

continued in part2.