Krush Ultralounge – There’s A New Chef In Town!
Krush Ultralounge located at 16648 109 Avenue in Edmonton, has a bit of a stigma attached to it. It has been through many incarnations. Most recently a “stripper bar”. The lovely ladies are no more…. Now you have a posh space with two large, beautifully finished lounging areas, several televisions and a great sound system.
They have also found themselves a new Chef. Chef Kelly hails from “Kids in the Hall Bistro” which offers on the job training, life skills, connection to school and outreach support for youth. Kelly left Kids in the Hall to pursue the next chapter in life and ended up being the new gem at Krush.
Kelly also happens to be a friend and he had a little convincing to do to get a bunch of us out for some Tuesday Shenanigans at his new venue. Previous to this, I had never had the chance to experience Kelly’s cuisine. The following review is in no way colored by the fact that Kelly is a friend.
The menu is simple for now but they are working on something new that will hopefully be launching at the beginning of September. (Stay tuned!) We tried a few things to see what we liked.
There is Original 16 and Alexander Keith’s on tap. I am hoping to convince them that they need to bring in AlleyKat and Hog’s Head as well.
Our appetizer was Calamari. I am a stickler for this stuff because it is really difficult to get it cooked just right. More often than not, Chefs will overcook it to the point where it has a rubbery texture that I loathe!
Calamari- A flame dusted calamari carefully fried. Topped with diced red onion and paired with our special house made tatziki.
This was the best Calamari I have had in ages! It was cooked to perfection, so nice and tender. The house made tatziki was perfect. I have never tasted another like it.
Next up were the burgers. The chicken burger came highly recommended as one of Kelly’s specialties.
Chicken burger- A chicken breast marinated and grilled in house made lemon oil. Topped with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, diced red onion and sweet bell peppers. Tucked into a wedge of toasted focaccia topped with a pair of onion rings.
This burger, as well as the beef burgers are HUGE! This was what one of my friends was eating. It was so epic that I had to have a photo of it. She let me have a bite. The lemon oil is such a nice touch with the chicken breast. I can see why it is one of the pub’s favourites!
Burger- 8oz hand pressed patty. Seasoned lean ground beef seasoned with a house blend of spices, topped with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, diced red onion and diced bell pepper. All inside a herb topped wedge of toasted focaccia. Garnished with a wedge of pickle and onion rings.
This burger is the same size as the Chicken Burger. I should have put something next to the photo so that you could see the relative size. I love the seasonings in the patty. He did tell me what they were but due to old age and treachery, I have completely forgotten! Needless to say, since Kelly believes that everything should be made fresh, this burger was divine and I could not finish it all.
The crowning glory of the night is the “Kandy Krush Experience”. We were able to indulge because we asked nice and begged Kelly.
Kandy Krush Experience- All chocolate and candies are made in house: chocolate peanut butter cups and an assorted array of smaller chocolates (chefs choice) accompanied by his famous Lemon head gummy candies, cinnamon tortilla chips with a chocolate cherry sauce for dipping. Paired with whipped creme dusted with a tabasco infused chocolate powder. All made fresh – in house to order. Please call ahead and give 24 hours to prepare.
Again, this platter was huge. There were four of us working on it and we couldn’t finish it all. I enjoyed a bite of everything, but my favourite was the lemon gummy candies made from actual lemons. They tasted like lemon meringue pie without the meringue! It took Kelly about 45 minutes to whip everything together and get it out to us. The menu says to phone ahead so that he has time to prepare everything.
Krush Ultralounge also features a number of house made sauces and dressings including their delightful tomato vinaigrette and their house made ranch dressing. Not every Chef will go through all of the effort to make sure most of the food items are made in house. The extra love sure shows. This is not “just another pub” as far as the food is concerned. All of Kelly’s food has his own little twist of creativity that goes into everything.
I will let you all know when the new menu launches. I am really looking forward to it!
@KrushEdmonton
3 Replies to “Krush Ultralounge – There’s A New Chef In Town!”
Kelly is awesome #connies_comedy
I also had the opportunity to try Chef Kelly’s food. I was given another of his specialities, the Bacon cheese burger. It was absolutely amazing, and yes HUGE. Though I did taste a French fry I was unable to finish my meal. A valiant attempt was made though. I look forward to trying many more of Chef Kelly’s dishes.
I also had the opportunity to try Chef Kelly’s food. I was given another of his specialities, the Bacon cheese burger. It was absolutely amazing, and yes HUGE. Though I did taste a French fry I was unable to finish my meal. A valiant attempt was made though. I look forward to trying many more of Chef Kelly’s dishes.