The Bothy Wine & Whisky - Unimpressive Food (Edmonton 30 in 30)

After settling into a coffee shop with my work and a cup of Starbucks I received a text message from a couple close friends asking if I had plans for supper. The truth was ... I already ate. But nevertheless I often find it hard to pass up an opportunity to catch up with good friends and also try out a new restaurant. After a few minutes of deliberation and probably to help quench my guilt of having a second supper, we decided on The Bothy Wine & Whisky Bar for a drink and a small bite ... or two ...

The Bothy found just off of Calgary Trail and 54th Avenue. Designed as a European pub it hails a conglomerate mishmash of traditional booth style seating, large round table seating and bar tops. Add in the attentive, personable staff, an incredible bevy of liquors and dim lighting you have the ambiance and decor for an upscale pub.

The menu is as you would expect. While we had originally came here just for drinks there were some intrepid members of our group who had not eaten and recommended/coerced me into ordering food. The food menu compromises the staples of European pub fare. The main feature is their sharing plates which combine any number of local and international cheeses and meats. Their appetizers and entrees include both standard pub fare of pies, sandwiches and more unique dishes like a sous vide beef cheek and even haggis!

Our meal consisted of a sharing plate: Smoked Bison, Smoked Duck, Smoked Salmon (in the middle going right to left) and a cheese, Petite Basque (top right corner). Accompanying the meat and cheeses are a bevy of small toast, pickled vegetables (bottom left corner), mustard, Apricot Jelly, homemade pesto and an apple jelly. We were overall impressed by the platter and thought the meats were a nice varied range of salty bison, fatty and sweet duck and creamy salmon. The petite basque, although pungent and aromatic, was refreshingly light and paired well with the bevy of sauces.

One member of our group had the Walleye Fillet as their main: a large fillet is placed on a bed of baby potatoes and topped off with a carrot and fennel slaw. Unfortunately the interplay of the salty and soury slaw did not work the bland fish and the creaminess of the Tzatziki. Altogether the fish was lost in the dish and the resulting vegetables all felt over seasoned and over sauced, culminating in a dish that was completely unremarkable and borderline inedible.

Thankfully my Steak and Mushroom Pie was a little better. The Bothy pairs the pie with your choice of soup, salad or potatoes; the soup of the day came out to be a Chicken Curry. I was puzzled by the soup which turned out to be a thin watery broth with a hint of curry flavour enveloping a few dismal chunks of chicken and vegetables. Altogether it resembled a chicken broth soup with a dash of curry powder to taste. Needless to say, not my favourite.

The pie though was slightly better: a  flaky pie with a slew of tender beef and vegetables in a beef broth; this pie was the epitome of pub food done well. Served warm, the savouriness of the meat and sauce are punctuated nicely by the soft crunch of carrot and celery.

Overall The Bothy was a disappointment. While their pie and charcuterie platter were average; the soup and fish dishes showed a lack of knowledge in flavour profiles and poor cooking technique. I realize that, as per their namesake, The Bothy focuses on wines and whisky, but if they are to offer a menu, they must stand by their food ... and ultimately that food was utterly disappointing. Come for a drink if you must, but get your meal somewhere else.