Explore Sundog Trading Post’s new tapas experience

Yellowknife’s Sundog Trading Post has introduced an evening tapas menu, promising sophisticated and creative dining.

A team of chefs is responsible for the new menu, which launched in November.

While Sundog’s daytime service remains untouched, evenings are transformed into an experience involving table service, a selection of drinks and an array of small dishes.

You can order dinner for two and share all the available dishes, or pick a selection.

Options include lamb kefta, tuna crudo, mushroom toast, a cheese board, fennel salad, breaded olives and many more.

Sundog chef and kitchen manager Calvin Rossouw walked Cabin Radio through the menu and explained more about the experience the restaurant hopes to offer.

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This interview was recorded on November 21, 2024. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Cabin Radio: How new is this menu?

Calvin Rossouw: We just started this month, November.

What are your favourite dishes on the menu?

In my opinion, you have to go for the dinner for two, in which case you’re tasting everything.

That’s cheating.

Obviously there are highlights within the menu, too. You are going to start off with an amuse-bouche, which will be different every night. It’s just something to excite your palate, excite you, get you ready for what’s to come.

There is bread service as well. We have our homemade focaccia and then a compound butter that’s different every night.

On the actual menu, the pork and apple is definitely a highlight. That’s crispy pork belly slowly cooked so it’s super tender but then crispy on the outside. And then there is an onion sauce. It’s a play on the American style, like pork chop with onion and apple, and then you have apple butter and apple chips as well.

What prompted Sundog to explore tapas?

It’s always been on the back of our plate. As we’ve evolved, we’ve always wanted to open up an evening menu that’s completely different from our daytime menu.

The tapas style is something that I think we don’t have in town at all. I think it’s an opportunity. And our focus was always to introduce smaller plates where you could come in, have a glass of wine, maybe have one or two plates or a whole dinner. We have a nice, cozy setting, too, with the lights turned down low.

How much freedom and creativity does it allow you, as chefs, to produce lots of smaller dishes?

It’s wonderful. Every chef wants that avenue to be able to flex those creative muscles.

Everything on our daytime menu is fresh, everything is thoughtful, but you don’t get to play with the food as much. Here, we’re trying to elevate as much as we can and have fun with it.

There’s table service and a whole list of accompanying drinks. Is this about an experience as much as it’s about the food?

We’re really going for that wine bar feel of being sophisticated but still not too stuffy, with great food and great drinks.

Sundog Trading Post offers its tapas dining from 5:30-9pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. On Friday and Saturday, tapas is offered from 5:30-10pm.

Discover the full menu and more information on the Sundog Trading Post website.

In part two – coming in early December – we’ll meet some of the chefs creating new experiences at Sundog.