Explore these ‘global bites’ served at the NWT Culinary Festival

For a city of 20,000 people, Yellowknife has a large number of top-rated restaurants. At least, that’s how the diners at Global Bites felt.

Based on the 10-course meal served to NWT Culinary Festival attendees on Saturday night, it’s difficult not to agree.

Global Bites, a tasting menu from 10 Yellowknife restaurants, was moved inside at the last minute to avoid wind gusts. Here’s a guide to the dishes on offer.

The night began with three crispy fried wontons filled with minced pork and shrimp, paired with a sweet and sour sauce and garnished with sliced scallions. The chili sauce had a bit of heat that didn’t overpower the generous filling.

The dish came from Chews & Bites YK, established in 2021, which provides catering services that specialize in Filipino dishes.

The next appetizer, from Korea House, was a small jar filled with a kimchi stew. The bright red tomato base had bite-sized pieces of kimchi, pork and soft tofu.

The saltiness combined with the slightly higher spice level made it a favourite with some of Saturday’s diners.

The first substantial item, from Te Adoro, was vada pav, a crispy potato fritter that was soft on the inside, glazed with a sweet and spicy sauce, and placed on a small bun.

It was followed by a flavourful Ethiopian dish from Zehabesha featuring yellow split peas simmered with onions and turmeric. Injera, a rolled flatbread made of teff and barley flour, was served, from which diners tore off pieces to scoop up the flavourful stew.

“Chat, rip and eat,” one diner said of the meal.

Sushi Café supplied a wrapped spicy tuna pocket packed with sushi rice, raw tuna and spicy mayo. The portions were filling and garnished with ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.

The Hidden Gem, which celebrated its first anniversary this spring, then sent out a sausage slider made of pork and beef. Boerewors sausage is from South Africa and traditionally made with a variety of meat. It was spiced with coriander and topped with a homemade sauce.

Cai’s Kitchen provided Beijing noodles topped with pork belly in a sweet sauce with delicate greens, a dish specially created for Saturday’s event.

Falafel from Mainstreet, which specializes in Lebanese cuisine, was spiced with cumin seed, topped with garlic sauce and sat on homemade hummus.

The last savoury course was a soft and fluffy steamed cake made of fermented rice. Idli is Sri Lankan in origin and it was topped with a coconut-based sauce. Diners who managed to stay to the end agreed the light texture was the perfect way to end the multiple courses.

The dish came from Auroville Grocery, which opened in March inside Centre Square Mall.

The last dish of the night was a dessert inside a glass jar from Good Choice Fresh & Delicious – a Centre Square Mall food stop and juice bar – that diners were encouraged to take home.

The traditional Dominican dessert was made with coconut milk and sweet potato with sweetened beans and topped with a biscuit.

The cinnamon flavour and creamy dessert were matched with sweetened beans that provided bursts of texture like berries.

Learn more about the NWT Culinary Festival on its website.