Sometimes connecting with long-standing friends feels as if there were never any gaps in your time together.  Such is the case when friends Laura and Sue indicated that they wanted to take me out for a birthday lunch.  We have celebrated many of my birthdays together but not so many as of late.  I miss our times together but we made up for lost time with this rendezvous.  We enjoyed bonding chats and a beautiful bottle of wine (2 in fact) and the food-ah the food!

Tapas is my favourite menu style but is not conducive to all lunch gatherings.  I have shared so many forkfuls off of plates not my own, with this trio though, that it is not an issue.  There was a time when we enjoyed dim sum together almost once a week.

There was harmony in our selections and the end result was a delectable sampling of tastes.

My first bite was of Potato and Egg and I could have happily, eaten an entire plate (potato lover that I am).  The tiny multi-coloured potatoes where lightly squashed and then topped with shredded egg and fish eggs.  The saltiness of the roe was a perfect compliment to the silky oil and perfectly cooked potatoes which tasted almost sweet.

The spicy cilantro chicken came next and although it was undercooked, the meat was succulent with a little bit of heat at the end of a bite.  The cilantro garnish did not seem to be an essential flavour in the dish.  Too bad-I love the fresh taste of cilantro with chicken.

One of their specials was grilled fava beans with feta which were unique and delicious.

I have no idea what the ingredients of this last selection were but the details do not really matter when something tastes this good.  The grilled cheese was creamy and silky and the bread perfectly grilled with what tasted to me like an extra generous glob of butter.  Whatever else was stuffed inside, perfectly blended with the identified tastes.

The locale at 85 Princess Street is nicely appointed but very noisy as there are no floor or wall coverings on concrete to buffer the boisterous lunch chatter.  We solved this by staying half the afternoon, when it became much quieter.

I find the decor of my favourite Winnipeg restaurant-Segovia, cozier and their staff more acquainted with the passion of tapas but I was definitely intrigued by what Deer + Almond has going on and will likely check them out again.

Kath’s quote: “Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.”–M.F.K. Fisher

Love-that is all.

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