www.PassionforPork.com

Chef Cowan’s Off-Menu Pork Dishes at Hundred

So often I get asked what my favourite restaurant in the city is – my response is always the same. I don’t have a favourite restaurant; I have favourite chefs.

I could never pick just one, but one of my faves in Edmonton is Chef Andrew Cowan at Hundred Bar & Kitchen. Chef Cowan has a serious Passion for Pork that is evident through his hand-crafted charcuterie boards, home-made sausages and the designer cuts of pork he loves to serve on giant wood chopping blogs.

I can’t tell you what my favourite dish at Hundred is either, that’s because every time I go Chef Cowan serves me up something a little different. I’ve had everything from rosemary citrus ribs to poutine fries cooked in pork fat – from porchetta to pate. All I do Chef Cowan a heads up that I will be coming in the next day and he serves up a custom off-menu serving of epic pork proportions.

I’m not special (although I certainly feel special when other tables stare in awe at the unique dishes that come to the table). Chef Cowan can serve a chef’s menu or off-menu meal to anyone – you just have to give him some notice.

Normally a three-course meal will cost around $60 a person, but that fluctuates depending on what each group wants. He’ll serve up the VIP treatment for parties of two or large groups and he can accommodate allergies, preferences and severe dislikes. Then he goes to town. Dishes are often served family style and the combinations and possibilities are endless.

It’s best to give him a day or two heads up but if he is not too busy in the kitchen he can do one on the spot. He recommends booking directly through him – you can email him at acowan@centuryhospitality.com or contact him on twitter @chefcowan.

You can check out his Charcuterie video here (your mouth will be watering), and below are some of the pork-a-licious treats I’ve had at Hundred when I’ve pre-ordered Chef Cowan’s off-menu over the past year.