Restaurant Review: SABOR

SABOR 10220 103rd Street | sabor.ca Instagram: @sabor_yeg | Twitter: @SABOR_YEG Co-Diners: The Husband

Sabor has been around for a long time (since 2008) and has generally solidified itself as the best (and only?) name in Spanish, Portuguese and Mediterranean cuisine in Edmonton. If you're craving this type of food, this is where you go. And Sabor knows how to give it to you good. In fact, their name means "flavour" in Portuguese. VUE Weekly voted Sabor #1 Best Portuguese 2018 and the Edmonton Journal names them repeatedly; Best Seafood Restaurant 2020, Best Fine Dining 2021 and Best Seafood Restaurant 2021. Known for their seafood, Sabor will take you on an Iberian coastal journey that you won't be able to find anywhere else. Located in the heart of Downtown (difficult parking is the only problem) on the boardwalk block known for its restaurants, the space itself is massive in size. They're so big that they were even able to turn their lower street-facing area into a secondary restaurant called Bodega that serves much of the same food as the main restaurant but in a more casual and laid-back environment. Meanwhile, Sabor itself is presented as a high-end fine dining experience and you can feel it from the moment that you walk though the door. The building is full of history, one of those places that doesn't need to pretend to be old because it actually is. Huge wooden pillars support the towering ceiling above, while the exposed brick feels like it can tell a story. The rest of the decor is simple because the building itself does so much on its own. Tasteful chandeliers hang throughout and the restaurant is known for its live music atmosphere. (Unfortunately I did not get to experience this as my visit was on a Tuesday evening, when they don't feature live music.) The space does a surprisingly good job of transporting you away to somewhere that feels quite a bit more like Europe. I had made a reservation but because my visit occurred in the middle of the week the restaurant didn't get too busy (although for a Tuesday night they still filled most tables). Seated at a cozy table for two in the vast dining room, there was never a shortage of things to see and surroundings to take in. Our server was an expert at his craft and made sure that we were always well looked after. Starting with the beverage menu I knew that I wanted to drink cava (a Spanish sparkling wine). At first I assumed that I would simply order a glass but why stop there? There were options for cocktails made with cava, including a Cava Sangria ($14.00 for a glass) which sounded like the most ideal summer beverage.

Sparkling wine, brandy, triple sec, juices.

They've taken the classic Spanish wine cocktail of sangria and have somehow made it even more Spanish by making it with cava. Perfecto! Refreshing and just sweet enough, this sangria was easy to drink and complimented the meal well. I liked the orange slice and green grapes floating within. Sabor also offers two other types of sangria and I should probably try them all. The menu at Sabor is very large and there are many options and types of food journeys that can be taken. Maybe you want drinks and tapas. Maybe you want a family style meal or Sabor's special three course seafood family dinner (I'm totally going to try this next time!). Or maybe you want to create your own perfect feast like I did. The ability to tailor your dining experience to your exact mood is easily achieved at Sabor. For me, I was looking for nostalgia. I have been to Spain and Portugal once each, respectively. As such, my goal was to locate some of the dishes that I'd loved the most on my travels and to taste those delicious flavours once again. We began by building an appetizer round reminiscent of our time in Barcelona. I was very pleased to find Jamon Iberico de Bellota ($32.00) on the menu, because it wouldn't be Spanish food without Iberico. It's expensive but deliciously worthwhile to treat yourself to some of the best ham in the world. Building on this, it made sense to select the world's most famous Spanish cheese; Manchego ($9.00). Both of the aforementioned items are served with bread. To accompany the bread I had to try the Chicken and Smoked Duck Pâté ($5.50). And lastly, from the Tapas section I selected the Grilled Sardine Fillets ($12.00).

It was such a delight to luxuriate over a beautiful spread of foods. I excitedly got into the Iberico ham, made from 36+ months of aged black Iberian pork. The thin slices melted in my mouth and I loved the salty cured orchestra of flavours. The quality of this meat is so high, and while it didn't taste as fresh as when it is shaved directly off of the leg in front of you, this exclusive ham experience was very special. It's the best. (And not so readily available in Edmonton). The Manchego, a 12 month aged hard sheep milk cheese, is a classic. Just tender enough, this buttery cheese boasts a subtle sweet and fruity flavour. It went well with everything and was a great way to round out the appetizer course. I was super pleased with the addition of the pâté, ultra creamy and spreadable. I didn't think that we would be able to eat all of it but we certainly did. The savoury and lightly smoked flavour was glorious and like velvet in my mouth.

The sardines came with six fillets served with a Portuguese molho verde on top. I loved the crispy outside texture and the tender meat within. The molho verde was verdant and fresh, leaving the sardines in a bath of olive oil. These were a great way to introduce some seafood right off the bat and they truly reminded me of Lisbon. One dish that I found omitted from the menu is pan con tomate, one of my favourites. They do have pan con chorizo and they do have bruschetta... And both are sort of the right thing. But not quite. I would love to spot it on the menu someday. There are many plates to choose from as a main dish and a stand-out to me was the lobster risotto, a signature dish. I will absolutely be back to try it! However, on this visit I really wanted to focus my efforts on the Seafood Paella ($68.00 for two), widely known as one of the best things to eat in the city and Spain's national dish.

I was immediately impressed by the huge portion and sheer abundance of seafood including mussels, clams, calamari, prawns, and scallops. The value is very good. Under the heaping mountain of seafood is the ever-important rice component and I noted its beautiful deep rust colour. Paella rice is made by infusing saffron, creating a rich and fragrant blend. I was a little bit sad that this dish was not served directly in the paella pan because half of the enjoyment involves scraping the crispy seared rice bits off of the bottom of the pan. However, those delicious toasty bits were still mixed in and I thoroughly delighted in them nonetheless. Back to the seafood, which is simply incredible, I appreciated the expert cook on each of the items. Especially the squid, which overcooks and becomes rubbery so easily. This squid was beautifully tender and I was happy to see that none of the seafood was overdone in the slightest. I loved the clams (maybe the most) because they tasted so fresh and the little scallops dotted throughout were juicy and tender. There was no way to finish all of this but we certainly tried. The best paella that I've ever eaten was at El Racó del Mariner in Barcelona. If you ever get the chance to try it, you absolutely should. I'm not sure how, but we crammed some dessert in there as well. I needed a Pastel de Nata ($5.00 for taster size) and the Leite Creme ($5.00 for taster size).

The quintessential Portuguese treat, the pastel de nata is a major classic. This Portuguese custard tart has a crispy pastry shell on the outside and a custard filling. Sprinkled with cinnamon, it's very easy to eat several of these. I could have used for this version to have a crispier, flakier pastry crust but it was a solid effort. The leite creme, I learned, is essentially a crème brûlée. The only difference is that this Portuguese version is cooked on a stove-top instead of baked. Also dusted with cinnamon, this milk custard had a caramelized sugar on top that was satisfying to break through. One of the desserts was free because we were celebrating our anniversary, which was very kind. Sabor is the type of restaurant that you think of for special occasions but it doesn't have to be. The menu is flexible enough to allow for any type of meal, even something more casual. They have stood the test of time for a reason and it's because they are offering Edmontonians a special style of cuisine and are doing better than anyone else. I must return myself because there is so much more on the menu that I want to try. Sabor will leave you wonderfully full with the flavours of Spain and Portugal - the next best thing to hopping on a plane and going there yourself.