Two weeks ago, I had the chance to attend the University of Alberta's Campus Food Bank (CFB) Mac 'n Cheese Affair. Their motto, "Hunger for knowledge, not food", really hits home, because I've never really considered how many people attend University and utilize their services. I'm fortunate enough to be living at home and attending university, but not everyone has the luxury, so hearing all the facts and seeing the support for this organization on campus was really eye-opening.

Throughout the night, there were a bunch of performances, speeches and videos to watch, which taught me a lot about the food bank. The ultimate goal of this organization is to shut down the food bank permanently. While that may sound counter-intuitive, it means that they hope to reach a day where everyone has access to food, and doesn't need to depend on a food bank to provide their basic nutritional needs.

With the aid of a silent auction and ticket sales for the event, ($20-$30/person) the CFB had a goal to raise $9000 that night. When we arrived for the event, volunteers were selling balloons at $10 each, with each guaranteed to win a $10 gift certificate to a local salon, or the chance to win a Chef's Table dinner for 12 at Earls. Diane chose to buy one before we walked in to take our seats.

Arriving to our designated table, what I hadn't realized was that I was to sit beside the mayor of our city for dinner. What?! Once the rush of anxiety settled, I took my seat, calm and collected. After the Mayoral address, it was an absolute pleasure to sit, dine, and chat with Edmonton's mayor, Stephen Mandel. Although he had another event to attend that evening, we had the chance to discuss and review our favourite restaurants here in the city - something I never thought I'd have the chance to do!

Mr. Mandel was so much fun to talk to, and before he left for the evening, he made a point to buy each of us a balloon, hoping we might win something good. The best part? Us posing for this picture was his idea, as he made fun of me taking pictures of my food... :)

The meal for the night was perfectly appropriate for a food bank themed celebration! What better comfort food than buffalo chicken mac 'n cheese? Warm, creamy pasta with chunks of cheesy goodness.. and finished off with a sticky toffee cake. Aramark actually catered and donated all the food for the evening, and its so great to see a prominent campus business supporting the CFB.

At the end of the evening, it was time to pop the balloons - however, there were still over 30 ballooons left to be purchased! I really wondered whether that Chefs Table prize was in there, and considered buying a couple, but the CFB decided to auction them off as a lot. The winner paid $300 for the bunch and had a fantastic time popping all their balloons.

I was basically 100% sure there was no way anyone at our table was going to win the Chefs Table prize, but upon popping the balloon gifted by the mayor.. SURPRISE SURPRISE it was in there! Whoo, thank you Mayor Mandel for being a good luck charm! I had a great time at the annual dinner, and encourage all students to attend next year! It's a great way to support the organizations on campus, and get to know a little bit more, or even get involved with the CFB and all it does for students.

I'm no Filipino cuisine connoisseur, but I think I can put my opinion down on the chicken adobo made by Filistix!

I stopped by during my lunch break Monday to try out their popular poultry dish, and was so impressed by the flavours. Filistix uses a chicken thigh braised in a tangy soy garlic marinade to bring the flavours together. In my snack size, I got one perfectly cooked, tender chicken thigh over jasmine rice and a side of the signature slaw. The sauce used for the chicken is perfect. Not overly salty, and a well portioned amount is added overtop the rice for a flavour boost to plain rice. And unlike my last trip, the dressing for the slaw was thicker this time, complimenting the flavour and freshness of the slaw. Yum!

I've been asked whether I think the prices at Filistix are worth it for the food. And in all honesty, if you haven't tried the food before, you may think that the food is overpriced. But think about it. Food on campus is quite expensive to begin with - your $4 - $5 coffee at Starbucks, $5 waffles at Eva Sweet, pastas, soups, and salads for upwards of $5.. Their prices are competitive. You're getting quality, delicious food that will fill you. Need more for me to convince you? Filistix also has a punch card program, where you are entitled to a free order after you purchase 5. That's saving $1.40 per order when you get the snack size, and $2.20 saved if you order the full size. So try them out, let me know what you think!

My first encounter with food trucks in Edmonton was at What The Truck?!, and the food at Filistix was good enough that I wanted to try out their other offerings. Unfortunately, having the life of a university student, food trucks are pretty hard to come by since they like to park in the downtown core. Well, it used to be difficult.

Filistix - Lower Level Central Academic Building - University of Alberta - Edmonton, AB

Over the summer, vendors like Filistix, Eva Sweet Waffles and Fat Franks were given the opportunity to move into the cafeteria area in CAB basement on the University of Alberta campus! Freakin' dream for me! I love being able to have such a diverse variety of food available, instead of having campus dominated by the food chain giants like Tim Hortons & Burger King.

Since the beginning of the semester, I haven't had the time to check out the food yet, so I stopped by to pick up some lunch. I love what Filistix has done with their area in the cafeteria to make it lively and attractive. The green and orange is fresh and eye catching, and the menu is simple enough that it doesn't take much complex thought to decide what you want to eat. Trust me, after writing a midterm, your brain is so fried that you don't want to be overwhelmed by deciding what to feed your stomach with!



The current Fall/Winter menu is composed of three meat dishes, one vegetarian and their signature slaw. The full size orders are priced at $11, while the snack size is $7, which is half a portion of the regular. I chose to go with the "The Beef Eater" which is actually beef caldereta – Traditional Spanish/Filipino beef stew simmered with Tomato, Olives and Potato served over Jasmine rice with our Signature Slaw on the side. I am so inexperienced with Filipino cuisine - the only thing I know is pancit! So I was pretty excited.

The rice & stew were served piping hot, perfect for the chilly day it was. I liked that the stew was quite flavourful with all the herbs, but I wish it was a little saltier. When mixed with rice, I found that the stew wasn't strong enough on it's own to combat bland rice, so the flavour was a little washed out. Other than that, the beef was tender and potatoes were cooked to a nice softness.



The slaw was definitely the favourite in my little box. The cabbage was fresh and crisp, with that nice raw flavour. You know the taste you get when you're eating something freshly picked from the garden? Yeah, that raw flavour! A dried cranberry here and there brought a nice pairing of sweetness to the slaw.. but I do wish the dressing was a little thicker, to adhere to the cabbage better. My dressing got lost into the caldereta sauce.

All in all, Filistix is a nice addition to the food selection available on campus. I'll definitely head back to try out some of their other dishes over the next couple months!

So, yet another embarassing confession to make regarding my university life: I have never made my way over to Dewey's, or the RATT (Room At The Top). Sad, I know, but hey, I'm still in my undergrad years, and taking it slow, haha.

In order to celebrate the last day of classes for our third year, Lisa, Patrick, Evan & I headed up to RATT (Pat is a veteran) for lunch. It was evident that we weren't the only bright students with the idea, because the elevator was packed with students to the point where I felt like a little sardine. Luckily, we were part of the first bunch of people up to the bar/lounge.

This place is a gem! Without visiting this place, I never would have known the U of A has such an amazing view of the city. RATT occupies the 7th floor of the Students' Union Building, and literally has a 360 degree, birds eye view of the city. Floor to ceiling tinted windows are the walls of this bar, providing a beautiful, but slightly obstructed view of our province's capital city. Luckily it was a bright sunny day, so we were able to see far off into the distance. Lisa and I were able to spot WEM, the Telus World of Science, and Daryl Katz's house (thanks to Patrick, haha). On a side note, the buildings on campus look so different from above! For me, it really made me realize that things can be completely different depending on the perspective taken.

They have a relatively large menu for a restaurant of their size, which includes many vegetarian options. I opted for the Thai chicken wrap, which was served with a side of fries for $7.50 (GST incl), and the price is great for your average university student. I wanted to try their sweet potato fries though, and the substitution costed me an extra $2.



Despite the awesome price, the wrap didn't quite live up to my expectations. The sauce for the wrap was far too sweet for my liking, and there was so much sauce that it went everywhere. My little basket was flooded with sauce, and my hands were so sticky, I could only bring myself to eat half of the wrap. Now the fries on the other hand were delicious. They were crisp, seasoned well, and the garlic mayo dressing was the best I have ever had. Guess I should stay away from saucy wraps the next time I'm up there!

The fun's over now. Time to buckle down and study for finals!

Room At The Top
8900 114 Street
Edmonton AB