Unheardof Restaurant

I nailed it by taking my wife out for our anniversary at Unheardof last night. It was romantic, our meal was amazingly delicious, and we had extremely great service.
I had the duck for my main course and it was to die for. If you need a romantic night out, Unheardof is one of the best restaurants in the city for that very reason.

I retired from my employer of 45 plus years February 1, 2014. A very good friend of mine invited my wife and I to dinner at Unheardof Restaurant on the premise of the four of us getting together to celebrate my retirement. After several delays a January 17, 2015 date was set. She had told me that she had put a $ 250.00 deposit down on the reservation and that if she cancelled she would forfeit the deposit so I had to be committed to the date.
Being suspicious I visited the restaurant’s website to view the menu, reservation requirements and of course the reviews. I suspected that the reservation was for more than the four of us given the $ 250.00 deposit requirement. Indeed when I walked in I was suspecting to see several former work mates there. Based on the reviews I had read I wasn’t expecting great food or service and quite frankly I probably would not have made a reservation after reading several of the reviews posted online.
Well I was certainly surprised on two counts. Firstly when my wife and I walked in we learned that my friend had invited our entire family to the private dining room upstairs which easily sat the 19 adults and two children under two. Secondly the poor reviews were certainly put to rest with excellent service, accommodation, food, wine and just overall ambience experienced by our group.
The evening started off with several rounds of appetisers and drinks. Then the menu was expertly described en masse to our group and sufficient time was given for all of us to make the tough decision of what to have as a starter, main and dessert. Soon after taking our orders the starters began to arrive. I had the Seafood Bisque which was delicious albeit a little heavy given the amount of food yet to come. Most items offered under the starter section were tried at our table including the Caesar Salad, Duck Salad and Lobster Ravioli to name the most ordered by our group. Everyone enjoyed their starters which were followed by a delicious sherbet which wetted our appetite for the mains to come. I should mention that a request to order a small dish of pasta for our little grand daughter who had difficulty waiting for the main meal delivery was quickly accommodated much to the appreciation of her Mom & Dad.
The mains started to arrive piping hot with my Duxelles Seasoned Beef Tenderloin cooked to my exact medium rare request and I fully enjoyed every morsel. Equally enjoyed were the accompanying sautéed wild mushrooms, potatoes and string beans. While several diners chose this menu item feedback from the group who opted for other choices were equally complementary. For sure, no complaints — just enjoyment!
Soon after the mains were devoured the desserts started to arrive. I chose the long standing favourite, Turtle Tart (apparently it has been on the menu since the place opened 35 years ago) as did several in our group. It was also delicious but I am afraid I had to enlist the help of my son-​in-​law to help me finish the final leg of this three course meal. He had chosen the less filling Coconut Brule which I sampled. I would recommend either dessert and would base your decision solely on your appetite.
Throughout the service the wait staff were very attentive but not intrusive to ensure everyone’s choice of beverage never went empty. That said I didn’t feel the wait staff pushed alcohol solely to increase the tab /​tip size as often is the case when you dine out. I should mention that everyone’s order arrived almost simultaneously and equally important correctly.
This is my first ever restaurant review and I realize that it is a bit lengthy but hopefully you took the time to read it to dismiss some of the other less positive reviews you see here which give the restaurant, owners and staff an unfair judgement — just my opinion. You should trust my opinion given that I must be a fairly good judge of character. After all I did chose a friend that incurred a substantial restaurant bill to allow her and her significant other to bring my family together to help them celebrate my «final» retirement. You have to admit few friends would bare this expense — in fact it is UNHEARDOF!

We were at the Unheardof Restaurant last night. It was cozy & our server was excellent. For an appetizer, I had the seafood bisque & I can’t stop thinking about it ever since. Seriously! The best soup I’ve ever eaten. The rest of the meal was fantastic too, but if you like seafood, I would highly recommend the bisque.

We have been here four times in 12 years. Always outstanding! There have been a few wee changes over the years, but the food has always been great. Interesting blend of flavours. A more extensive menu now than in years past. Slightly easier to find than it used to be. In the past, it was tough to convince taxi drivers that there really is a restaurant at that address.

We love this place. Cute and delicious. Worth the money for sure. I prefer it to red ox inn.

What a disappointment. If you’re going to spend top dollar on your meal, go to the Red Ox Inn. We were SO excited to try this place, and it really wasn’t worth the hype. And the amuse bus we received almost got shot across the table. Fishiest thing ever! I think it had mackerel in it… oh my, I might gag just thinking about it. They were out of meats for the meat and cheese platter (strange.) so we ordered the wild mushroom risotto specifically because I have a die hard love for chantrelles. However, I also make killer risotto… so we were disappointing, knowing how my mushroom risotto tastes. For entrees we ordered the caramelized pear pork tenderloin and the lamb. Again, nothing was incredible. We ate it, but it wasn’t like we were dying to come back anytime soon. For dessert, we had the chocolate roll which basically was a gigantic ho-​ho. After a couple bites I was no longer interested. The cake wasn’t particularly rich or anything. The ambiance I’m sure is great if you’re older, there were a lot of antiques. Kind of a great-grandmother’s living room feel to it.

It’s alright in a bind. Though if you’re on Whyte there are better options [even the bars and pubs]

Went to Unheardof for a Fathers Day supper. I’ve been there before so the nice, romantic ambiance was no surprise, nor was the attentive service. The food was disappointing. I have not problem spending $ 45 for an entrée, but it should be spectacular. The seafood dish was bland at best, and at the end of the meal I felt a bit ripped off. I will not be back, instead, there are many other high-​end restaurant to go to in Edmonton. I’m left wishing the Copper Pot was open on Sundays.

Once upon a time this was a very special place for my husband and I. We would go 2 or 3 times a year for special occasions as the bill is always around $ 150 and up.
However, the last time we went on my birthday, my experience was nothing short of horrific.
We came for the early sitting as we were going to a concert after dinner. We ordered the 5 course meal (complete with palate cleansing sorbets, etc.)
I had ordered the bison and when it came it tatsted terrible. Now perhaps it was my tastebuds and perhaps it wasn’t a good piece of meat. It tasted spicy in a very weird way to me, especially being that when I asked it wasn’t seasonsed with anything that should have made it sour and spicy.
The server had politely noticed that I hadn’t touched my entrée; she inquired and I said that I didn’t care for it. She immediately offered to replace it withe something else. A few minutes later the maitre’D came over and said that it wasn’t their fault if I didn’t enjoy quite possibly «the best cut of meat on the planet.» He also told me that they wouldn’t be replacing my entrée as we were there for the early seating which is a whole whopping $ 15 less than the later seating. I was emotional, and embarrassed as it is an extremely small dining room — I had recently given birth to my daughter and this was our first fancy dinner out since I had been pregnant. Well, needless to say I burst into tears and went to the washroom. Upon returning to the table I told him I didn’t appreciate the way he treated me and at no point did he ever apologize or offer to make the situation right.
I did not replace my entrée and they ended up charging us alacarte for every single item which was even MORE EXPENSIVE that if they had just charged us for the 5 course meal.
I know I should have called and asked to speak to the owner in the days or weeks that followed, but I cannot tell you how horrified I was at the whole experience and emotional (and I recognize that my hormones were still running a little rampant from having just given birth)… but come on, I have never been treated so poorly in my life in a restaurant.
So, what was once our special place has been forever ruined and it saddens me.

Wilzie and I had a GC, so we gave Unheardof a try for our anniversary.
We got there early enough to get their early diner table d’hote (which is their regular table d’hote — any appetizer, entrée & dessert from the menu — just cheaper).
To start Wilzie got spiced lamb chops (a very generous portion for an appy) and I got the sliced pear salad. I thought the lamb was quite spicy (for my tender tastebuds, anyway), but Wilzie thought they were fine, if a little undercooked. My salad was good for what it was… a salad.
For our entrees, Wilzie got the prime rib steak and I got the pork chop. Both were very good — the beef came with a dijon mustard sauce and savoury bread pudding, and the pork had a port jus and spaetzle with pork belly. I thought the pork was tasty, if a little bit dry. The beef however was so tender and juicy and the accompanying sauce was a perfect match.
I think the spaetzle was the best thing on either plate.
For dessert, I had the lemon cheesecake (which got wrapped up to take home and was… meh) and Wilzie splurged on the sticky date pudding. This dessert was rich and moist with a great creamy caramel sauce. A sickly sweet (which I like) dessert, if I ever had one.
Overall, I thought the food was… OK. And the early dining price of the $ 55 table d’hote was fitting. I wouldn’t go any other way — I found the regular menu to be quite over-​priced, and would rather spend the money at the Red Ox.

Blink and you WILL miss this hidden restaurant on the east end of Whyte Avenue. (I suppose you could almost call them Unseen Restaurant, too!)
I had an amazing private fine-​dining experience. Set up in our own room, our group of ten (ten!) was easily accomodated.
Unheardof is a multi-​course meal experience, start with appetizers, moving onto entrees, and rounding off with dessert. I can honestly say that the service I received here was the best service I have ever received at a restaurant.
When I mentioned to one of my dining mates that I had recently discovered a food allergy, but wasn’t sure of its extent, our attentive server noted that the next dish did contain that ingredient. The kitchen happily accomodated me and brought out a different dish for my plate, which I hadn’t even requested. Wowza!
A pricey place, but if you’re looking for a swanky Christmas party or fancy dinner setting, I can’t recommend it enough.