The Glass Monkey Gastropub takes over the space formerly occupied by the long-standing Lendrum neighbourhood eatery, Jack’s Grill.  The restaurant’s reputation waned somewhat after Peter Jackson sold it to Mark Goodwin in 2009. In 2013 the doors closed for good – until  Rob Filipchuk, the new owner (and previous owner of Cristall’s Wine Market), revamped the space, the menu and the moniker. Glass Monkey –  enigmatic as it can get for a restaurant name – opened its doors a few months ago.

Chefs Bryan Meintzer (Jack’s Grill, Blue Pear, The Marc), and Darcy Radies (Blue Pear) have been brought on board to man the kitchen. The menu has a variety of plates to share (snacks, boards and small plates), plus individual entrees and items such as pizza. The snacks are very small; about the size of a mason jar lid so keep that in mind. If you have more than 2 or 3 people, you’re going to want to share a few snacks.

Four of us chose five items ($18) the ricotta, the parsnip puree, the salmon, the flank steak, and the mixed olives. The dishes come presented on a beautiful wood board with the Glass Monkey logo. Visually, very nice. Taste-wise, we were off to a good start, the homemade ricotta and the Asian-influenced flank steak tying for first place and the creamy parsnip puree (heavy on the parsnip, light on the lemon) appealing to only one person in our group.

One of the staples of Jack’s Grill was the beef carpaccio, and Filipchuk includes this dish on the Glass Monkey’s menu. Fans of this melt-in-your-mouth offering will be happy to hear that it’s just as good now as it was when it was on Jack’s Grill menu.

Beef Carpaccio

But…lacking flavour, texture and anything reminiscent of what I’ve eaten in Mexico, the fish tacos fell short of expectations. Same can be said about the triple-cooked fries, an item made famous by Heston Blummenthal of Fat Duck fame. Having had Blummenthal’s legendary fries in England, chefs need to bone up on the technique to make these chips worthy of their reputation.

Fish tacos

From the larger plate section we chose two mushroom dishes: one entree featuring a grilled portobello atop a lentil salad with arugula and white truffle oil ($18), and the mushroom pizza (sliced mushrooms, smoked provolone cheese, truffle oil) for $16.

Mushroom pizza (sliced mushrooms, smoked provolone cheese, truffle oil)

The grilled portobello dish was satisfying on several levels: taste, texture, presentation and the feel-good dish of the night. Even the non-vegetarians liked it. The pizza though disappointed on exactly the same levels. Nothing worked, especially the ingredient combination. It looked pretty, but after two bites and some contemplation, that pizza remained, for the most part, untouched.

The kale salad with sundried tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette, free range egg and grans padano was a refreshing, pleasing dish – for the most part. Had that poached egg been poached soft, and not solid, it would’ve been darn near perfect.

Kale Salad

The Glass Monkey has the potential to do very well, however, that “globally influenced” menu could be trimmed down to allow the kitchen crew to focus on fewer things – and do them well. It might also solve the identity crisis that the Monkey seems to be having. Jack’s Grill left some rather large shoes to fill, but it shouldn’t take much for Filipchuk and his staff to find the Monkey’s place in Edmonton’s dining scene.

Should items like the carpaccio and the near-legendary bread pudding from Jack’s Grill be kept on the menu? Despite how good they are, I’d have to say no. Maybe it’s time to cut the apron strings and let this monkey start swinging on its own. The skill is there, the room is great and it’s one of the few places to grab a decent bite in that part of the city.

My CBC review of the Glass Monkey can be heard here.