A visit to WAG-Qaumajuq is always a feast for the eyes.
But this summer, this internationally acclaimed art gallery and cultural campus is also providing literal feasts –– particularly for fans of rooftop tapas parties; chocolates and wine; and a prix fixe dinner inspired by one of Canada’s most influential artists.
So much of this is taking place on WAG-Qaumajuq’s famed Rooftop Sculpture Garden, one of the city’s best summer locations. Plus, there’s always Katita Café for locally inspired dishes at lunch.
New menu on all summer long at Katita Café
Did you know that you can always get a meal at WAG-Qaumajuq? Its onsite eatery, Katita Café (which means, “let’s get together” in Inuktitut), offers a simple, fresh and approachable menu that features great coffee, colourful plates and the must-order side dish –delightfully crumbly bannock with rhubarb butter.
Run by WOW Catering, which is helmed by award-winning celebrity chef Luc Jean, the casual café is located right within Qaumajuq, just past the entrance with its eye-catching massive Visible Vault that holds hundreds of sculptures from nearly every community in the Arctic. The dining room itself is a work of art, featuring the massive work Nēhiyaw (Swampy Cree) by local artist Peatr Thomas. Plus, there’s also a little outdoor patio too that provides a nice setting for an al fresco lunch.
For summer at Katita, the WOW culinary team has come up with a number of new dishes that speak of summer. Local chickpeas play the starring role in a vegan curry featuring sweet potatoes and coconut milk, served on orange basmati rice with mini naan breads to sop up all that sauce. Another pleasant vegan dish is the soba noodle salad, which comes surrounded by ribbons of carrots, cucumber slices and romaine lettuce for texture, all tossed in a black sesame and ginger vinaigrette.
Avocado toast is studded with cherry tomatoes and drizzled aged balsamic, while if you’re looking for something a bit more indulgent the café is turning its house bannock into cheese toast using aged cheddar and Havarti. Along with these dishes, staples like bison chili with bannock still remain, as do the sandwiches like the chicken club on rye, the Montreal smoked meat Reuben (with all the classic fixings; kraut, Russian dressing and Swiss), and the smoked salmon croissant with sprouts, dill cream cheese and pickled onion.
There are a couple new cocktails and drink features too, many of which take advantage of the café’s cold brew coffee. This includes an espresso White Russian and an espresso martini for libations, along with non-alcohol drinks like The Bee – featuring orange juice, espresso and caramel syrup, and some iced matcha drinks like the matcha lemonade.
Mango mimosas are in order, particularly on the patio, and there’s also an affogato (a shot of espresso poured over vanilla ice cream) to finish off your meal. Wines are available by the glass, and there’s a selection of local beers from Trans Canada Brewery too.
Katita is open Wednesday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Riopelle-Inspired Pop-Up Event on June 20th – A wine and chocolate art experience
Chocophiles, oenophiles and fans of Jean-Paul Riopelle will want to mark their calendars (and buy tickets now) for June 20 for an evening that combines chocolate design and wine pairing, along with an in-depth tour of Riopelle’s greatest works.
The event, which runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., starts off with a guided tour of Riopelle: Crossroads in Time. From there, it’s time to head up to the WAG-Qaumajuq rooftop patio to take that abstract art inspiration and apply it to the medium of chocolate. Led by expert chocolatier Helen Staines of Decadence Chocolates –– and starting with a glass of wine that will compliment dark or milk chocolate –– you’ll learn how to “paint” chocolate to create your own Riopelle-inspired creation like Staines has done here (incredible, right?).
The bar will be open on the rooftop to purchase a selection of drinks during the event, while Decadence’s Riopelle chocolates are also now available at ShopWAG.
A big splash of Spain on the Rooftop on July 11
Spain’s biggest cultural “T” exports –– that being tapas, the tablado, taconeo and the toque*–– will take over the rooftop for one hot night on Thursday, July 11.
See world-class Flamenco dancers braceo, pico, and spice it up with plenty of pellizco as they showcase the many forms of palos (styles of Flamenco) that have brought this famous form of dance from southern Spain to the world. And that’s not all the Ps –– there will be plenty of palmas (hand-clapping), picados (guitar scales), and pitos (finger snapping) that is sure to get you grooving under the summer sky.
To pair with this visual feast (clearly the theme at WAG-Qaumajuq this summer), you can taste all the classics – patatas bravas, chili prawns, chorizo and Manchego-stuffed mushrooms and more –– as you watch the show.
With a live band, the thrilling theatrics of flamenco, and tasty tapas on offer, who could refuse?
It all goes down starting at 6 p.m., with the show running from 7 to 8 p.m. for this all-ages event. Get your tickets here as there is limited space and this one will sell out faster than a bulerías.
*Tablado is the dancefloor, taconeo is heel strikes, and toque is the touch of the guitarist’s hands on a flamenco guitar. The above section has also been approved by a Winnipeg-based Spaniard.
Three-course meal inspired by the works of Jean-Paul Riopelle on July 25
The final WAG-Qaumajuq food event of the summer takes place on Thursday, July 25 with the return of NOURISH, which combines a three-course meal that’s been inspired by works you are about to see on a thematic tour of the latest blockbuster exhibit.
This one is all about “the Magic of Riopelle” with a menu by chef Luc Jean that “reflects the artistic spirit of Riopelle.”
The evening begins with chef Jean’s menu, which clearly is an ode to Riopelle’s upbringing in Quebec and time in France. It starts with a classic baked brie with wild honey and strawberries accompanied with fresh baguette to spread it all on. Go ahead and treat that bread as a canvas; spreading all that red like circa-1950s Riopelle with his palette knife!
Then, you have a choice of two gluten-free entrees: juniper-brined, local heritage pork chop with a mustard sauce, roasted garlic mash, and wilted greens, or a medley of mushrooms braised in red wine on a pommes and root vegetable purée with seasonal vegetables.
Dessert is a maple syrup cheesecake with fresh berries and a ginger tuille for some additional flare (which surely will be shaped like a figure of sculpture from Riopelle’s later works in the 1990s).
To walk off such fine fare (as we all know that a stroll after a meal is what the doctor orders), you’ll embark on a guided tour of Riopelle: Crossroads in Time. The exhibit, which has been curated by Sylvie Lacerte, showcases Jean-Paul Riopelle’s works across paintings, sculpture, collages and drawings, with many pieces being shown to the public for the first time. The exhibition also has some notable works from Riopelle contemporaries and modern artists, including Brian Jungen’s deck chair sculpture of a Right whale, Vienna (a personal favourite of ours).
Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the program running from 6 to 9 p.m in the Skylight Gallery and Exhibition Galleries. Tickets will go quick, so get yours today at wag.ca/nourish
