Cactus Club Cafe
April 21, 2014
My friends and I usually go to Cactus Club Cafe on Jasper Ave after a day of studying to reward ourselves. They recently opened their indoor patio because of the warmer weather. It’s sort of situated on the sidewalk but it’s enclosed with glass walls so you’re technically still indoors. Sadly, my friends wanted to sit in the actual restaurant because one wanted to avoid the “heatbeams” from the sun. I’m pretty sure he meant sunbeams… But anyways, Cactus plays club-like music without the club-like volume to create a cool “downtown” vibe. It’s a great place to catch an after-work drink or go for a lunch date with a friend.
For drinks, I ordered a Brazillian ($8.50). It was so good that I had to go for a second round. I recommend this if you’re a fan of fruity cocktails or mojitos. They have rum in them, similar to mojitos, but instead of mint it has muddled kiwis and lime. There’s also sugar cane and soda added to it.
All 5 of us were starving so we had 2 orders of yam fries to start ($8.50 per order). The yam fries were the usual, tasty but nothing that was special. It came with a garlic aioli sauce that everyone seemed to love.
I had the Butternut Squash + Prawn Ravioli as my main dish. It was my second time trying it (the first time was almost 2 years ago). Well, there are some items that are only good the first time.. It was tasty but the sauce was too rich and creamy for me halfway through the meal. I know it’s one of their most popular menu items so if you go to Cactus, it should be tried at least once. It’s also very filling as well, even though it doesn’t look like it. Well I guess I should’ve known better because our waiter did tell us it was a heavy dish! It was priced at $24.50 but if you’re not as hungry or you only want to try it out, there’s a half size for $13.50. It’s listed as the Ravioli + Prawn Trio in the appetizer section of the menu.
So halfway through my meal, I ended up switching with my friend. She had accidentally ordered the Rocket Salad ($17) when she actually wanted a caesar salad. The Rocket Salad is mainly arugula with a few croutons, assorted fresh veggies, and parmesan crusted chicken breast under the arugula tower. If you’re an arugula lover, this salad is definitely your calling!
Cactus Club Cafe is a great chain restaurant and I hope to see more locations around Edmonton in the future. I did find it to be a bit pricey though, but it satisfied my stomach and left me full.
Address: 11130 Jasper Ave
