The Mission

The Mission

1919 4 Street SW, Calgary, AB 

(403) 455-5775
Reservations can be made on OpenTable
www.mission4th.ca

A good friend was in town from Edmonton, and so a group of us decided to try out a new restaurant for dinner.  We had been watching the old restaurant, Candela, slowly being transformed into The Mission, a restaurant offering Canadian Contemporary plates with a splash of Asian Fusion, so we decided to give it a try.

When I walked in, I was expecting more of a play on a religious theme for décor, seeing the large cross logo in the entrance way, but that wasn't the case. Maybe that's a good thing for a group that hadn't confessed their sins in years, or ever. The décor is quite plain and has a very dark color palette with solid charcoal walls and ceilings, a plain taupe feature wall on the side,  rustic wood tables & chairs, wood beams, faux black leather booths at the window, as well as lit up art pieces in black & cream, partially covering the main window.  I was happy to see that they didn't go with stark white, like so many other restaurants have done, nor was anything overly bold or ostentatious.  The lighting is subtle, except for the back of the bar which is brightly lit to accent the various bottles on the shelves, a trend that you see in many new restaurants.

I really like what they have done with the space. It's got a cool, modern & youthful vibe to it.  Light electronic music plays in the background, spun by a DJ in the corner, adding to the ambience. As I looked around, there were groups in their mid 20's and into their late 30's enjoying the chill atmosphere, having great chats, sipping on interesting cocktails and sharing appetizers.

When we first sat down the Server placed a small complimentary bowl of their signature popcorn on the table.  The container they serve it in looks like one of those take-out containers that they place fish & chips in at a fair, a container that would be used more at a sports bar than a higher end restaurant.  The popcorn itself was interesting to say the least and I'm not sure who came up with it, other than I joked that perhaps someone had smoked something before putting together such a concoction.  The popcorn is cooked in coconut oil and then they toss in strips of nori (seaweed), wasabi pees, ginger pieces and salt.  I am a popcorn-fiend and have tried many flavours, but I can't say I would ever want to try this flavour again especially since many of the kernels were also burnt. My friends had to agree with me.  They could definitely skip this step, or just make better popcorn, placed in a  nice ceramic bowl.

The menu is broken down into snacks, small  plates, large plates, salads and dessert.  The items range from $8 to $26 with items like lettuce wraps, maple hill chicken wings, winter squash salad, hangar steak and duck leg on the menu.  They offer an array of cocktails, all $10, and they also have a great selection of spirits, beers, wines and sparkling wines that are reasonably priced. If you go to The Mission for Happy Hour (3 pm -6 pm), they offer select drinks for $5, 1 oz. cocktails, 6 oz. wines and select pints of beer.  They also have a large selection of reduced appetizers.

I ended up ordering one of the small plates, the @4kfarmsab Pork Tacos for $16 (3 tacos in total).  Instead of making them with standard soft tortillas or hard taco shells, they served the ingredients in nice warm crepes.  One thick piece of perfectly cooked pork was placed in the middle with carrot, green onion, radish slivers, cilantro and a hoisin sauce.  It was excellent. If you're exceptionally hungry, which I wasn't, you may want to add more tacos to the order, which they allow you to do, or order a second small plate. We all agreed that our food was perfectly executed and we all enjoyed the touch of Asian flavours added to each menu item, taking what could have been bland menu items that you see on a lot of other restaurant's menus, and making them quite divine.

As for the service we received, we found our young Server to be friendly & efficient. Our food & drinks came as they were ordered and on time.   I did notice though, that she was quite nervous and lacked a level of confidence.  She seemed unsure how to read her customers, when to approach & not approach, and she wasn't quite sure how to describe a lot of the dishes and what was in them.  With more training though, I'm sure she'll get there.  My philosophy is "We all have to start somewhere." 

There are enough appealing menu items to encourage more than one visit, and from the looks of it, they change around menu items regularly. The one menu online that we all looked at before heading to The Mission was different than the one placed in front of us when we sat down.  I like a restaurant that changes things up, especially when dealing with a smaller menu, as it keeps customers coming back to try new creations. As for returning, I definitely will.

If you're "on a mission" for some delicious food and a cool vibe, then this is a great place to go!