The Coup

Cross-posted from Calgary is Awesome.

I've actually eaten out a lot more in the past month than it appears, but unfortunately I found that all-you-can-eat environments (especially ones where waiters come by and keep piling meat on your plate faster than you can eat it) are not especially conducive to photography and therefore are not very conducive to being blogged about.

So it's nice for my stomach and for the blog to sit down to a slower meal.

Usually The Coup is buzzing with activity on Friday nights, and most people can probably down a couple drinks and appetizers at Meet, the lounge owned by the same people next door, before they finally get a table in the tiny restaurant. With the weather being the way it has been the past few weeks, however, I'm guessing most people would rather stay in their cozy homes than go out and do battle with Mother Nature and panicked drivers just for some food, so Tiffany and I were lucky enough to only have a short wait (well, she waited... I strolled in just in time) on Friday.

The first time I went to The Coup earlier this year with my friend Stephen. We'd shared the Cajun Tempeh Sticks ($5.50) which were a touch too salty and came with a dijon-maple sauce that was too heavy-handed on the mustard. He got the Upstream Burger ($14), which did not look like what I'd expected a "burger" to look, but he seemed to like it. Originally he'd offered to split his yam fries with me, knowing how much I like them but then when the food came there were only five or six limp, oven-roasted yam fries on the plate. He still offered me one and it was ok... I did like how baking the thick cut fries instead of frying them really brought out the flavour of the yams, but I still think I like the yam fries at Broken City better. I got the War and Peas Soba Noodle Salad ($12), which really hit the spot - lots of vegetables, a light ginger dressing, and garnished with a nice big pea shoot which gave the salad a very fresh taste.

Although I would've liked to have the salad again, and the Peanut Satay ($10.50) also caught my eye, with the snow blowing outside and the mercury down to negative double-digits, I was in the mood for something warm. I finally settled on the Falafel Quesadilla ($12) and for the side I chose soup, which on that night was vegan Potato-Parsnip.


The soup was just lightly blended, so it was creamy with a little bit of grit from the starchy potatoes and parsnips. The combination of the spices that they used as well as the distinct flavour of the parsnips themselves gave the soup a nice little zip.

The tortilla was stuffed with falafel, hummus, crunchy cabbage and carrots and salty pickles, olives and banana peppers before being grilled to a pleasant crisp. I loved all the different flavours and textures, and I especially liked the creamy, cool, garlicky tzatziki.


I was definitely eyeing Tiffany's Dragon Bowl ($14.50, photo at top of entry), which she seemed to really like. Again, a mix of sauteed and raw vegetables as well as grilled tofu piled on top of brown basmati or quinoa (she chose the former) with your choice of four sauces (she chose sesame nori).

Tiffany had been out for happy hour before meeting me for dinner so she was stuffed, but I still had room for dessert.


The vegan chocolate torte ($6.50) was rich and decadent, pairing very well with the sweet berry compote that was served on the side. A lovely way to cap off the meal :)

The Coup
924 17 Ave SW
Calgary AB T2T 0A2
(403) 541-1041
Open Tues-Thu 11:30 AM-3 PM, 5-10 PM; Fri 11:30 AM-3 PM, 5-11 PM; Sat 9 AM-3 PM, 5-11 PM; Sun 9 AM-3 PM, 5-9 PM. Closed Mondays. Restaurant does not take reservations.