Place Setting: Inside Mimi, the Edmonton Bar Bringing Milanese Glamour to the Prairies

Mimi feels comfy and cool: plush patterned furniture gives this Edmonton bar a living-room vibe; there’s a projector playing art house films on loop, there’s live jazz on Sundays. Despite the spot feeling like an intimate and easygoing retreat, the aesthetic is possible thanks to rigorous and meticulous planning from Vancouver-based Ste Marie Studio. The room is one-third of a trio—Va, a daytime café serving paninis and pizzas, is on one side, and Olia, an Italian ristorante known for housemade pastas and a serious wine list, is on the other.

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“We wanted to create these interconnected spaces that would encourage walk-ins, post-dinner drinks, after-work socializing and essentially inject a bit more spontaneity into Edmonton’s culinary scene,” says David Boucher, senior designer at Ste Marie. Craig Stanghetta, the design studio’s creative director, calls Mimi the “nucleus” of the three: “It’s your landing point for this precinct of space but stays very authentic and clear to a singular identity.”

That identity is inspired by Milan circa the 1970s and ’80s. “I wanted it to feel very expressive of many different cultural outlets,” says Daniel Costa, chef and owner of Mimi (and Va, and Olia). Some references are obvious, like art that echoes director Federico Fellini’s work or a photograph of Italian film star Marcello Mastroianni. Then, there are the details that only a designer might pick up on: fabrics inspired by retro Italian suiting, scarves and dress patterns. Though Mimi is a commercial space, it feels more like an apartment, perhaps one by architect and designer Gianfranco Frattini. “It’s densely furnished, there is a lot of partitioning and lamping, the lighting level is super low,” says Stanghetta, “but it also gives you a lot of layers for your eyes to rest on; it’s done in a very residential way.”

Behind the bar, Costa says, the focus is “simple, straightforward cocktails”—the team concentrates on high-quality ingredients rather than experimental drinks. That said, of course, there are a few unexpected twists on the menu (the Kingston negroni, for example, substitutes Jamaican rum for gin). The bold flavours of the food echo the restaurant’s interior: think pickled piparra peppers from Spain and arancini made with leek and truffles. “The menu has a lot of rich elements… that’s what works well with cocktails,” says Costa. “Big flavours and depth go a long way.”

The bar and its sister restaurants are on the first floor of a residential tower, a convenient little getaway for those who want to trade Prairie life for a Milanese disco. “Imagine stepping off the street and being completely transported to somewhere else,” says Stanghetta. It’s easy for a casual lunch at Va to turn into drinks at Mimi, then dinner at Olia, and maybe even another drink and dancing at Mimi—after all, it’s just next door. Saluti.

On the Menu

Raviolini

Bar guests love the mix of textures in this dish made with black truffle ricotta, arugula and walnuts. The pasta is smothered in a simple sage butter sauce and, of course, sprinkled with parmigiano.

Rum Espresso Float

“Everyone’s loving espresso martinis right now, and this falls into that flavour profile,” Costa points out. Mimi’s take on this espresso-over-ice-cream dessert is a cold coffee cocktail poured atop housemade fior di latte gelato.

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