Cravings Market Restaurant


I’ve had my eye on Cravings Market for a while. Probably since it opened quite a few years ago. Since I was in the mood for vegetarian and hubby steak, I choose a place which could accommodate both our desires. When we left our place, it was lightly snowing. More on that later.

The restaurant has an interesting format. It’s laid out like a market with stations catering to different types of cuisine. For example, salad, stir fry main course and dessert. Each diner is issued a card. Walk up to the station, order, present the card. Servers will bring it to the table. Go right to the hostess stand to pay, no need to ask for the bill at the table. They also do take out.

I had the three salad sampler with mixed vegetables, quinoa, roasted beet and mandarin with a skewer of shrimp. Hubby had the prime rib special with roasted potatoes, carrots, zucchini, yorkies and gravy. For dessert, I had tiramisu and Rosso’s decaf. The coffee was heavenly. Hubby had chocolate mousse. Everything was delicious and freshly made. Their chefs can customize your selection and cook to order. There was enough variety for even the pickiest of eaters. Even though they don’t have a kids menu, my kids could easily eat from the regular menu. Beware though, the portions are very generous.

The service was very good. I do recommend this restaurant for special occasions. It is family friendly, so there might be an element of noise if kids are there.

We stepped out to a heavy spring snowstorm. We would learn later, that many cars had gone into the ditch on highways around town. We had about 25 cm of accumulation that didn’t melt right away. We made it home safely with careful driving.

Cravings Market Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Mi Noodle

I had a chance to go out to dinner with friends who liked to try different foods. We settled on Mi Noodle. I’ve had my eye on this place for a while, but wasn’t comfortable ordering it for a family meal. As I am a mom to picky kids and wife to a hubby with less adventurous tastes.

Calgary’s foodie scene has really evolved with the arrival of lesser known Chinese cuisines. Besides the well known Cantonese and Szechuan, there is Yunnan, various northern styles (I love Lanzhou La mian), and here, Taiwanese. I love the diversity of noodle shops that have popped up in town in the last few years.

We decided to eat family style as we could try the maximum number of dishes.

We started with the green onion pancake. It was delightfully thin and crisp served with a soy dipping sauce. Next up were the wonton in a chili sauce. The chili sauce tasted of chili oil in a thin sauce. It had flavour, with a touch of spicy.

The beef stew was delicious. Notes of five spice transcended the broth that carried deep, rich flavors. The beef stew was suitably tender. The noodles were the perfect bite; chewy and a little firm. It came with some Shanghai bok choy, carrot, daikon and green onion.

The variant on xiao long bao (soup dumpling), made with kimchi was interesting.  The flavour was a bit subdued, due to broth, but still quite tasty. I just had to try their century egg and tofu dish. It seemed to be overpowered by the seaweed and bonito flakes, but still really good. I seem to recall the flavour of the century egg being more subtle than I remembered. But mine sit at home for a long time before I get around to using them all. It’s not a dish that I would recommend for not so adventurous eaters.

I was curious about the salted egg yolk custard buns. My mom introduced me to these while I was in Halifax earlier this summer. The filling had a nice salty sweet flavour. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, but I really liked it.  Sort of like a spot of sunshine in a bao. Something that Calgary could really use these days.

On a side note, the washroom had an interesting sign. There was a note, both in Chinese and English, that the toilet was not for standing.

Service was good, the food arrived really fast. We could have easily finished in about half an hour if we didn’t go for the second round.

Original broth noodle soup

Kimchi soup dumplings

Green onion pancake

Wontons in chili sauce

Century egg and tofu

Salted egg yolk custard

Mi Noodle Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Calan Beef Noodle

I rarely get a chance to go to restaurants sans kids in Calgary, so I took advantage to go with a friend to Calan Beef Noodle. Hand pulled noodles are all the rage in Toronto at the moment. I saw something similar with the ramen trend when I last went to Toronto in 2014. It took a while before taking off in Calgary.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the “noodle-slinger”. He was pulling a large ball of dough, twisting it and thumping it occasionally on the counter. It was a lot of fun to watch.

This is northern Chinese food, which is not common in Calgary. The handmade noodles can be pulled into four different variations. Thick, thin, flat and narrow and flat and wide. I ordered the Hand-Pulled Noodles in Beef Soup with Pickled Sour Mustard with thick noodles. I ordered it in a combo which includes a tea boiled egg and beef tendon.  The first thing I noticed was the flavour. The noodles had a nice springy, chewy texture. The broth had a nice beefy taste. Then I was slammed by the chilis. The soup came with bits of beef and I suspect possibly century egg. The pickled mustard greens added a nice tang.  The tea egg and side of beef tendon brought back memories of childhood Chinese banquets and home cooking.

I would usually comment on my dining partner’s dish, but we both had the same thing. He thoroughly enjoyed his meal. Service was quick as we enjoyed a leisurely late lunch around 2pm.

The noodle soup was hugely satisfying and comforting on a cool rainy day.

Hand-Pulled Noodles in Beef Soup with Pickled Sour Mustard, tea egg and beef tendon

Calan Beef Noodle Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Two Penny Chinese

It seems that going out to eat at a nice restaurant with friends is a rare occurrence these days. Let me clarify that. Nice, as in full service, not rushed, and finer dining. Not a compressed lunch date at a fast casual place, or a food court, or chain restaurant with my toddlers.

I was curious about Two Penny. My general perception of authentic Chinese restaurants is that the food is good, but the service is very subpar (read rude) if one doesn’t speak the language. Now before you get on your high horse and criticize me for my politically incorrect point of view, let me say this. I am Cantonese by heritage; and I do speak the language reasonably unwell enough to be spoken to in English when I was in Hong Kong. It’s refreshing to have good Chinese food with much better service.

I ordered jasmine tea to go with my meal. The tea service was quite fancy. It was steeped in a wine pitcher, strained into another wine pitcher and finally poured into a tea cup. I loved the hand selected tea as I could really taste the flavour of the jasmine flowers.

I’m not a fan of traditional dim sum. It’s mostly greasy with this its-still-sitting-in-my-bloated-stomach-hours-later-feeling. But I like the idea of dim sum, and the steamed dishes. We started off with a traditional soup dumpling and some char siu bao (steamed BBQ pork buns). I like traditional and I was happy that it was prepared that way. They were both very tasty.

Our next course was beef and broccoli. This is not your ho-hum Chinese takeout dish. The beef is Wagyu brisket. Melt in my mouth good.

The drunken fish was a nice twist on the traditional steamed fish. Less oily, but retaining the freshness of the spring onions with citrus undertones. Very elegant. The rice did a nice job of soaking up the sauce.

A little arm twisting was required to try an additional dim sum dish. The crispy mushroom dumplings had a subtle flavour which were perfect on their own. However, the accompanying truffle mayo was overwhelming. It might have been nice if it  was paired with a stronger dumpling.

I found that all the dim sum options were portioned well for three people. I don’t know if that was intentional, but with three in our party it worked out really well.

Even more arm twisting was required to try the dessert course, a mandarin creamsicle as we were stuffed from the previous courses. It was built on three layers. I only had the one bite so I couldn’t truly appreciate all the tastes. I did however, enjoy the cardamom meringue.

I would love to try more of their dishes.

Jasmine tea

xiao long bao
xiao long bao

Steamed BBQ Buns
Steamed BBQ Buns

Drunken Fish with Beef and Broccoli
Drunken Fish with Beef and Broccoli

Crispy Mushroom Dumplings
Crispy Mushroom Dumplings

Mandarin Creamsicle
Mandarin Creamsicle

Two Penny Chinese Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Whitehall

Yes, this blog is still alive, sort of. I took hubby out for his birthday dinner about a month ago to Whitehall. I was looking for something different; and a modern take on British influenced cuisine fit the bill. Whitehall has been around for a couple of years and I’ve always been curious about it. It’s a restaurant that has a Michelin starred touch, thanks to its chef.

I enjoyed the decor; “The Other Room” sign was hung over the entrance to well, the other room. Service was very good, with the attention to  detail that could be expected of a place with such a pedigree.

After a lot of thought, we both decided to go with the Chef’s Tasting menu as shown in the pictures below. The whipped pork rind was topped with chili which added a nice pop. The butter tasted like, well, butter.

I do like fine food without the pretentiousness of fine dining. This place fits the bill. The bread was served fittingly in a paper bag.

Whipped pork rinds, cow butter

The salad course came with an interesting twist. Stilton snow. I’m not a big fan of Stilton cheese, but the snow added a hint of subtlety to tone down the flavour.

Salt baked pickled shallot and beets with stilton snow

Hen of the Woods mushrooms are a British thing. My husband told me so. They are also a Japanese thing, known as Maitake in the Land of the Rising Sun. This dish is a nod to the Japanese influence, with the tartness of the yuzu complimenting the earthiness of the mushroom.

Maitaki (Hen of the woods) mushrooms with pickled ginger and yuzu sauce

The risotto was my least preferred dish, through no fault of the chef. Each of the previous dishes had one bold flavour with a supporting cast. The main act didn’t come out in this dish, but perhaps that was the intent.

Toasted barley and watercress risotto with cured salmon

This course was by far my favourite. The potatoes were crisped in a rich, buttery skin. I could have ate them all night long. The lamb was done to a perfect medium rare. The kebabs were herby spicy and the chutney complimented the lamb sirloin nicely.

Lamb sirloin and kebabs with cucumber pickles, mint chutney and fingerling potatoes

The pine parfait was interesting. The undertones of pine flavour matched well with the richness of the chocolate.

Pine parfait with pine oil cookie crumble, chocolate wafer and cranberry coulis honey crackle wafer

I really like the bold flavours which takes a cuisine not known for boldness to another level. Hubby would love a return visit.

Poppy seed parmesan biscuit

Whitehall Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

OEB Breakfast Co.

I’m sorry… to make you wait. I’ve been waiting to write this post since… oh about October when I finally got around to checking out OEB Breakfast Co. at their downtown Calgary location. I’ve always wanted to go to their original location up Edmonton Trail, but never patient enough to play the waiting game. But I’m so glad that I did. That is, wait to go downtown.

First off, they are using the NoWait app. I love this app. Secured my spot in line just before we drove out the door. As we waited patiently for our table, I felt sorry for the walkins, just looking for a decent breakfast. No lineup in sight, to be told that the wait would be an hour.

The decor was most interesting. They got cracking on the egg motif. There was an egg shaped seating arrangement that I swear was straight out of Mork and Mindy. We were seated at the end of a long table that was made for sharing. I wouldn’t go for an intimate conversation unless you wanted to be best buddies with your neighbors.

The menu was more interesting. Think gourmet + breakfast. Lobster? Check. Crab? Check? Peking Duck? Check. Rabbit? Check. It sounds a like a who’s who of the best gourmet dining in town. I settled, I really did. For the croque madam. I’ll come back for the lobster next time, I promise.

The service was fast as my dish got served before I could figure out what to order for my next visit. It was very tasty with a rich hollandaise sauce. The richness of the dish was offset by the fruit plate on the side.

Our server was friendly, but as I commented to hubby, that this was a truly indulgent breakfast and not one to take lightly. Farewell for now, and next time I will be back with some foodie friends in tow.

Croque Madame
Sunny side eggs, brioche, tartufata, San Daniele prosciutto, Manchego cheese, fresh fruit

Menu, partial

OEB Breakfast Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Deane House

I took hubby out for a late birthday dinner at the end of September. I was looking forward to visiting Deane House again. The last time would have been many years ago. How fortunate that the restaurant had only just opened a few days prior to our visit. We stopped by for lunch.

We were seated in the former patio area that is now enclosed. The decor is sort of a modern-rustic-country charm. Comfortable seating with a touch of country. The staff were new and they were still greasing the wheels. The food was fantastic. The service had some hiccups, but could be forgiven seeing that they were only open a few days.

Their menu is local/regional inspired cuisine.  I enjoyed my grilled albacore tuna.  It was nicely seared on  the outside and the beet dashi complimented it nicely. The pear frangipane tart was divine with the notes of sweetness cut with the sharpness of the ginger. The coolness of the ice cream finished off the bite nicely. I had a bite of hubby’s chocolate pate. It was super rich, without being drowned in sweetness.

The service was quite prompt and attentive to start, but towards the end of the meal, the lunch rush got busier and the our server was nowhere to be found.  They also have a limited non alcoholic beverage selection which I hope they will improve upon. Grizzly Paw soda from Canmore would make a great addition.

 

Deane House
Deane House

Wood Fired Grilled Albacore Tuna
Wood Fired Grilled Albacore Tuna Charred Brussels Leaves, Herbed Spaetzle, Beet Dashi

Pear Frangipane Tart
Pear Frangipane Tart

Theo Chocolate Pate
Theo Chocolate Pate

Deane House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Naina’s Kitchen

My birthday is coming up soon, so I asked hubby to take me to Naina’s for lunch. I’ve always wanted to pay a visit, except life got in the way. This seemed like a good time to go.

They were located in Ogden for the longest time, but have just moved to their new home in Victoria Park. The restaurant has been open for five days and plan to have their official opening on Friday. I love the decor. Black and charcoal. Modern and rustic, yes. Oh my gosh. The food. Yes.

Naina’s is known for their stuffed burgers. I need to get out of my Safeway deli rut courtesy of my recent trip to YVR. So I went all in and ordered the daily special, the stuffed jambalaya burger with a side of the soup special, turkey and barley. The beef was flavourful and done to a turn. My first bite was a of creamy, molten cheese. The second bite was sausage with spicy rice. It’s like alarm bells went off in heaven. There was a sauce that complimented it nicely but I totally forgot what it was. Mayo maybe? Who cares… back to the burger. The soup was nice and comforting on a rather chilly day for fall. Hubby had the eggs benny stuffed burger with a generous 1/2 portion of poutine. I had a bite of the poutine. The fries were clearly home fries. Nice and crisp and there was ample brown gravy to go around.

Ok, because it’s my birthday, I’m going for a splurge. I tasted their ice cream of the day, spicy apple with candied bacon.  Delish. This is the best ice cream I have ever tasted. Smooth apple with hints of cinnamon, sugar, notes of candied ginger and bacon. Hubby wanted just one bite but he ate half of it. If they end up selling this, I’m going to buy it by the truckload. As if stuffed burgers weren’t enough, Naina’s has recently gotten into the house made ice cream business. Watch out Calgary.

The place was empty. Long weekend, pride parade coupled with a newly opened restaurant. Great for me. Service was top notch.  The  back of my server’s tshirt said “Get stuffed”. How appropriate.

 

Jambalaya stuffed burger with turkey barley soup
Jambalaya stuffed burger with turkey barley soup

First bite of the stuffed jambalaya burger
First bite of the stuffed jambalaya burger

Second bite of the stuffed jambalaya burger
Second bite of the stuffed jambalaya burger

1/2 poutine
1/2 poutine

20160904_131930

New decor
New decor

Naina's Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Crown Grocery and Pizza

Ok, so I have to admit. I’ve been slacking on my blogging. A lot. I order from Skip The Dishes once a week, but I never blog. This busy Mom has no time. Except when the pizza is exceptional. Like the butter chicken pizza at Crown Grocery and Pizza.

I must have biked past this place many times; I know I’ve passed it over for pizza many more because I thought it was another Canadian Pizza Unlimited type joint. But hey, free delivery enticed me to look at the menu and the reviews. I’m sure glad I did. It fits my criteria. Not a chain, most likely family run, and a hole in the wall.

Back to the pizza. I’ve tried many a butter chicken pizza. This one has a nice balance of flavours. The smooth taste of cream peppered with the right amount of spice. I could eat the whole thing. I also ordered a vegetarian with extra chicken. Mostly because most works pizzas don’t have enough veg for me. They have nice deal for multiple pizzas. I got two 12″ pizzas for $25.99. The pizza wasn’t grease and it wasn’t too thin or too thick. I also wanted to try their fried chicken, but they called me and said they were out for the day. They offered to substitute samosas. The were a little over fried but the flavour was still there. I would order them again. They also have tandoori chicken pizza. I am coming back. Maybe next week.

Butter Chicken Pizza
Butter Chicken Pizza

Crown Grocery & Pizza Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Native Tongues Taqueria

Hubby and I were in the mood for something different on date night. So I decided on Native Tongues Taqueria, to investigate their take on Mexican street food. I’ve been to Mexico once and sampled the street food in Loreto. There are so many styles of Mexican food; I’m not saying that this is even a fair comparison.

The place was packed on a Sunday night. The atmosphere was loud and lively. As first timers, we needed some help with the menu. Our server was very helpful. We went with her recommendation, the tacos al carbon. This translates to “tacos grilled over charcoal”. We ordered the barbacoa de cordero. It was fall-off-the-bone slow roasted lamb neck. The homemade flour tortillas and the flavourful sides of salsa, roasted onion & pepper complimented the dishes perfectly. We could ask for more tortillas and we did.

To start, the taquitos were a nice amuse bouche. We finished with a couple of decadent desserts – the tres leches cake and the flan de chocolate. The tres leches cake was good, except that I was a little disappointed that the pineapple was raw. I mean it would have tasted fantastic charred over the grill and caramelized.

Tasty indeed.

Taquitos potato & sheeps milk cheese, salsa de ajo, crema, queso fresco
Taquitos
potato & sheeps milk cheese, salsa de ajo, crema, queso fresco

 BARBACOA de CORDERO slow roasted lamb neck, salsa verde & rojo, coal roasted cebollas, agua chile, white onion, cilantro
BARBACOA de CORDERO
slow roasted lamb neck, salsa verde & rojo, coal roasted cebollas, agua chile, white onion, cilantro

Sides for BARBACOA de CORDERO
Sides for BARBACOA de CORDERO

 TRES LECHES CAKE horchata soaked cake, whipped cream, pickled fruit
TRES LECHES CAKE
horchata soaked cake, whipped cream, pickled fruit

 FLAN de CHOCOLATE chocolate flan, salted caramel, coconut, almond
FLAN de CHOCOLATE
chocolate flan, salted caramel, coconut, almond

Native Tongues Taqueria Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato