Planta Queen

Continuing on my eating tour, my sister recommended Planta. On Queen St. West. I’m interested in expanding my vegetarian repertoire. Planta Queen surpassed my expectations. They serve vegan food.

We started off with the spinach and shiitake, and potato truffle dumplings. I loved the richness of the black bean sauce that came with the spinach and shiitake dumplings. The potato truffle was very good, but I’m not a fan of truffle flavour. Next up was the spring rolls which had a very meaty taste even though there was no meat in it. The dosa with coconut lentil curry was sublime. I need to make that curry. The dan dan noodles had plenty of peanut flavour to go with the kamut. The Shanghai slaw reminded me of papaya salad with a chill bite and undertones of lemongrass.

This is vegan food that does not try to pretend that it’s meat is on another level. All their dishes had such rich flavours that you never knew that the meat was missing.

The bussing was lightening quick. No sooner had we plucked the last morsel off our plate did it get picked up. The service was really good.

Oh yes, the washroom decor was interesting. Whomever would have thought washroom photos belonged in a food blog.

  • SPINACH & SHIITAKE steamed dumplings, black bean & chili vinaigrette
  • POTATO TRUFFLE steamed dumplings, cabbage, coconut milk lemongrass broth
  • UNCLE BAM’S SPRING ROLLS chow mein noodles, coriander, five spice
  • DOSA Coconut lentil curry, pico de gallo
  • DAN DAN
    noodles, gai lan, coconut milk, kamut, coriander
  • SHANGHAI SLAW green papaya, cabbage, lemongrass, coriander, shaved onion rings

SOOS

I’m making what seems to be my annual trip to Toronto, the land of good eats. My sister suggested Malaysian, as she knows of my fondness for Pan-Asian food. SOOS fit the bill. It’s one of many restaurants that adds to the eclectic vibe of Ossington Street.

We started with the prawn crackers with peanut sauce. The star of the dish was definitely the peanut sauce. Next up was the murtabak. It was an Indian pancake stuffed with curry chicken. The garlic sauce was delicious and had overtones of tzatziki,. and went well with the side of curry gravy.

The classic char kway teow came bursting onto my taste buds with some fiery wok hay. The depth of flavour imparted by a seasoned wok was carried by the charred noodles. The laksa was a nice, spicy finish to the meal. I’ve never had laksa leaf, also known as Vietnamese coriander. It was a nice addition to the soup. Lemongrass and a rich curry broth was a good combination.

Service was attentive and the food came out fairly quickly. I would love to go back and try more of the menu.

  • KEROPOK house made prawn crackers, soos peanut sauce
  • MURTABAK stuffed roti, curry chicken, mamak curry dip, garlic sauce
  • CHAR KWAY TEOW tiger prawns, chives, sambal, beansprout, egg drop, charred rice fettuccine
  • LAKSA chicken, prawn, tofu ball, galangal, mee, vermicelli, curry broth, daun kesum

Amato Gelato 15th Anniversary Celebration

I like, write in this blog twice a year. At least, that’s what happened last year. I’m dusting off my keyboard because I’m attending a foodie event.

I thank Amato Gelato for taking the time to check out my blog. Being a part time food blogger, it’s not easy to network.

I’m a regular at my neighbourhood frozen treat joints. My kids have their favourite flavours; green tea and anything chocolate. Amato has 72 flavours, which is the largest frozen treat offering that I have seen anywhere. Besides their gelato, they have an updated menu with new items such as affogato. More on that later. A few little known facts. They supply to restaurants. They just recently renovated and are celebrating their 15h anniversary. They bring in their baked goods (frozen) from Italy.

I met some well known food bloggers and instagrammers in the YYC food scene. Also some friends and neighbours. I admire that Amato truly is part of the community. Onto the delicious offerings. Sadly, I made the mistake of eating dinner with my kids (so that they would eat their dinner) before coming here. The pastries from Italy were delicious. They had a variety of offerings from their new menu including pizza which I didn’t get a chance to sample. The affogato was heavenly. Well rounded expresso with notes of caramel and chocolate. Followed by a smooth, rich finish of vanilla cream. The event finished with a nice swag bag including a choice of one of their gelato pints.

I love local. I love community. I love family friendly, and dessert.

  • 15th Anniversary
  • A small selection of gelato
  • Memorabilia
  • Menu
  • Affogato
  • Which one is the durian?
  • Some goodies

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

Eative Film Cafe

I wanted to try something different for breakfast. As my sister would say, funky breakfast. I was considering a south Indian place, but it turned out that they didn’t open until 11am even though they advertised a breakfast menu on their website. In our travels through Kensington Market the previous day, we noticed the Eative Film Cafe. Japanese cafes and such seem to be on trend in Toronto these days so we were eager to check it out. We noticed the Japanese breakfast options on the menu, in addition to the classic ones.

We arrived before the horde did at 10am. Order at the counter and they deliver to your table. I was intrigued by the purple rice balls. So I chose the Tokyo omelette. I added some extra avocado. It came with a side of miso soup. I also ordered an Americano. I was quite impressed with the rice balls. I prefer a healthy breakfast. The flavour was a subtle one of wild rice. It went well with the omelette.

My sister enjoyed the Sapparo breakfast. It came with a side of coleslaw and tangy mayo. It seemed like a good combination.

This cafe is also known for its 24K gold flake ice cream, which is another item that is trendy in Toronto. They also carry cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, which is in demand. The waits are up to 3 hours at their only location in Toronto.

They also have classic breakfast, weekend brunch and Japanese street food. Well worth another visit.

Tokyo Omelette
Roasted Seaweed, Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Mushroom, Sun Dried Tomato, Grilled Onion, Avocado served with Japanese Onigiri (Multigrain Purple Rice Ball) & Miso Soup

Sapporo Breakfast
Tamago Yaki (Rolled Scrambled Egg), 2 Sausages, 2 Onigiri (Purple Rice Ball with Seaweed), Miso Soup, House Salad

24K gold covered ice cream

A selection of Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes

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

Lamesa Filipino Kitchen

I remembered walking by Lamesa Filipino Kitchen at least 4 years ago, at the tail end of my last trip to Toronto. I promised myself, that I next time I visited, it will be on my list. Well, I’m finally here.

I’m not too familiar with Filipino food as I’ve only have it a handful of times. But I’m fascinated by all Asian food. This is an elevated version of Pinoy cuisine.

We started with the Lamesa salad. The crispy 5 spice tofu partnered very well with the freshness of the salad and the tangy dressing. Next up was the pancit molo. It is traditionally wontons in a chicken broth soup. This version had pan fried dumplings with ginger laced broth. It reminds me of the sauce that accompanies Cantonese style steamed fish.

The chicken adobe came with crispy chicken and roasted garlic in a soy vinegar sauce. It was quite tasty. The veg pinakbet is a Filipino vegetable stew. The crispy polenta added some texture. Both of us really enjoyed the garlic fried rice. I will have to try to make that one at home.

Good service, great food. Definitely a must try.

LAMESA SALAD
5 spice tofu, mango, zucchini, cucumber, curry pinipig, coconut vinagrette

PANCIT MOLO
pork and shrimp dumplings, poached egg, spring dashi, ginger scallion oil


CHICKEN ADOBO
seared marinated chicken thighs, soy vinegar jus, confit garlic, chimichurri
VEG PINAKBET
crispy polenta, cashew “cheese”, tomato, spring vegetable ragu
GARLIC FRIED RICE

Lamesa Filipino Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Pai Northern Thai Kitchen

It’s been a long time since I last went to Toronto. For the next few days, I’m planning to hit up anything unusual that I can’t find in Calgary. It shouldn’t be too hard. My sister recommended Pai Northern Thai Kitchen, an award winning Thai restaurant.

We started off with the Grabong. They were deep fried squash fritters. The presentation was eye-catching. The fries were deliciously crisp and paired well with the tangy tamarind sauce.

My sister recommended the Khao Soi, which is egg noodle with curry. They describe it as a golden curry. To me, it tasted like  red curry. But the difference is the multiple layers of flavour. It definitely tasted scratch made with fresh ingredients. The fried noodles were a nice touch too.

My sister had the Khao Pad Thamada, which is fried rice. It was pretty good, but the Khao Soi was outstanding.

The place seems to cater to the younger set. Noise carries and the decor is very casual with Thai influences. If you like Thai food, this is a definitely a must try.


Khao Soi 16.5
Fresh egg noodles in a golden curry topped with crispy noodles, coriander, green onions and your choice of Braised Beef, Chicken Breast or Chicken Drumsticks (contains shrimp paste)

Khao Pad Thamada 14.5
Stir fried jasmine rice with egg and green onion. Served with your choice of Chicken, Beef or Tofu & Veggies. (contains oyster sauce) Served with nam prik nam pla sauce (fish sauce, garlic, chili & lime)

Grabong 14
Freshly shredded buttercup squash fritters lightly coated in red curry paste batter, deep fried and served with a sweet garlic tamarind dip with nuts. (contains eggs and peanuts)

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

Bo Kho

I was looking for an authentic recipe for Vietnamese beef stew, known as bo kho. I really liked this one, but I wanted to make it in the Instant Pot. I modified the recipe for that, as well as a substitution for annatto, which I don’t I have.

Update: I have been informed since the original publication of this article, that neither curry or potatoes are authentic. Speaking to a friend who is Vietnamese, I’ve been told that there are regional variations in the stew. For example, I think the northern version uses potatoes but the southern version does not. I am hardly an authentic source when it comes to Vietnamese food so take it as you will.

The flavours are superb. Being Cantonese, it does remind me of the Chinese beef brisket stew that my Mom used to make.

Recipe courtesy of Wandering Chopsticks blog

Bo kho



Print Recipe


Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)

For a 6 quart Instant Pot, you'll need:

Cuisine Vietnamese

Servings


Ingredients

Cuisine Vietnamese

Servings


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. Oil the bottom of the Instant Pot. Turn on saute until hot. Add the annatto and cook until colour releases. Remove the seeds. Place the meat inside the Instant Pot.

  2. If substituting for annatto, mix the turmeric, paprika and flour. Sprinkle the mixture over the beef.

  3. Then stir to make sure all the pieces are coated. Brown the meat.

  4. Deglaze the pot with a bit of water.

  5. The spices can be placed in a spice bag if desired. Add two bruised lemongrass stalks, ginger slices, a stick of cinnamon, and 3 star anise pods. Also add a few bay leaves, 2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder, and 2 tsp Ca Ri Ni An Do (Vietnamese Indian Madras Curry Powder). Add in one large chopped onion. Add about 2.5 to 3 cups of water. Manual high pressure for 28 minutes, and NPR for 15 minutes.

  6. Add 2 tblsp Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce), 2 tsp salt, and a 6-oz can tomato paste.

  7. Stir. Then add 2 carrots and 3 potatoes. Manual high pressure for another 6 minutes, NPR for 15 minutes.

  8. Serve with French bread, rice, or rice noodles, and a squeeze of lemon or lime and basil.


Recipe Notes

Adapted from the following website for use with the Instant Pot. http://wanderingchopsticks.blogspot.com/2009/12/crock-pot-bo-kho-vietnamese-beef-stew.html#oOk1UbzcKmUTzCu6.99


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