This is a restaurant that I come back to repeatedly. I don’t know how often I’ve been back, but for a while last year my friends tried to come every three months. In seafood starved Calgary, this satisfies my craving. We’re not talking sushi. The warm oysters, were just that; warm on the outside, but raw in the middle. Delish. Their fish is always cooked perfectly. Dessert was rich and satisfying. Service was attentive but not obtrusive.
Ahhh.. Dairy Lane. I’ve been going there for years, since its in the ‘hood. On this particularly chilly night, we decided to make the short drive. All three of us were in the mood for the classic Dairy Lane Burger, with different toppings and sides. I had mine straight up, with the yam fries. My dining companions choose the bacon, cheese and fries. The burger was juicy and the fries were crisp and well seasoned. All of us ordered our own chocolate shake. Perhaps we should have shared. Be forewarned: you get the shake and half the metal container. I would say, almost a liter of shake. Why chocolate shakes on a chilly night? Not sure, but according to our server, it’s not uncommon. The portions are huge and they support local producers. ‘Nuff said.
If you don’t like waiting in lineups, go on a chilly, snowy weeknight. One of the best diners in town.
I had already judged this restaurant before I ever ate a meal here. I am going to be honest in my review. Last time our reservation was cancelled but we arrived on time. I decided that I would give this place a second chance. When we arrived, there were two tables, a reserved for two and one for four that had yet to be cleared. We we given the one for two and we did not have a reservation. Moral of this story: even though they accept reservations, don’t make one.
There was only one server for a busy dinner service. We waited 1o minutes to order, and the waitress apologized. They were out of a lot of items. We wanted to try the glutinous rice rolls and Hainanese chicken laksa. They were out. So we ordered deep fried chicken nuggets Taiwanese style, preserved duck egg with tofu, and seafood laksa with yellow noodles. I overheard the table next to ours trying to order bubble tea. They were out of some of the flavors. My friend had the cold honey lemon drink and I had the dates and longan tea. Our food arrived in good time. We had to ask for bowls as we were sharing our meal. I was surprised when the server came by to do a quality check.
The food was really good. Everything was flavorful. The dates and longan tea reminded me of the Chinese soup my Mom used to make. The drink tasted sweet, like luo han guo (monk fruit). I liked the preserved duck egg with tofu. It was topped with a sweet soy type sauce and bonito flakes. The laksa was spicy enough for me, but my friend preferred Tropical Delight’s version, which was spicier.
We had to get the attention of our server to get a takeout box. I can recommend this restaurant for its food, but not for service. Perhaps I expected more than I got. I am used to subpar, even rude service in some Chinese restaurants. I don’t expect it from a Malaysian restaurant. If you really want to eat here, be patient and skip the reservations.
I was in the deep south today, running an errand and then looking for some lunch. After vetoing hubby’s vote for Five Guys Burgers, I was happy to discover that Li-Ao Sushi was nearby. They are located in a strip mall, well off the main drag.
I ordered the seafood udon, mainly because I was in the mood for hot soup. The lobster taco looked interesting so I had that too. Hubby started with the tempura calmari and followed with a spicy sushi platter. Their servings are generous; the platter could easily serve two people at an affordable price. My udon was only average but I was impressed with the lobster tacos. There was also a complimentary appetizer of fried gyoza, which tasted more like fried wonton.
The chefs speak Cantonese. I don’t judge; I enjoy all Japanese food as long as its good. The service was good and they offered pocky Kinjo style at the end of the meal.
I probably won’t be back as it takes me a long time to journey to the deep south of Calgary. But if I lived in the neighborhood, I would definitely go for takeout.
A new KFC restaurant has opened in Kensington. I love Korean fried chicken. I tried Olive Chicken, now for their competition.
The decor of the restaurant was trendy and modern. With a counter for ordering takeout. One of our party suggested that this was a chain. I wasn’t so sure, but it did seem like expensive decor for a restaurant of this type. It turns out that it is a chain alright, from Korea. I usually don’t like chains, but I can lower my standards for an unknown international one.
We ordered the half and half chicken with the sweet sauce. I love sweet sauce. It’s less sweet than Olive Chicken’s, which was overly sweet. It still had a huge hit of garlic which I love. The original fried chicken was crunchy and all of it was juicy inside.
There were some slips with the service. The service was fast; they were not very busy. But the waitress spilled the dishes when she was clearing them, and we got the wrong bill. She was very sincere and apologetic.
Their food is definitely good and I will give their takeout a try.
When a friend setup a night out at Cerezo with a Chef’s tasting menu, I could not resist. I know I was only there a couple of months ago, but a change in season brings a new menu. Our party of nine took up half the restaurant, and we were awarded a private event sign at the back entrance. I feel special. An ironic thing that happened was that two of our party turned themselves away when they saw the sign, thinking the restaurant was booked for someone else. Ah, what they missed.
We had a twelve course menu with a palate cleanser. I felt this dining experience was definitely elevated compared to the first time I was here. The fusion of Japanese and other international flavours was apparent. I enjoyed the texture of the scallop ceviche – it was sliced paper thin. The prawn wrapped prosciutto was a nice diversion from the lighter fare we had to start. The crab cakes were delicious and swam in the puddles of Hollandaise. I though the meal was heavy on the beef, with three dishes. But then again, this is Alberta.
We had an endless debate on what was in the beef panini. We settled on the flavors of dark sweet soy and possibly five spice. It’s good when a dish spurs debate. The yuzu mimosa served as a palate cleanser and offered quite a hit of alcohol. It did surprise me. The goat cheese came shaped as a pear with a whole clove as the stem. The desserts were delicious small bites. We eased into the course slowly with a refreshing lemon tart. The chestnut custard was a hit with most of the table. Finally, we were assaulted with the strong flavor of the matcha chocolate cake. It was a delightful dining experience.
The pictures are arranged in the order of serving.
We got in from a day of driving from Kelowna. I had a craving for ramen, but we couldn’t find parking in Kensington, so we decided to head downtown. I haven’t been to Sushi Hiro in a few years so we decided to drop in. The restaurant serves traditional Japanese food – no fusion here. My friend and I shared the Yosenabe hot pot. It included: clams, squid, whitefish, Japanese fish cake, chicken, salmon, enoki and oyster mushrooms, green onion and nappa cabbage. It came with additional broth and udon noodles. I think the broth was kombu dashi as there was a large piece of seaweed in the pot. There was also a side of yuzukoshu which I have never tasted before. It is fermented paste of yuzu peel, chili pepper and salt. It is very strong and a little goes a long way. The taste reminds me of Szechuan peppercorns with a tart finish.
The hot pot was more than enough for two people. The service was good and they speak Japanese. It’s a refreshing change to find a traditional Japanese restaurant. Worth another visit.
We celebrated hubby’s belated birthday tonight with a visit to Death by Chocolate dessert buffet. I admit, I could only ever do this once every five years. To prepare adequately for this culinary indulgence, one must have something savory before dessert. To coat one’s stomach. I prepared by indulging in a bison hamburger before I left. One could also order the dinner buffet for twenty dollars more and accomplish the same thing.
We were seated promptly, but it took about five minutes before our server took our drink order. I might have forgiven the oversight but it was not busy when we sat down. Ten minutes later, many more people showed up.
Onto the food. They had a buffet table of dessert; not all chocolate. My previous visit, about five years ago, I recalled a dessert table twice the size of what I saw tonight. Recession perhaps? In appetite. I tried to balance out the chocolate with equal servings of non chocolate delights. I enjoyed almost everything, except for the strawberry slice. The flavors were too artificial. After two plates, I hit the dessert wall. The point where one’s body announces that it has quite enough. Given an hour’s respite, I could have went back for another plate. I contemplated the foolishness of this and decided that it was enough. My stomach will thank me later.
Death by Chocolate, indeed. If you are a diabetic. Good food, nice ambience. See you in five years.
Having had our reservation cancelled at another restaurant, we decided to take our party of eight to Inti. I phoned ahead to ensure there was space, and they set aside a table for us. They are located in a strip mall with a couple other restaurants on my wishlist: Clay Oven and Fat Kee.
I remember trying Peruvian food at a place in Inglewood long ago. I was fascinated that french fries were a part of their cuisine. I suspect that Peru is a melting pot of culinary culture.
We were quite impressed with the food. We all had the dinner buffet. They had a salad bar, complete with nine sauces and salad dressings. I quite liked their spicy brasa sauce. They had a small main course section with: fried yucca (cassava) root, french fries, french bread, steamed rice, soy sauce fried rice, roast chicken, spicy chicken, baked beans, quinoa, beef stew, loma saltado (beef stir fry), and seafood soup. I really enjoyed the whitefish and squid ceviche. Many of the flavors were unique, as I had not tasted them before.
The dessert table had a tapioca style pudding, a berry cinnamon jam/pudding, creme caramel, and a cake was dense and sweet. It was all very tasty.
The service was good. This place definitely deserves a repeat visit.
There’s been a quiet restaurant revolution going on in this part of Edmonton Trail for some time. All sorts of different places are popping up. From rustic casual to fish and chips to a Mexican Taqueria. CEREZO is a take on Japanese fusion much like Carino. They serve tapas which I quite like as I can sample a variety of dishes. The restaurant is located in a small house off the main street; it is easy to miss if you are not looking.
Onto the food. Our first dish was an assortment of sauteed mushrooms served with thin slices of toasted baguette. I love the rich earthy flavors with a hint of garlic. Next was the duo of quiche. One was chicken and the other, tuna. It was topped off with melted cheese. The crust of the quiche had a sweet quality which complemented the dish nicely. Also a touch of heat from some kind of hot pepper. The deep fried spring rolls had a rich shrimpy flavor. It was dusted with a lemon garlic salt which added a burst of flavor. To counter the strong flavours of the preceding dishes, the savoy cabbage and bacon in the dashi broth was a nice change. The gravlax salmon was presented beautifully. There was a dab of wasabi, garnished with lemon zest. The mascarpone cheese was a nice twist on cream cheese. The salmon swam nicely in the yuzu sauce.
The dessert menu was presented in a unique way. There was a selection of cakes, mousse and tarts, all of which could be paired with your choice of ice cream. I choose the strawberry shortcake with salt ice cream. The salt ice cream tasted like vanilla with an aftertaste of fleur de sel. An interesting combination. Hubby enjoyed his chocolate covered green tea mousse with matcha ice cream.
Service was really good to start off, but then it got busier and it was a little slow. Still, definitely worth a return visit.
