Here are the results from the bake sale last week. I sent along some red bean paste buns and sea salted caramel cookies.
Category: Calgary
Calgary Food Blogger Bake Sale and Sundown Chow Down
Looking for dinner or some tasty treats tonight? Come down to the Calgary Farmer’s Market for for dinner and homestyle baking! Support the Calgary Food Blogger Bake Sale and the Calgary Foundation’s Flood Rebuilding Fund. Food trucks will also be there.
Reader's Garden Cafe
I love character houses, locally made from scratch food, a room with a view and Mother Nature. I found the perfect combination in Reader’s Garden Cafe. The restaurant is located in the Reader Rock Garden, which is worth a visit on its own. We took some time to explore the garden before dinner. With the help of my friends, we managed to identify most of the veggies. They grew: purple kohlrabi, swiss chard, parsley, beets, tomatoes, rhubarb and kale. Also a few strawberries here and there. They also grow the flowers they serve in their dishes.
The grounds are popular with weddings; we saw a photo shoot while we were there. I love the narrow stone steps and footpaths. Certainly a place to linger for an afternoon of reading or quiet contemplation. We were seated in the front room which had spectacular views of downtown, the Saddledome, and the Stampede.
They’re only open seasonally from about mid-April to October.
The service was a bit slow, but attentive. They did mention that they have a small kitchen. Almost everything is made from scratch or grown on the property. The yogurt and grainy mustard that came with the charcuterie board was made in house. I also liked the pickled watermelon rind and homemade soda bread that came with the platter. All the flowers and some of the veggies are from their gardens. They were really good in accommodating my birthday cake. Which was a mango mousse cake from Yamato decorated with fresh fruit. The server had a sense of humor to go with the ones at our table.
This is a gem of a cafe and hopefully I will be back again before the season is over.
Boar sausage, pickled watermelon rind, house made soda bread, baguette, dill pickles, pickled beets, grainy mustard, yogurt and roast beef
Saigon Night
I happened to be in the NE on Friday and was looking for a quick, light lunch. I decided on Saigon Night. The food was fresh and definitely quick. The service was very good and friendly. My wonton soup could have used more flavor, but was perfect for the day. As my stomach was a bit unsettled before lunch. Hubby had the deep fried wontons, which he enjoyed. He also had the satay beef with rice, which he thought was good, but average.
Juree's Thai Place
Hungry after a day in the mountains, we decided on quick, tasty and close. Juree’s fit the bill. I’ve been here several times before and have always enjoyed the food. All their curries have rich flavors with liberal use of coconut milk. The larb kai had some very spicy and herby notes. I really liked the deep fried tilapia, served whole with sweet and sour sauce on top. The service was very quick. On this night, there were some ladies dressed in traditional outfits dancing outside. I should really visit more often.
South Silk Road
When it comes to Chinese food, I have my list of usual suspects: Cantonese, Hong Kong style cafe and occasionally Westernized. I’ve tried a bit of Szechuan and it’s a little too spicy. It was interesting to find something different in Yunnan food. Yunnan cuisine takes strong influence from Szechuan and a host of other cuisines. There is liberal use of chillies, mushrooms, fungus and flavorful meats.
I’ve not had Chinese food like this anywhere. One of my favorites was the deep fried taro roll with black sesame seeds. I suspect it might have been a dessert but we were served it as an appetizer. A few of our dishes were liberally laced with fresh and dried chillies, but they were easy to avoid. I enjoyed the wood ear fungus salad “mok yee”. The mushrooms and dried vegetable in the dry beef dish were nicely spiced. The twice cooked pork had some fatty roasted pork, some lean slices and tofu. There was also squash that was fried tempura style which was good. We were all full but just had to try the dessert, the pineapple rice. It was served warm. That too, was really good.
We arrived early so there weren’t too many people. Service was very attentive and we chatted with the chef owner. As the evening progressed, the service slowed a little but they were nice enough to flag us down when we forgot our leftovers.
There is so much more to try so I am definitely returning.
Laurier Lounge
This little place has been on my wishlist for some time. Over the years, on Urbanspoon, the reviews haven’t been consistent and I’ve experienced why.
The restaurant is located in an old character house in the midst of towering condo developments. I like the plaster walls and eccentric decor. I think it would be suitable for a romantic dinner, except the room we were in had a lot of tables in a very small space. It was loud, even with only a table of four next to us. I really wanted to try the beef, but the source could not be adequately verified. I only eat organic or naturally raised beef. On the menu though, they do say they source from local organic producers.
We both shared the cheese fondue which was delicious. We asked for seconds of the bread to finish it off. My appetizer plate was not clean, but our server replaced it quickly with a new one.
Hubby had the beef bourguignon and I choose the bouillabaisse. My stew came with an abundance of seafood: whole lobster claw, shrimp, clams, a fish similar to bass, potatoes, onion and carrots. The soup was full of flavour. The only thing was that the broth was oily. I should not have filled up with bread, but the portion size was hearty; I took home the leftovers. When I got home, I dug out my lobster shears and pick. The claw was cracked in half, but it wasn’t sufficient to get to all the delicious meat.
The service was slow, as the table next to us received their meals before us, even though they arrived later. Out server was new to the restaurant, but she did try.
I might consider coming back, but since there are so many new and good restaurants to try in Calgary, it might be a while.
Yann Haute Patisserie
I hosted brunch for some friends on Saturday and I was looking for something light to finish off the meal. One of hubby’s favorite desserts is macarons, so that was an easy decision. Our friends were generous enough to bring us one of each kind that was available that day. I don’t remember all the flavors, but they all tasted good.
Shibuya Izakaya
Coming back late at night from the mountains, I was looking for something to satisfy my salt and comfort food craving. I decided on curry ramen. I was surprised how good the curry was. I think I like it better than the one at Menyatai last week. Maybe everything tastes better when you are hungry. The broth was rich, but lovely mild Japanese curry. The ramen was chewy as I would expect. It came with roasted pork, slightly soft boiled egg, nori and wakame. They have some other interesting menu items, such as grilled fish, which I would like to try. I might have to trade in Sakana Grill for this on climbing nights.
Village Ice Cream
For some reason, this place is not easy to find. We were coming up from Bow Bottom Trail and Google maps got a little creative with the routing. The location is very easy to miss and I would not say pedestrian friendly with the sidewalk next to it blocked off for construction. But what a gem. This little place, and I do mean little has only about 10 flavors at a time with a few seasonal ones. What they lack in quantity is made up for in quality. The salted caramel was rich and flavorful, and the regular (not vegan) toasted coconut was full of flavor. This place is out of the way, and I would go out of my way to eat there again.
