Restaurant Reviews Archives - Page 12 of 15

April 1, 2013

Chef's Table

I had the occasion to finally visit Chef’s Table at the Kensington Riverside Inn. Eight of us were there for a surprise birthday dinner. Our table was directly in front of the open kitchen and offered a nice view of the hustle and bustle. We started off with an amuse bouche, which tasted like a deconstructed BLT. The flavors that I remember were lardons, and a gelee with a subtle mustard flavor.

My second course was agnolotti which is similar to ravioli. The flavors were very delicate and complimented each other nicely.

I suspect this was the birthday girl’s appetizer. The presentation was nicely done.

I had the ling cod for my entree. The fish was perfectly cooked. The granola added an interesting texture to the dish. The flavors of tomato bubbles, carrot and saffron seemed very much like my appetizer. If I had realized that, I would have ordered differently.

Ling Cod, salsify, prosciutto, granola, cucumber, tomato leather, roasted garlic, tomato bubbles — Ling Cod
salsify, prosciutto, granola, cucumber, tomato leather, roasted garlic, tomato bubbles

The dessert was light and refreshing. The subtle flavor of the poached pear was a nice foil for the strong flavor of the blackcurrant ice cream.

Pearginger, blackcurrant, polenta, pistachio — Pear
ginger, blackcurrant, polenta, pistachio

The service was very good. The servers had a sense of humor and showed patience while waiting for our entire group to arrive. They must have spent a lot of time memorizing the ingredients for each dish. It’s the type of service that I would expect from a fine dining restaurant. This warrants another trip for a special occasion, next time with hubby in tow.

March 24, 2013

4th Spot Kitchen and Bar

I finally got around to trying this place. We waited at the entrance for a server, but they must have been busy. So we seated ourselves. It was around 2pm in the afternoon, it didn’t look that busy. Our server came around a few minutes later. I decided to order the gluten free renegade ranchero pizza. The crust was thin and crisp like a cracker and the toppings didn’t soak through. The toppings were interesting. It wasn’t very spicy which was fine with me. I liked the idea of cranberries as a topping. Hubby ordered the one love tacos with yam fries. The fries were nice and crisp and he enjoyed his tacos. The service was friendly, but a bit slow. I will be back to try more of their menu.

one love tacos Jamaican jerk marinated chicken, shredded lettuce, house-made mango salad, drizzled with cilantro lime sour cream with yam fries — one love tacos
Jamaican jerk marinated chicken, shredded lettuce, house-made mango salad, drizzled with cilantro lime sour cream with yam fries

renegade ranchero pizza Spicy Spolumbo's sausage, banana pepper, red onion, cranberries, mozza — renegade ranchero pizza
Spicy Spolumbo’s sausage, banana pepper, red onion, cranberries, mozza

March 24, 2013

4th Spot Kitchen and Bar

March 17, 2013

Ho Won

Classic Chinese food. In more ways than one. Place is outdated and kind of a dive. Food is delish and service can leave a lot to be desired. If you speak their language, you get good service. Enough said. The seven of us ordered dishes to share. A couple of plates of salt and pepper squid, half a crispy duck, mixed vegetables with noodles, chicken, ginger and pineapple stir fry, pea shoots with garlic sauce and steamed rice. All the food was good, except I did not try the duck. I don’t eat duck. I still think their jiew yim sin yau is the best in town. Service was slow, but I suppose that gave us more time to chat and enjoy the food. They were accommodating in heating up one of the babies’ food.

March 9, 2013

Tropical Delight Noodle House

I love the food of Singapore and Malaysia. I traveled there a few years ago and savoured laksa (my favorite), clay pot chicken, roti, beef rendang, nasi lemak and mee goreng. Ever since Tropika closed it’s doors years ago, there hasn’t been anything comparable in Calgary. I’ve had to venture to Vancouver and Toronto for my Malaysian food fix. Then Tropical Delight came along. I have been saved.

My friend and I decided to indulge after a few hours at the climbing gym. We were hungry. The portions are generous and the amount of food we had would easily feed three people. We ordered to share. The laksa lemak was nice and spicy. It contained what I thought was squid and scallops, but after the spice fog cleared, I’m pretty sure it was sliced fish balls, fried tofu, fake crab sticks and hard boiled egg. I’m glad we ordered the wonton kolo mee so we could give ourselves a break from the spice. This was dry egg noodle with ground pork, green onion, deep fried wonton and soup on the side. Comfort food; it reminded me of my Mom’s homemade wonton noodle soup. The roti canai was delicious and the curry sauce also spicy. We also had a complimentary dessert. My friend suspected it was cassava cake. It was yellow and dense, tasted a bit like squash with a hint of coconut. Tasty. Lunch was rather affordable.

They had some interesting specials such as white curry which I will have to try another time. The service was quick; our food arrived within minutes of ordering. Well, we were there at 2:30 in the afternoon and surprisingly, the restaurant was half full. This warrants a repeat visit.

They take only cash and debit and are open Monday though Saturday 10:00am – 5:30pm. The following menu photos only shows the pages with the specials.

March 2, 2013

Open Sesame

We went with a good sized group, (20+ people) for dinner. Considering there were staggered arrivals, some more than an hour late, I thought the server did rather well. We had a private room booked. It was nice, as the curtains hanging above seemed to help absorb the noise so we could actually hear the conversation. We didn’t mind paying the 15% mandatory gratuity.

Onto the food. I had a taste of hubby’s Malaysian Blazin’ Noodles. It was a bit spicy with interesting flavors. I made my own stir fry. The veggies at the bar were fresh and the portions filling. I’ve always passed this place by when we are in the area, next time I think I will return.

February 8, 2013

Oriental Palace

It’s Friday night and there’s no food in the fridge. Still looking for a good Chinese delivery. Decided to try Oriental Palace as the ratings on Urbanspoon were very good. Ordered at 6:30, told the wait was an hour. Reasonable. We were about to call them again after an hour and a half. Then it arrived.

The food was pretty good. It was hot, tasted fresh; was not over salted or greasy. We ordered grilled pork and vegetable dumplings, three kinds of seafood with bean curd hot pot and stir fried mixed vegetables. Being cheap, I made my own steamed rice while waiting. The dumplings I could tell were from frozen and commercially made. The wrappers were thick. The Szechuan chili oil was a nice touch. Both the seafood and stir fry were tasty although there was more bean curd than seafood.

I can forgive the transgressions with the food but not the delivery time. Better to tell us an hour and a half rather than an hour. Will look for amother Chinese delivery.

February 3, 2013

Calypso's Taverna

Ah, Calypso’s. This would be my second visit after a memorable first one a couple years ago. Some of us were quite hungry as we had spent a few hours in the climbing gym. We ordered the appetizer platter which advertised for two, but big enough for the four of us. It came with calamari, poseidon garithes, spanakopita, soutzoukakia, tzatziki and pita. It was very filling and delicious. I had the Kleftiko, which is slow roasted lamb shank. It was some of the best lamb shank I’ve ever had. They also had a roasted suckling pig as a special. I would have liked to try that too.

The service is not boring. Very Greek I assume. It was attentive, but not overbearing. Be prepared to eat or take it home as the portions are substantial. Has all the trappings of a family run restaurant. One of those gems that should eventually catch the eye of shows such as You Gotta Eat Here!

KleftikoTry out house specialty. Lamb slowly roasted to perfection — Kleftiko
Try out house specialty. Lamb slowly roasted to perfection

Appetizer Platter for TwoCalamari, poseidon garithes, spanakopita, soutzoukakia, tzatziki and pita — Appetizer Platter for Two
Calamari, poseidon garithes, spanakopita, soutzoukakia, tzatziki and pita

February 3, 2013

Big Catch

With a name like that I would expect big things. Well, it is a small food stand in the Kingsland Farmers Market. But the sushi is big restaurant quality. I had the Nine One One roll, which was crunchy wonton bits and tuna topped with salmon, fire sauce, tobiko, green onion and cayanne pepper. It is normally ridiculously hot but I had them turn it down to medium. They take the time to prepare it right, so they sent me off with a pager so I could shop while I waited. When I came back, my roll was artfully presented, completed with vegetable flowers on a nice plate. If it weren’t for the plastic tray (and the seating) I would have thought I was in a nice restaurant. One of the owners works full time in IT and does this on the side. I suspect they are going to open a real restaurant at some point. If not, I think they should.

I did take a photo, but my phone is on the fritz. At some point I will upload the picture.

January 27, 2013

Brunch at the Banff Springs Hotel

Ahhh…. Sunday brunch at the Banff Springs Hotel. An institution in Banff. I have partaken a few times over the years, the last being several years ago. The first time was memorable. It was held upstairs in Rundle Hall, not in the Bow Valley Grill as it is today. I also remember at least six types of smoked salmon. I’ve also seen the price start at twenty eight dollars and grow to it’s current fifty something per person. The last time I visited, there was a noticeable decrease in food quality.

Today, reminded me of my early visits. The food is exceptional and so is the variety. I really enjoyed the cooked vegetables, especially the asparagus wrapped with bacon. I dislike brussels sprouts, but these roasted ones were delicious. I also sampled some roast lamb and veal. The baked brie with accompanying compote was a delight. Also loved the large dessert selection. For a buffet, everything was presented on family style platters and arranged beautifully. For a special occasion, well worth a visit.