Category: Restaurant Reviews

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.

Curry Ramen
Curry Ramen

Shibuya Izakaya on Urbanspoon

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.

Salted caramel and toasted coconut (not visible)
Salted caramel and toasted coconut (not visible)

Village Ice Cream on Urbanspoon

Olive Chicken

Mmm… Korean fried chicken. The last time I had something similar, it was from Fritou’s in Skyview Ranch. Their chicken was pretty good. On my way home from yoga, I decided to pick up a little dinner. Olive Chicken is a small place in the Korean strip mall on 10th Ave. I’m guessing they are mainly a takeout joint as there are only a few tables of two to sit at. Menu is straightforward. Fried chicken. Hot and sweet. Or regular. And combos.

I ordered the small, which deceivingly, is enough to feed two people.  The chicken was fried in popcorn, I think. If not, it was very similar in texture. It stayed crunchy, even though it was drenched in hot and sweet sauce. But that is the best part. It was freshly fried right in front of me.  It was quick, it only took about five minutes from order to takeout. They wrapped it in foil, so it stayed warm for the 20 minute bike ride home. This could be strangely addictive.

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Olive Chicken on Urbanspoon

Menyatai Japanese Ramen

I love ramen. Not the stuff that comes in the packages from  the grocery store, but freshly made noodles. It’s hard to find good ramen in Calgary. I think I have finally found some.

We started off with the deep fried gyoza. It was good, but I prefer the pan fried. My friend had the vegetable ramen in  miso soup. I had a taste, it was good. I had the curry ramen with cha shu. I like Japanese curry for its mild flavor. The ramen noodles were nice and chewy. I am definitely returning; I could probably eat here every week.

The service was quick and the dishes were presently nicely. My idea of fast food.

Age gyoza (deep fried)
Age gyoza (deep fried)
Vegetable ramen with miso soup, tomato, green onion, bean sprout, corn, kan-pyo, carrot, onion, spinach and nori
Vegetable ramen with miso soup, tomato, green onion, bean sprout, corn, kan-pyo, carrot, onion, spinach and nori
Curry ramen with bean sprouts, soft boiled egg, cha shu, Kan-pyo, nori and corn
Curry ramen with bean sprouts, soft boiled egg, cha shu, Kan-pyo, nori and corn

Menyatai Japanese Ramen on Urbanspoon

The Grizzly Paw

Ahhh… The Paw. An old standby in Canmore. It can always be counted on for great food and the best handcrafted sodas in  the area. I love their Granny Bee roughage salad. Their burgers are huge, fresh and juicy. My favorite soda is the ginger beer, but I like all the rest too. I had the orange cream soda which tasted like orange creamsicle. Apparently their beers are very good too. I wouldn’t know; I don’t drink.

Bison burger with mushrooms and Swiss cheese
Bison burger with mushrooms, Swiss cheese and Granny Bee salad

The Grizzly Paw on Urbanspoon

Brasserie Kensington

After a short, flood diverted hiatus, I am back to the business of food. Hubby and and went out to dinner a couple of weeks ago. This would be our second time at Brasserie Kensington, and I enjoyed it as much as the first.

We shared the moules frites flavoured with a green curry sauce. The fries were nice and crisp and the mussels danced in the melody of the Thai spices. I quite enjoyed my ahi tuna salad. It was just a tad heavy handed with the capers, but had the flavors of a good Mediterranean salad. Hubby’s lamb shank looked delish.

I’m not a wine drinker, but the food is certainly good enough on its own. It wasn’t too busy, and the service was attentive, but not intrusive. This won’t be our last visit.

Lamb Shank Special
Lamb Shank Special
Green Curry Mussels Mussels served with pomme frites
Green Curry Mussels
Mussels served with pomme frites
SEARED AHI TUNA radish, heirloom tomato, capers, cucumber, olives, haricot vert, sunflower
SEARED AHI TUNA
radish, heirloom tomato, capers, cucumber, olives, haricot vert, sunflower

Brasserie Kensington on Urbanspoon

Rocky Mountain Bagel

I picked up a bagelwich to go for lunch today. The tuna bagelwich was fresh tasting and filling, even after sitting in my pack for a few hours. It was only one of the few selections without cream cheese. Which is ok, as I can always ask for without. I stopped by again in the afternoon to pickup a honey multigrain to go.

Honey Multigrain Bagel
Honey Multigrain Bagel

Rocky Mountain Bagel Company on Urbanspoon

Thai Pagoda

We stopped by Thai Pagoda for dinner after an afternoon climbing at Elevation Place. We were quite hungry, so we ordered accordingly. We sampled quite a few of the dishes. I had a bowl of Tom Kha Gai, which is coconut soup with chicken.  It was very flavorful.  The papaya salad was crisp and spicy. We also shared the green curry with pork, Penang curry with chicken, Massaman curry with tofu and Pad Thai with chicken. The green curry was the best dish with vibrant flavors, followed by  the Penang curry. The Massaman curry was mild, but compared to the other two, didn’t seem to pack as much of a flavor punch. The Pad Thai was disappointing as it tasted overly salty, with a strong flavor of soy sauce.

Sticky Rice with Mango
Sticky Rice with Mango
Green Curry
Green Curry
Massaman Curry
Massaman Curry
Penang Curry
Penang Curry
Pad Thai
Pad Thai
Tom Kha Gai
Tom Kha Gai
Papaya Salad
Papaya Salad

Thai Pagoda on Urbanspoon

Open Range

Open Range is the sibling of Big Fish. Next door and owned by the same restaurant group. I love Big Fish; I think I would expect the same from this restaurant. When we arrived, we were the only other party in the room. I’m guessing Monday nights are a bit slow.

I started with the wild mushroom soup. It was thick and full of flavour. The elk “Dianne” was lovely. Deep, meaty flavor balanced by the acidity and sweetness of the red currant demi glace.  I choose the rice pilaf instead of the potato.  The green beans were young and crisp; the parsnip and onion were tender.

Hubby really enjoyed his corn and jalapeno fritters, the beef tenderloin and the dessert.

The service was attentive and friendly. Open Range is to the land what Big Fish is to the sea. I love seafood; so I prefer Big Fish, but Open Range definitely is a home run.

Feature sheet
Feature sheet
Wild mushroom topped with mustard red frill and topped with cold pressed canola oil
Wild mushroom topped with mustard red frill and topped with cold pressed canola oil
Corn and roasted jalapeno fritters with tomatillo buckwheat honey dip
Corn and roasted jalapeno fritters with tomatillo buckwheat honey dip
Local elk "Dianne" with organic cream, chipollini onions and red currant demi
Local elk “Dianne” with organic cream, chipollini onions and red currant demi
Beef tenderloin on a pearl onion chanterelle mushroom ragu with black truffle gravy
Beef tenderloin on a pearl onion chanterelle mushroom ragu with black truffle gravy
Chocolate pot au creme topped with orange blossom mousse and mixed berries
Chocolate pot au creme topped with orange blossom mousse and mixed berries

Open Range - Steak Chops on Urbanspoon

Double Zero Pizza

Friday night, the place was very busy and loud. The last time I was in this spot, it was the Elephant and Castle pub. Wow, that was a long time ago. We were happy to get a reservation half hour after we called; other places we tried, we were not so lucky.

We settled in to watch the Pens and Sens playing while waiting for our order. We started with the arancini. The little fried rissoto balls were hot out of the fryer. The creamy rice and crispy exterior paired well with reggiano and peppery rocket.

The three of us shared the sausage and margherita pizzas. The crust was super thin on the bottom, with puffy crispy edges. The toppings were thin and flavorful, as you might expect from a thin crust pizza. I don’t normally take satisfaction in eating pizza crust, but I do have to admit that I enjoyed this one.

Our server was friendly and attentive. The only knock on this place is the volume. Not recommended for a first date.

Arancini deep fried breaded risotto balls, herb and garlic aioli, reggiano cheese
Arancini
deep fried breaded risotto balls, herb and garlic aioli, reggiano cheese
Sausage Pizza housemade italian sausage, green onion, artichoke Margherita fiore di latte, basil, tomato sauce
Sausage Pizza
housemade italian sausage, green onion, artichoke
Margherita
fiore di latte, basil, tomato sauce

Double Zero Pizza on Urbanspoon