Calgary Archives - Page 4 of 6 - Eat Your Broccoli!

February 9, 2014

Khao San Thai Kitchen

Looking in from the outside, this restaurant looks like an inviting oasis from the Calgary cold. The decor is tasteful, and the house is packed.

We started with the golden tofu and scallops. The tofu was crisp and the sauce packed a flavor punch. The scallops remind me of something you might see in a fine dining restaurant.

Moving along to the pad thai. One of my friends commented that it was the first time the noodles were done al dente. The panang salmon was an interesting dish. The battered fish in the sweet and sour basa stayed crisp as the sauce pooled nicely on the bottom of the plate.

It’s really popular, and there seems to be an endless number of regulars, as the waitstaff greet the customers with friendly recognition. The service was spot on, even when it got really busy.

Salmon Panang Curry and Sweet and Sour Basa

February 8, 2014

Soban Korean

I had an evening engagement downtown at the Central Library, so my friends and I decided to try Soban Korean in the Dragon City Mall. Regarding the underground parking, I have a public service announcement. The rate is $9.45 before 5pm and $4 after 6pm until 6am next day. If you arrive at 5:30, you will still pay $9.45; you may not pay in increments. When you go back to renew after it expires in a hour, you will wait in line behind ten people that made the same mistake. Thank you for reading and back to your regularly scheduled food review.

The food was really good. We shared the seafood pancake, which had the nice slightly charred crust. The pancake also did not fall apart like some others I have eaten. The banchan (side dishes) were tasty. It’s the first time I’ve tried radish kimchi. I also liked the tempura yam. For my entree, I ordered the pork bulgogi which came on a hot plate with quite a few veggies. Yes, I could come back.

Radish pickle, pickled onion, pickled bean sprouts, tempura yam and fried potato

January 15, 2014

Vina Pizza and Steakhouse

On this cold Saturday night we didn’t want to venture far for dinner. We went to an old standby, Dairy Lane, but the wait was 2o minutes. Not wanting to wait, we decided to try Vina’s next door.

Vina’s is a family run neighborhood restaurant. It was busy, but we were seated quickly. The menu is pizza and classic favorites. I decided on the Chicken Souvlaki. It came with a side salad and garlic bread. The portions were generous and the food was satisfying. The food came out hot which is always a good thing. The roasted potatoes were nicely done and so was the chicken. The only thing was the vegetables looked like they were from frozen.

The service was friendly and quick and the prices were good value.

December 22, 2013

The Rock Cafe and Restaurant

When I first heard about this restaurant, I thought they served Newfie food. My mistake, I apologize. This is French Asian fusion cuisine. The Chef and owner is very friendly; he likes to chat with his customers when he is not busy. The restaurant was empty when we arrived for 6pm. Our meals arrived piping hot, and in good time. There was only one server, and as the restaurant got busier, the service slowed. We had to ask for the dessert menu and the bill, but that’s alright.

I’ve been waiting to try this place since they closed and moved in March. It is indeed worth the wait. The food comes in generous portions. Beware, the entrees come with two sides, that would easily serve as an appetizer. We started with the calamari. It was piping hot and crisp. I had the lamb shank with the corn chowder and house salad for an entree. The lamb was fall-off-the-bone fantastic. I liked the crisp potato skins that fell over the top. The sauce was rich and velvety. The corn chowder was smooth and creamy. The salad contained iceberg lettuce but probably would have been livened up with some dark leafy greens. It was served with a dressing that tasted like butter pecan. Yum.

Hubby wanted the prime rib but it was sold out. So he settled for the Muscovy duck. Settled is not the appropriate word. It was apparently delicious. We both followed it up with a homemade tiramisu.

The clientele seems to be mostly Asian on this night. This is upscale food in a casual decor. I suspect that restaurant is family friendly as there were young kids there.

TEMPURA CALAMARI CRISPY CALAMARI BREADED IN TEMPURA FLOUR SERVED WITH THE ROCK TARTAR SAUCE — TEMPURA CALAMARI
CRISPY CALAMARI BREADED IN TEMPURA FLOUR SERVED WITH THE ROCK TARTAR SAUCE

MUSCOVY DUCK BREAST ROASTED 10 OZ DUCK BREAST SERVED WITH SAUTEED SPINACH AND MUSHROOM IN ORANGE BRANDY SAUCE — MUSCOVY DUCK BREAST
ROASTED 10 OZ DUCK BREAST SERVED WITH SAUTEED SPINACH AND MUSHROOM IN ORANGE BRANDY SAUCE

Soup of the day Corn Chowder — Soup of the day
Corn Chowder

ROCKING LAMB SHANK JUMBO LAMB SHANK BRAISED WITH ROSEMARY DEMI JUS — ROCKING LAMB SHANK
JUMBO LAMB SHANK BRAISED WITH ROSEMARY DEMI JUS

TIRAMISU HOUSE MADE — TIRAMISU
HOUSE MADE

November 30, 2013

Big Fish Dockside Revisited

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.

Chocolate ganache hazelbut torte with raspberry

Feature warm oysters with parmesan cheese and alfredo sauce

Pan roasted halibut with wild rice and crab fritters

November 22, 2013

Dairy Lane Cafe

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.

Dairy Lane Burger with Yam Fries and spicy mayo

November 11, 2013

Li-Ao Sushi

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.

November 3, 2013

WOW Chicken

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.

October 7, 2013

Death by Chocolate – The Rimrock Room

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.

Profiterole martini, chocolate mousse, creme brulee, chocolate and coffee slice, silken chocolate slice

Fruit, strawberry slice, mandarin orange and white chocolate, raspberry mousse cake, white chocolate slice and Three Sisters

October 4, 2013

Inti Restaurant

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.

My buffet dinner. Roast chicken, spicy chicken, seafood ceviche, quinoa, fried yucca, baked beans and fried rice.