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World Ground Cafe – Oakland

One afternoon during out trip to California, we decided to slow down the pace and start the day with a nice hot drink. We came across a place called World Ground Cafe which was still in Oakland. We actually like to come here often to pick up some drinks on the go! The location is great for us, the people are always friendly, and the drinks are always fresh and delicious!

I really like to order their Hot Chocolate as it’s rich and creamy! It’s never too greasy tasting – but yet, I don’t ask for whipped cream. It seems to be my “go to”drink in the morning, which I have no problem with!

The other drink we seem to enjoy ordering a lot was their Spicy Chai as it was a nice spicy chai. It’s not the same as the ones we get back at home, but it does leave a nice fragrant note and flavour in the mouth. It definitely warms up the body on those cold wintery months!

Overall, we like this place as it has what we need, at a price we like, and the location that is convenient for us! Most importantly, it’s worth the price we pay too! Especially for something as basic as hot chocolate! I am sure I will be back next time I’m here – since I’ve been back for a few years now!

World Ground Cafe on Urbanspoon

World Ground Cafe

3726 Macarthur Blvd
Oakland, CA
(510) 482-2933

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Jing Jing Bakery

I love bakeries and I like them from any nationality or location. This one particular afternoon, I really wanted to pick up a bun and take to me on my zoo adventure that I was going on later that day. I went downstairs and it was around 1:30PM and there wasn’t anyone else in the bakery, but it still smells like fresh products was still coming out of the oven. Sure, the place does look creepy, but I think the product I got from here was well worth the creepiness!

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We ordered just 2 items as it was meant to be a tiny snack for the zoo break. I ordered an egg tart (which I failed to take a picture of) and a pineapple bun! Sure, the bun doesn’t look good, as my homemade pineapple bun looked better… but both of these items was still warm when I purchased them… so, we actually ate it right away instead of saving it for the zoo. Just as I was eating away at the pineapple bun, the cookie topping was do light, crispy and perfect. I was just about to start thinking the pineapple bun was a little plain as well, but I continued eating it… and inside was a sweet delight… it actually had pineapples in it! This totally made my day, and I’m proud to sa this is one of my favourite pineapple buns now!

Jing Jing Bakery - Pineapple Bun

Overall, I have no problem returning to try more items. It’s a small bakery, but the products are just as good as good as big bakeries! Who needs a pineapple bun with just butter now?! I’m not sure how I will ever go back to a regular pineapple bun!

Jing Jing Bakery on Urbanspoon

Jing Jing Bakery

100 – 3rd Ave SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 265-9588

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Diner Deluxe – Calgary, Alberta

I really love watching Food Networks You Gotta Eat Here and when I heard that John Catucci got to eat at Diner Deluxe I knew it was a place I would like to visit sometime. I finally made it there right before Christmas, and it was packed! We waited quite a long time for a table, and the service was really quick!

Once were seated, the waitress came to give us the drink specials, and already they had alcoholic specials, which I knew I couldn’t do for a morning drink… so, I just ordered a delicious Hot Chocolate and it tasted as good as it looks!

For the breakfast, I ordered my favourite, Eggs Benedict!! I ordered what they called Canadian Bacon Benny which came with 2 poached eggs on buttermilk biscuits, with basil hollandaise sauce and hash browns. On the actual benny itself, it had large slices of Canadian Bacon, essentially ham! This combination was delicious, and I definitely think about returning to try their Smoked Salmon and Capers Benny! I think that would be a wonderful breakfast at any time!

My other half ordered what he loves to love, the Pulled Pork Hash which was quite feast for him! It consisted of 2 poached eggs, BBQ pulled pork, grainy Brassica Mustard, Caramelized Apples and onions, hash browns and toast.

Overall, it was a perfect way to start the day and I would love to return. The prices wasn’t terrible as the portions are huge. Food tasted great, so I had a wonderful time! Like I said, I would love to return to try other options, and I would love to try what I believe was like a market or bakery right next door. Just as we were leaving, someone was telling us it was good too!

Diner Deluxe

804 Edmonton Trail NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 276-5499

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Aroma Restaurant – Authentic Mexican Cuisine – Canmore

Breakfast time can be tricky in Canmore to find a place to eat – and this time, we found ourselves in a Mexican restaurant called Aroma Restaurant which is just at the intersection of 8th Avenue and 8th Street (Main Street) in Canmore. With extensive hours, Aroma makes it easy for you to casually pop in for any meal of the day!

We went in and I quickly ordered a Mexican Hot Chocolate which has now become one of my favourite drinks for hot chocolate! I already attempted to make one at home, and it’s not as good!

For breakfast, I ordered the Ham and Cheese Burrito which was fantastic! The ingredients used in this burrito was so fresh and the salsa was amazing!

We also ordered the Rancheros which is a breakfast with 2 fired eggs on a tortilla and black beans, then topped with ranchero tomato sauce!

We enjoyed our breakfast so much we actually asked for dessert! What a neat treat – but we ordered a Mango Mousse which was a light cake with tons of mango flavour!

Overall, we really enjoyed our dining experience here, and it was a treat as I don’t usually go into a Mexican restaurant – as I thought it was a cuisine I don’t really enjoy… however, I think this maybe a new category I should start to explore as I loved my meal here!

Aroma on Urbanspoon

Aroma Restaurant – Authentic Mexican Cuisine

837 8 Street
Canmore, AB T1W 2B3
(403) 675-9913

Monday thru Friday
Breakfast & Lunch
10:30 a.m. to 3:30 PM

Saturday & Sunday
Breakfast – 8:00 a.m to 3:30 PM
Lunch – 13:30 a.m. to 3:30 PM

Daily
Dinner – 5:00 p.m to 10:00 PM

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Wood Restaurant & Lounge Canmore

We took walk through Main Street (8 Street) in Canmore, Alberta which is basically one of the only streets in Canmore. We didn’t know where to eat, and found ourselves walking straight through the door of Wood Restaurant & Lounge just as the snow began to fall.

We walked in and was seated in these large cozy chairs right by the fireplace! What a perfect place to be during this snow! I really enjoyed the ambiance here! The only thing that was kind of wierd was the bathrooms, where they are located in the lower levels, and the men and ladies washrooms were in completely different areas!

I started the meal experience by ordering some hot tea. I thought it was strange that the waitress didn’t ask me what kind of tea I would like, but instead, she brought me a plate of awesome tea, which was Revolution Tea brand.

From here, I ordered their special, which they called Chicken Gyros which wouldn’t be the name I would call this dish I ended up receiving! It was awesome, don’t get me wrong – it just wasn’t made with chicken cooked on a vertical spit… at least I think anyway (which is the technical definition of gyros). Regardless, it was a great chicken sandwich in a pita, and I ordered it with a Brisket Soup on the side – which was one of their soup of the day!

We also ordered the Smoked BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwich which was made of layers of thinly shaved smoked brisket smothered in BBQ sauce and piled onto a bun! Yes! It was as tasty as it sounds! We loved it! In fact, my brisket soup tasted a lot like this sandwich, only less BBQ sauce flavour and made much more heartier! Kind of like a twist on a borscht!

By the end of this meal, as good as all the food was, we were completely stuffed and saved no room for dessert! It’s quite a bummer as I would have loved to have a dessert from here – since the food was quite delicious!

Wood Restaurant & Lounge on Urbanspoon

Wood Restaurant & Lounge

838 8 St
Canmore, AB T1W2B8
(403) 678-3404