Dynasty Century Palace – Edmonton, Alberta

Recently, we traveled for a day trip to Edmonton in search of a good dim sum place where we kind of stumbled upon Dynasty Century Palace which was located on the second floor of a large building right on 105th Avenue. In fact, it’s quite hard to miss! The location is large with lots of parking – which makes it quite an ideal location (although the parking lot it is attached to is a pay lot).

We got seated and the service here is really speedy! They definitely know turning tables means they’re making money – so they work hard and I’m sure they rewarded! They are the traditional style dim sum experience with the carts which is fantastic! We started by ordering everything, and everything was quite delicious and fresh. The prices were also very reasonable!

We got our standard orders which would consist of Chicken Feet which the flavours were really good, the texture was nice and the size of them was quite large and they were not tough or over cooked! They’ve mastered chicken feet for sure!

Usually we don’t order sweets or if we do, we wait until the end. But when the waitress comes by sayings she’s got fresh Egg Tart on her cart, we’re going to get it and eat it right away! These were really good, quite a buttery tart and the filling was good!

Everyone eats Ha Gaw or shrimp dumplings and this almost is the standard of this generation for dim sum. Since it’s a common dish, we ordered it. The shrimp inside was quite large, cleaned out properly and has an excellent shrimp texture. The skin was thin yet it did not break. Not a bad ha gow at all!

Then, something a little different, we got an order of steamed Beef Short Ribs which we don’t usually get as it’s often tough and full of fat, marinated in a black peppered sauce. Although this dish wasn’t as fatty as they normally come, it was just a tad on the tough side. The flavours was spot on – just like how I remembered it to taste! Overall, not bad as the flavour was just amazing.

I don’t often order rice for dim sum either as they’re really filling – then you don’t get to try as much options, especially when it’s just the 2 of us. However, the Lo Mei Fan or sticky rice was something I have been craving for awhile, so we ordered some. It didn’t come in the standard glass bowl, but it was just kind of dumped into a bamboo steam basket. The flavours and texture and taste was perfect! This really made me want to go home and make some – but I don’t as it’s pretty time consuming.

There’s nothing my husband likes more than Lo Bak Go or turnip cake, so when he saw that go by – guess what, we ordered it! It didn’t have much filling to it but instead it had more rice flour – so it didn’t taste as good as it could have. Still quite tasty and we all know I make this at home, and I must say, he likes mine the best!

Overall, we had a fantastic time here. It was fun, the service was great and the food was really tasty! We wouldn’t mind bringing people here or to come back ourselves as they have a huge selection of food/dim sum!

Dynasty Century Palace

200-9700 105 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
(780) 428-3388

Poppy Brasserie – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Alberta

I had the pleasure to eat at Poppy Brasserie while were were looking at Gingerbread Houses (Village) while visiting Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. We had no reservations or anything, so we ended up whereever, and it was fantastic! Just located on the lower floor a little tucked aways is this great restaurant!

Once were were seated, with our drink orders taken, they came out with a fantastic bread basket that was warm and fresh! It was quite enjoyable!

We wanted to do a started so we opted for their Seafood Chowder and I must say it’s the best seafood chowder we have had to date. It sounds really odd, but it was fantastic! It doesn’t look like much, but it was creamy and velvety, with tons of flavours and seafood in this chowder!

As this was lunch, we decided we wouldn’t stuff ourselves with a full entree, so we ordered a Bison Burger which was better than expected. It was lean but tender and juicy of a patty. The toppings were minimal and perfect. The spicy arugula, with the with cheddar, smoky bacon aioli, sauteed mushrooms and topped with tomato chutney made a perfect bison burger!

Then, we had their Steak Sandwich which was a generous portion of 6oz striploin steak topped with blue cheese cream cheese on a wedge of grilled sourdough. Everything was cooked to perfection and you felt like you were eating from a true castle!

Overall, the experience here in the chateau was truly magnificent! The food and service was top notch, while the breathtaking scenery – there’s nothing that compares and makes your meal magical!

Poppy Brasserie – Chateau Lake Louise

111 Lake Louise Drive
Lake Louise, AB
(403) 522-3511

Harvest Room at Fairmont Hotel Macdonald – Edmonton, Alberta

During our stay at the Fairmont Hotel Edmonton, we decided we would eat our breakfast there and then venture around Edmonton before taking off and starting the journey back to Calgary. We figured we’d grab our breakfast at the Harvest Room the restaurant on their main lobby.

We were seated immediately, and it’s a small dining room so we were shocked we beat the morning rush! We didn’t feel like having their buffet, so we decided we would order ala carte! We figured for sure we wanted to try their Jasper Ave Egg Croissant which was a croissant stuffed with bacon (although they called it grilled ham), fried eggs, cheese, and tomato. There was also some potatoes on the side which was absolutely delicious!

From there, we figured we’d order something sweet, so we settled for their Stuffed French Toast which was my favourite! Tt was a brioche bread stuffed with mascarpone cheese and blueberries, and it had a side of sausage which had lots of links – which was amazing!

Overall, this was a fantastic breakfast. Everything was made fresh so it was hot and tasty and it looked beautiful! We enjoyed our time in this dining room!

Harvest Room on Urbanspoon

Harvest Room – Fairmont Hotel Macdonald

10065 100 St
Edmonton, AB
(780) 424-5181

Zenari’s – Edmonton, Alberta

I was in downtown Edmonton one morning and thought I needed some sugar for breakfast. I walked by Zenari’s a few times before I just wandered inside to order some food! This little place is located right across from Holt Renfrew on the main level. It’s pretty easy to find!

I decided I was going to eat cake for breakfast, so I got myself a piece of their Carrot Cake which came in a large slice. It wasn’t cheap, but it was a decent size! The cake was pretty delicious with the perfect amount of cream cheese icing!

Then, to complete my meal, I got myself a Mocha which seems to be the perfect coffee break meal that I turned into a breakfast! The mocha was good, although not different from anywhere else – so it was just costly!

Overall, a neat dining experience! It was quick and simple and I can see lunch rush being extraordinary! The prices are slightly high for a coffee place treat but quite reasonable if you were stopping in for lunch and have pasta, sandwiches, etc!

Zenari's on Urbanspoon

Zenari’s

10180 101 St NW
Edmonton, AB
(780) 423-5409

Auditorium Cafe – Nanton, Alberta

We were driving through Nanton to get to Lethbridge one afternoon when we decided we wanted to stop at the Auditorium Hotel in Nanton and eat breakfast at the Auditorium Cafe which was a neat rustic little cafe!

We decided we would get 2 items, one small item and one larger item to split as we didn’t want to be too stuffed for a car ride! We decided we would have their Toasted Cinnamon Bun which was pretty decent in size!

We also ordered Biscuits and Gravy which are items we don’t usually order – but there were other customers in the restaurant that looked like regulars ordering this! So, we had to try it! It was actually really delicious and better than it looks! They used the sausage white gravy with the biscuits underneath to sock in the gravy!

To our shock, the food was amazing, the service was friendly and the location was historic. It’s definitely got the small town charm that I love!

Auditorium Cafe – Auditorium Hotel

2011 20 Avenue
Nanton, Alberta