Posted on

IHOP Restaurant – Calgary

I’ve been wanting to go to IHOP – International House of Pancakes in Calgary since the day it opened. Usually, every time we drive by to want to try, it’s packed. This time, we got up extra early and finally got to enjoy this restaurant! The parking lot can become a bit messy and there’s not that many spots – however, it is located in an area with lots of other spaces, which I’m sure you can use.

We were greeted by really friendly staff immediately, and everyone was in a good mood! We were seated at a table, and the first thing they asked us was what we wanted to drink. I ordered a hot tea, even though every table had a canister for coffee – I wanted tea! It came in a pretty large pot, and I loved that the cup has its logo on it.

I ordered the Pancake Platter and I opted for the double blueberry pancake, with sausage links. The pancakes was quite a decent size, and they had 3 of them, topped with fresh blueberries and whipped cream! And, around the pancakes was 4 links of sausage. I drizzled their butter pecan syrup on my pancakes and was super satisfied! The sausage had a soft casing and tons of flavour, and the pancakes was light and fluffy, with the right amount of blueberries!!

We also ordered a plate of Big Steak Omelette and it was a big plate for sure! We were never expecting such a large omelette, but was happy to see it! This meal, we even ordered a hashbrown on the side, which was really nice and crispy on the outside. Instead of toast, they give you pancakes, which was also perfectly executed! There was tons of steak and hashbrowns in the omelette with cheese and other vegetables.

Overall, we loved this breakfast dining experience. With average pricnig, you sure get a lot of food! The dining room was really clean, servers were fast and friendly, and the food tasted great! We’re tempted to go back already, which is a great sign!

IHOP Restaurant on Urbanspoon

IHOP Restaurant

500-70 Shawville Blvd SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 873-9102

Posted on

Le Petit Mousse – Calgary Farmers Market

I found myself over at Calgary Farmers Market one morning and I was getting hungry, so I decided to make a little stop for a savoury crepe and I found Le Petit Mousse which was a little neat as it was all Asians working there.

I ordered their Merguez Lamb Sausage Crepe which was on what I believe buckwheat crepe which is gluten free. It didn’t leave the nice soft texture of crepes that I’m use to as this one wasn’t too smooth and it left holes in it.

This crepe came with some mustard as well as an odd coleslaw or almost sauerkraut, which I never used. I did like the mustard with the lamb sausages and there was quite a few pieces of the sausage. It was packed with flavour and a hint of spiciness! There was quite a bit of filling, but for $10, I haven’t convinced myself it’s a great deal yet.

Overall, I think I would’ve enjoyed their sweet crepes more due to the texture of the crepe. I’m sure I’ll try it one day! The crepe in general wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t good either. It was just the lamb sausage that I really liked.

Le Petit Mousse on Urbanspoon

Le Petit Mousse

510 77th Avenue SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 514-0555

Posted on

Lazy Monkey

I was looking for a new place to try for things like Taiwanese bubble tea and other small snacks. I went online and found this place called Lazy Monkey which offered great reviews – but it was located at the other end of town at Norbrent Shopping Centre (across from Churchill High School).

We knew we wanted to have their Milk Tea of some sort. They didn’t have an extensive drink menu, but what they had was pretty good! I had their Jasmine Green Milk Tea which was really good.

We had 5 of us for this evening, so we ordered a bunch of miscellaneous snacks and meals to share. The first that came out was the Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings which was really good. It was really crispy and fried to perfection. A lot of seasoning on each wing, which is always nice.

We also had an order of their Fried Puffy Tofu which really wasn’t anything special. The seasoning tasted like the MSG packages from instant noodles, and the texture was a little chewier than what you’d expect for a puffy tofu. When I think of puffy tofu, I think of it being hollow in the centre. Who knows, maybe that’s how the Taiwanese do it! 🙂

Then, we our order with Fried Squid Tentacles which was fun! They had big pieces of tentacles and they were really soft and tender with lots of flavour. This was a great dish!

Then, we had 2 dishes of their main, one was their Egg wrapped Rice with Curry and I’m not sure what the actual name on their menu was, but it wasn’t bad. It was neat as they made a nice omelette and wrapped it around rice. Then, there was a large section of curry that didn’t carry much flavour or seasoning.

The last thing we ordered was what we think was called Taiwanese Chicken Meal which was a large portion of chicken, with some vegetables and a bowl of rice. It also had a hard boiled egg braised in Chinese soy sauce marinade.

Overall, we had fun and the food wasn’t bad at all. I personally liked their little snacks more than their meals, and I did enjoy their drinks! I’m sure we will be back as we did enjoy it!

Lazy Monkey on Urbanspoon

Lazy Monkey

3616 52 Ave NW, Unit 11
Calgary, AB
(403) 338-2123

Posted on

Giddy Up Cafe – Saskatoon Farm

Recently, it seems like everyone around me has been raving about Saskatoon Farm which I thought was in Saskatoon, so I always said I wasn’t going to go. It turns out, it’s kind of between De Winton and Okotoks, in Alberta! So, I ventured my way to Saskatoon Farm for some famour Saskatoon Berries. The drive going there, you do go on relatively rural roads but it’s actually kind of hard to get lost! Once you get there, you’re greeted by a huge Saskatoon Farm sign and tons of parking. We just walked around the gardens and ventured through the area to see what there was to offer. We then found ourselves sitting at the patio of the Cafe!

We were greeted by super friendly staff and a little bit of wait, but it’s well worth it! We sat down and ordered some drinks! I settled for something hot as it was a little breezy, so I got the Hot Chocolate which tasted great! Even the whipped cream on top was light and delicious!

Of course, my other half was completely opposite and he wanted something cold and I guess kind of refreshing. He ordered the iced latte which was really good! The coffee was perfectly brewed with the right amount of cream and sugar! We don’t expect much as it’s just a iced latte, but we got something just extraordinary!

As we were here during in between times, not lunch, not dinner, we just opted for snacks, and by snacks, I mean dessert! I ordered their famous Saskatoon Pie made with a home made crust and delicious Saskatoon berry filling. This pie wasn’t too sweet at all, in fact it wasn’t sweet! Then, I ordered it with their Saskatoon ice cream which they make and this dessert is to die for! I highly recommend this if you’re here visiting!

Lastly, we ordered their Saskatoon Butter Tart which again wasn’t too sweet. We didn’t like it as much as the pie but it was still divine! Made with the homemade crust and the newly fruit – Saskatoon berries, then in a butter tart, there’s really nothing to complain about!

Overall, we enjoyed our first visit out here so much we have already planned our next trip here to experience the “U-Pick” fruits that are available from late July! So, we decided we will come have lunch and the pick some berries and then head back! It will be a great afternoon for sure!

Giddy Up Cafe on Urbanspoon

Giddy Up Cafe
3338 Ave SW (Saskatoon Farm)
Okotoks, AB
(403) 938-6245

Posted on

Max Brenner :The Forum Shops At Caesars Palace – Las Vegas, Nevada

I’ve been to Las Vegas many times, and I always walk the shops at Caesars Palace. I always find myself looking at this restaurant Max Brenner as it’s also called “Chocolate by the Bald Man” which always seems a bit odd to me. I wanted to go there for sure this one trip and so we went in for a lunch!

During this visit, it was in the winter, so it was actually pouring rain. I knew I wanted something hot, and my favourite go to drink is a hot chocolate. I ended up ordering their Choco-Pops Hot Chocolate which was amazing! It’s a delicious milk hot chocolate with little chocolate wafer balls that floated on top and added a phenomenal crunchy texture while enjoying the hot chocolate!

We also ordered a cold drink, just to add some variety! So, we ordered the Hazelnut Cream Chocolate Milkshake which was very tasty and not overly sweet as you may want to expect. It’s a hazelnut chocolate milkshake with vanilla ice cream, chocolate truffle, and topped with whipped cream! This drink was excellent and it was something full of flavour!

As this was a lunch, we ordered their Illegal Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Pancakes which was a huge stack of giant chocolate pancakes, topped with chocolate truffle cream, chocolate shavings and caramelized bananas! This is the breakfast for those who need sugar to start your day – and the great thing about it was the fact it wasn’t overly sweet at all! In fact, you know it’s chocolate but it’s not overwhelming at all! I absolutely loved the caramelized bananas with these pancakes and I think this is one of their signature meals, so I would recommend it too! 🙂

The last thing we ordered to share was the Chocolate Hazelnut Crepe which as the name implies was a beautiful and delicate crepe filled with chocolate hazelnut spread then topped with strawberries. It also comes with a little flask of milk chocolate ganache!

At the end, we were extremely stuffed! We would never had imagined the chocolate pancakes would be such a large portion. We ate as much as we could but we definitely finished the drinks! Afterwards, we wandered the gift shop and made a few delectable purchase too! I’m sure we will return as this was an experience I’ve been recommending everyone – and I want more!

Max Brenner

3500 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 462-8790