Dinner – Page 15 – Elsie Hui

December 21, 2014

Viet Hai Restaurant – Calgary, Alberta

We’ve went for many meals looking for delicious pho and we found ourselves at Viet Hai on Macleod Trail in Calgary. It was a nicely decorated location and the food was decent as well.

We started off with some Spring Rolls and the plate does come with 4 of them. I decided I was going to eat one before I took the picture, but it was good! It was pretty standard, so that’s no complaints!

I ordered my usual, the Rare Beef Slices and Beef Ball Noodles Soup and the bowls of noodles were quite large.

Then, my husband ordered his usual, the Rare Beef Slice Noodle Soup and this was also a really large bowl with tons of beef slices in it.

Overall, it was decent. There’s no really complaints or compliments so it was a good place to go for something quick and hot! The prices was really good though, at under $8 a bowl of soup!

Viet Hai Restaurant

4640-Macleod Trail SW.
Calgary, AB
(403) 287-2622

December 21, 2014

Rose Garden Thai Restaurant – Calgary, Alberta

I really enjoy eating Thai cuisine and we had an chnace to make it to Stephen Avenue one afternoon where Rose Garden was actually opened for lunch! Without hesitation, we went inside and the place is decorated beautifully!

Once we sat down, we we were approached by really friendly staff and they were quick and knowledgeable. We started with an appetizer called Spicy Deep Fried Thai Fish Cakes and they were really delicious! The fish cakes were flavourful and tender while fried to a nice golden brown outside crisp! It’s like no other appetizer we have had before and I enjoyed this thoroughly. It was not fishy at all!

We had an order of their Thai Curries and we decided we would try their Yellow Chicken curry with potatoes and chicken strips. The curry was mild to medium and it came with quite a few pieces of chicken. The presentation was extraordinary which was really nice!

The last dish we tried was their Pineapple Curry with Prawns which was my favourite. I really like prawns and pineapples, so I ate this dish completely! It was spicy, but it was toned down with the crushed pineapples and coconut milk! It was delicious and I would recommend this dish if you enjoy fruits in your savoury dishes!

Of course, a Thai meal wouldn’t be completed with Coconut Rise to soak up all the delicious sauces from the dishes! We ate everything up – thinking there would be leftovers for the following day or dinner. We couldn’t bare the thought of this waiting to get reheated! It was quite an enjoyable lunch!

Overall, the food and service was top-notch! The location can be tricky if you’re not use to parking downtown or don’t like paying for parking. There’s always the option for public transportation as well. The prices seems a little high, but the location is quite exceptional! It was a fantastic experience and we hope to be back again soon!

Rose Garden Thai

112 8 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 263-1900

December 12, 2014

Pho Tai Vietnamese Noodle House – Calgary, Alberta

We found ourselves up North as we were looking to try Pho Tai, as our friends has recommended this place to us for a new dish we’ve never tried.

Once we were seated, they put us in the first table on the left – which they forgot about us. What was going to be a quick lunch turned a little long and almost painful as they didn’t bother to take our order. But, when we finally ordered, I got their Vietnamese Chicken Sweet and Sour Soup which has been a new soup that I’ve started to love. They are always bigger portions than the regular pho soups – but usually sweet from pineapples and sour from their Elephant Ear stems, but now days they tend to use lime juice.

The new dish we came to try was their Vietnamese Crispy Crepe which was like a fried egg omelette with pork, shrimp and fresh herbs inside. Then you have lettuce on the side with their fish sauce mixture and you eat it together. I’m not sure how you eat it, but we took ours apart and ate it like a messy salad.

Overall, the food was decent – it wasn’t the best, but it was neat as there was unique items on their menu, which make them special. The people we dealt with in the restaurant was Chinese, so I’m not sure if their kitchen was authentic Vietnamese. The service was a little poor, but we got what we came here for. I think the prices was high for a Vietnamese restaurant, however these were special items ordered – so a bit higher does make sense!

Pho Tai Vietnamese Noodle House

3168 Sunridge Blvd NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 769-9401

December 7, 2014

Applebee’s – Calgary, Alberta

I actually use to go to Applebee’s in Harvest Hills a lot in the past. We decided to go back, but this time for lunch. We use to go with some friends for dinner all the time, and figured we’d go back. It’s not a bad place and now they have 2 Can Dine for $30 special – that’s what we went for!

This special comes with an appetizer where we ordered the Chicken Wonton Tacos which was wonton skins deep fried to make a taco shell, stuffed with seasoned chicken and topped with an Asian Slaw. It was a neat take on a taco and at first bite, it seemed a little flavourless, but when you ate the entire thing together, it was really tasty as the chicken was really well seasoned.

The first entree we ordered with this special was their Classic Meat Lasagna which was like your typical lasagna with pasta sheets and meat sauce, topped with mozzarella and ricotta and marinara sauce and baked till golden and delicious.

The last entree we got was the Fiesta Lime Chicken which was grilled chicken with rice and tortilla strips. The chicken was a large piece of chicken breast with a ranch sauce and cheese. There was salsa on the side and thankfully they put it in a separate dish as it was really watery.

Overall, it as a pleasant experience here and the special made it a really good deal. Service was a little slow, but the food was hot, fresh and delicious. We didn’t have much complaints at all, so it was good in general.

Applebee’s

707 388 Country Hills Blvd
Calgary, AB
(403) 226-6160

December 7, 2014December 7, 2014

ABC Country Restaurant – Calgary, Alberta

I’ve been to ABC Country a few times now and I really enjoy their breakfasts! The staff is always friendly and quick, and the food is always excellent. The portions are quite large and everything tastes really fresh! The location is easy to find with plenty of parking – which makes it ideal any time of day!

On this visit, I decided to try their Western Omelette and it was really delicious. The egg on the omelette was made really nicely, and it looks so perfect. The omelette was stuffed full with ham, mushrooms and cheese! It was a delicious masterpiece!

My husband ordered their Steam & Eggs and he kept the order at 5oz sirloin and added a side of sausage. The steak was cooked well, although the shape of the steak was really uneven, causing the doneness to be uneven. The edges were really thin while the centre was thick. The steak was tender and juicy – so at least that! The sausages were pretty good as well! I was raving about their farmers sausage and forgot to ask for that – but their regular sausages was quite delightful!

Overall, we had a great breakfast here and I’m sure I will be back! It’s a nice cozy place with large portions of delicious food and friendly staff.

ABC Country Restaurant

11520 24 St SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 720-6600