Lunch – Page 11 – Elsie Hui

January 30, 2016

Bazille (Nordstrom) – Calgary, Alberta

I was doing some shopping one afternoon at Chinook Centre when I felt like stopping for a snack. I happened to be going towards Norstrom, so I went into their restaurant upstairs called Bazille

It wasn’t a big place, but it wasn’t too busy when we went, so it worked out well for us. The place had nice decor and it was really comfortable with tons of natural sunlight! It was an enjoyable afternoon!

We sat down and ordered their Margherita Pizza and it wasn’t as good as I’d hope. It’s a simple pizza, and it wasn’t too great… but, easiest thing can often be put to the test for perfection! The pizza dough was a tad doughy and the cheese wasn’t really melty… so it felt like it was under done in general. It tasted average.

We also go an order of their Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes as I was feeling brave when I had the menu. The crab cake wasn’t good. It left a fishy taste in my mouth, and I didn’t even finish it. I’m not sure what it was, but I didn’t enjoy it, so I left it.

Overall, not too impressed.. although I am aware I ordered things I shouldn’t have from a restaurant like this. I should have stuck to sandwiches and soups and what not, but I do not think I will be back to try more, unless it’s something more “common” for lunch

Bazille

2150 6455 Macleod Trail SW
Calgary, AB
(587) 291-2010

December 31, 2015December 31, 2015

Grumans Catering & Delicatessen – Calgary, Alberta

We had a weekend where we wanted smoked meat sandwiches and we ventured to pretty much downtown at a place called Grumans. There wasn’t really parking outside so you do need to find street parking, which isn’t bad on weekends!

Once we got parked, we waited for a bit for a table as this place is quite popular! We knew you could order Jewish food here, so we decided to try their Chicken Matzo Soup to start with. It’s a delicious clear yet flavourful chicken broth with a dumpling! This actually was much more interesting than it looked!

As this was lunch, I wanted something a bit more hearty, with smoked meat. I decided I was going for the Grumans Reuben Sandwich and it was an excellent choice! The sandwich was perfectly toasted rye bread, with generous amount of smoked meat, topped with some sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. The menu does state there’s Russian Dressing on it, and I couldn’t tell what that was!?

My other half loves Shepherds Pies and smoked meat.. and when they came together on the menu – he knew immediately what he wanted! He ordered the Smoked Meat Shepherds Pie, it came in a dish with perfectly piped and roasted mashed potatoes. Inside was packed with Montreal smoked meat, carrots, onions and corn. A very hearty and delicious dish!

The experience here was amazing once we got inside! As mentioned, parking is tricky but it’s well worth the fight and battle! The food is made with so much love and you can see it in the servers eyes when they talk about their food. This is a place to take anyone!

Grumans Catering and Deli

230 – 11 Ave SE,
Calgary, AB
(403) 261-9003

September 15, 2015

Smashburger: McKenzie Towne – Calgary, Alberta

We were in the middle of moving and we decided we needed to grab something filling, quick and close as we had a few things lined up that was time sensitive. We decided we would go and try Smashburger in McKenzie Towne and it was amazing! We went at an odd time, so there was plenty of parking on High Street, yet Smashburgers was still busy!

We grabbed a Strawberry Milkshake and they do it properly here! It was thick, flavourful and delicious!! They gave the milkshake to you in the classic tin cup and the glass milkshake glass! It was amazing and totally brought me back in the past with this!

We ordered a classic Smashburger and basically it’s an egg bun with American cheese, Smash Sauce, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, pickles & onion! It was totally an awesome burger, simple yet delicious!

We made a combo/meal for this meal, and we had an order of Spicy Buffalo Fries, and these fries are so well seasoned, crispy and tender, it was quite a treat! These spicy buffalo fries actually tasted like buffalo season!

Overall, it was the perfect snack and an awesome filler! We really enjoyed everything here, and I am sure we will be back for every reason imaginable!

Smashburger – McKenzie Towne

25 High St SE
Calgary, AB
(587) 387-2740

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015

Thai Pagoda – Canmore, Alberta

I was wanting some Thai food, as we recently had some that was quite disappointing. We found Thai Pagoda which is in Canmore on the main avenue of Bow Valley Trail and it’s not a large place and there’s parking outside.

I knew I wanted their hot soup as it was a chilly day, so we order Tom Kha Noodle Soup which is their spicy coconut milk soup, basically like a Tom Yum with coconut milk. We ordered this soup with chicken and it hit the spot. The soup was quite tasty and there was a good amount of noodles too! The broth was really nicely made and the noodles were a little under cooked, but as it socked up the soup, it turned out to be really flavourful.

We also ordered one of my favourite Thai dishes, we got a plate of their Pad Sa Hew and it was pretty delicious here, and it’s quite a simple dish, but it was pretty good! The dish was fresh and it was good! I really love the soft noodles with the sweet soy sauce, and that’s why this item always makes it to the top of my favourite Thai dish list!

We ended with their Sticky Mango and it was amazing! The mango tasted amazing, the rice was nice, and it was just an awesome dessert! Definitely one of our favourite sticky mango dish!

Overall, the food here was amazing! I can’t wait to come back for more dessert! The food tastes quite authentic! We had an amazing experience here!

Thai Pagoda

1306 Bow Valley Trail,
Canmore, AB
(403) 609-8090

August 18, 2015August 18, 2015

Toad n Turtle Pubhouse & Grill – Calgary, Alberta

We felt like a patio this one afternoon, and found ourselves going to Toad n Turtle on 130th Avenue SE, and there, we got seated on the “side patio” instead of their roof top patio as apparently it was closed. There’s tons of parking especially after hour when the home construction store is closed. We weren’t too happy with the side patio as it’s right next to the street and it wasn’t as pleasant as it could have been, however our experience was still great!

We ordered a few appetizers with drinks, so we started out with my Virgin Caesars which was alright here. The drink wasn’t too spicy yet it wasn’t watered down, so it was fine!

We then got an order of their Rib Bites, which were bone-in pork ribs with salt and pepper seasoning. The ribs were really good and there wasn’t a lot of them either. But, they were really nicely prepared! We were expecting dry ribs, but the sauce wasn’t bad at all!

The other appetizer that we ordered was their Coconut Prawns, and there were 8 coconut coated Tiger Prawns and it came with a delicious ginger/garlic dipping sauce.

Overall, the food and the “inside” environment was really nice. I’m sure we would have really enjoyed their rooftop patio instead of inhaling the vehicles exhaust while having a quiet afternoon. The food although was delicious, we thought the portions were a little small. The service was good, so we don’t have much to complain about!

Toad n Turtle Pubhouse & Grill

5155 130 Ave SE,
Calgary, AB
(587) 387-2635