Lunch – Page 27 – Elsie Hui

October 30, 2014

Golden National Family Restaurant – Calgary, Alberta

I was really excited to see a new Chinese Restaurant pop up and it’s called Golden National which is a restaurant family owned and operated that began in High River. As we all know, I love small town Chinese/Western restaurants so I was really excited to come here and try it out – in the city!

We started with some Fried Chicken Wings which was really awesome! Although it seemed a little strange that both the middle piece and the drum was still attached together, it was really tasty! It was battered the perfect amount, fried nicely in clean oil to a perfect crisp, yet still juicy inside and then seasoned just enough for it to taste great but still have chicken flavour! My husband loved this and pretty much ate the entire dish.

We then ordered some Wor Wontons as it’s been a new trend that I do… I order it and see how much I like it. This one, I really loved. The soup was flavourful, the wontons was large and full of flavour. It was a generous portion and nothing to complain about.

Then, we ordered their Shanghai Noodle with Chicken, B.B.Q Pork, Shrimp and Szechuan Sauce which was a unique type of Shanghai noodles as those don’t normally have shrimp and it’s not normally spicy. This plate was delicious and no matter how spicy it got, we just kept eating it. It was addicting so we left absolutely stuffed and really satisfied.

Overall, the prices are really fair here with nice portion sizes and great food quality. Cleanliness and quality is important to them and I see great success if they keep it up! A special note, we ordered tea and they actually use really nice tea leaves – so fragrant and wonderful. The tea does cost $2/person which seems high, but it’s really nice tea. We’ll be returning and recommending this place to family and friends!

Golden National Family Restaurant

3 High Street SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 257-9777

October 26, 2014

Athena Pizza and Spaghetti House – Banff, Alberta

We’ve been wanting to try Athena Pizza and Spaghetti House for quite some time now as they’ve been here for over 30 years – it shows us they’re doing something right. Located right by the Clock Tower Mall, on the 2nd floor, they’ve got a good sized space for pizza!

One of my favourite pizza’s is the Hawaiian Pizza so I ordered myself a small pizza. It’s actually pretty big for it’s size, but probably right for it’s price. At $15.50, this pizza has lots of Canadian bacon and pineapple on it. It’s got a nice crust that is sturdy enough to hold the toppings without being thick or greasy. It’s a good pizza!

The last thing we enjoyed was their Oven Baked Lasagne which had thin lasagna pieces with a rich meaty homemade sauce, topped with cheese – and then baked in the oven. The garlic toast that it came with was absolutely delicious and I would probably order another slice of it if I didn’t have an entire pizza!

Overall, it was a great place to eat! The food was good, the pizza was decent and the pasta was terrific. The prices were a little high for what it was, but the quality of food made up for it. The service was quick and friendly.

Athena Pizza and Spaghetti House

112 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-4022

October 23, 2014

Wendy’s Pulled Pork Sandwich & Poutine Review

I had the opportunity to try Pulled Pork at Wendy’s as it’s their promotion that is going on. I knew for sure I wanted to try their Pulled Pork Sandwich as I love pulled pork sandwiches as they’re usually very messy and delicious. This one was definitely messy and it was quite delicious, although the pork itself could’ve been a bit warmer in temperature.

The sandwich is topped with the sauce of your choice, either smoky, sweet or spicy. We choose the smoky because it’s more “authentic” in our eyes. It was a nice sauce with tons of flavour – but it was kind of like bbq sauce. The coleslaw wasn’t very marinated yet and it was crisp and fresh though. It added nice texture to the sandwich. The bun was a brioche bun which was an excellent choice as it stood up the the sloppiness of this sandwich – the bun held up the entire time, although pork was falling out.

We also ordered their Pulled Pork Poutine as we wanted some fries. Poutine usually has gravy and cheese curds on top, and semi melted. Here, the pulled pork wasn’t hot enough for whatever reason was what we figured out, so the cheese was still really cold, instead of soft or gooey. The flavours was awesome though, we really enjoyed it and we would have enjoyed it a lot more with it being hotter. I did find there was too much onions on top – so I did fling some aside to make it more enjoyable of a side dish.

Overall, it was a fantastic dining experience and we thoroughly enjoyed the pulled pork from Wendys. I probably won’t change anything at all as it was really quite tasty. I’m sure we’ll be getting the poutine again – and it seems like some people call them cheese fries! Which ever they’re called, they’re delicious and would be spectacular if actually hot in temperature!

October 17, 2014

Chili’s Texas Grill (South Trail) – Calgary, Alberta

I really enjoyed my experiences at Chili’s Texas Grill and when I had a bad day, we came to try the one at this South Trail location (130th Avenue SE) instead of my usual locations and there was a long wait for a table once we got there which always makes me happy as I think people like it and so they’re really busy!

We ordered their 2 for $30 special as we do often pick from that menu. We started with their Jalapeño Cheese Bites which came out piping hot with delicious ooey gooey cheese on the inside and crispy and crunch crust. There was a little drizzle of their chipotle pesto ranch sauce!

For my entree, I picked from their Fajita where we selected beef fajitas. The table smelled amazing the moment our waitress put the food down, and it was all I could stare at! It was not only a beautiful dinner, it tasted pretty amazing! They don’t have enough fajita wraps, but I really enjoyed just eating the grilled selection as it was with it’s condiments.

Then, the other entree we got with this special was their Honey-Chipotle Ribs which was a pretty good sized portion even with this promotion. The ribs were tender and juicy – just the way they should be. The sauce was delicious as it was sweet with some heat. It was perfect!

Our overall experience was a great one! There is always going to be a wait at any Chili’s location (the ones I’ve been too) and the food and service was amazing here! There’s no reason to g different location. Parking is a little limited and depending on the hour you’re going, traffic can be a little more chaotic – but it’s worth it!

Chili’s Texas Grill – South Trail

4370 130 Ave SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 474-4159

October 17, 2014October 17, 2014

High River Inn Restaurant – High River, Alberta

We were actually trying to find some dinner in Longview where the place of choice didn’t have space for us. We started our journey home when we decided to make a stop in High River – where we found High River Inn Restaurant and it was a neat place. The owner was really pleased we were there, and she kept explaining to us that the food she has here caters to small town people. No problem – I know and I love it!

Although the place appears small, it’s actually very spacious inside with a decent size buffet. This place got pretty busy in here as well, but I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about making reservations as there’s lots of tables and chairs. The chef constantly puts out fresh food, so the smorg doesn’t go empty.

As this was our dinner, I allowed myself to help myself! Serving after serving, I really enjoyed the food here. I especially enjoyed the little conversations with the owner and she enjoyed talking to us in Cantonese as she doesn’t get a lot of Chinese speaking people at her place.

Overall, the place was really clean, the staff was really friendly, the food was really good! There’s nothing to complain about! It was an enjoyable dinner and I really like their eggroll. Most places have spring rolls, so this was a nice treat!

High River Inn Restaurant

503 1 St Southwest
High River, AB
(403) 652-7733