Snack – Page 24 – Elsie Hui

October 28, 2013

Lazy Loaf & Kettle – Calgary, Alberta

It was a cold and snowy afternoon when I wanted nothing else besides a nice hot soup and sandwich, so we did some research and learned about Lazy Loaf and & Kettle that’s located in the Northwest part of the city, just off Memorial Drive. The actual building is a bit hidden, but it’s not too bad.

We got in, and I was confused, naturally. I guess I was already in line, and right in front of me was a sandwich form where you fill out what you wanted and with what on top. It was pretty cool – after my brain started working. You get one form per person in your party. So, we started off with our sandwich on white bread, Montreal Smoked meat with mustard and pickles! Then, we added a bowl of chicken noodle soup and I was content! The sandwich was really delicious and the soup wasn’t bad either. I wished the soup was hotter on such a cold day, but it might have just been me taking forever in general!

We also ordered their lunch special, which was Pesto Apple Sausage Penne with Garlic Toast and this was very enjoyable! I really enjoyed their Apple Sausage, and I was really lucky as they were really generous with the portions of both pasta and sausage!

We were so stuffed by the end of this meal, but I really wanted to purchase some of their baked goods… but I know I would exploded if I did. I now know I will have to make a return trip to induldge!

Lazy Loaf & Kettle

8 Parkdale Crescent NW
Calgary, AB
(403) 270-7810

October 27, 2013October 27, 2013

Banana Leaf Tropical Cuisine – Calgary, Alberta

I’m not sure where it came from, but my husband has had a craving for Laksa noodles, so we ventures to the North and ended up at Banana Leaf Tropical Cuisine The location isn’t hard to find, yet it’s at a strange place. It’s at the intersection of 32nd Ave with 32nd Street, in an area where you would think it’s all automobile stuff. But, this means there’s lot of parking!

We got inside and was seated in no time. They were busy, but they managed it really well. We did order some drinks, and I ordered their Honey Lemon Tea which tasted a lot like a lemon iced tea! Go figure! It was decent.

My husband on the other hand ordered their Soy Milk with Grass Jelly and he really liked it. It’s a combo that we never would’ve thought of, but now, I’m sure I can make it at home too!

The actual food here was absolutely amazing! We ordered to share their Seafood Curry Laksa with their yellow noodles as I thought it was more authentic, but who knows. It’s quite a spicy bowl of noodles with tons of flavours. It was quite amazing if you’re into this kind of Malaysian cuisine!

The other dish we ordered to share was their Hainanese Chicken Rice which was also a hit! It had a big mountain of ginger fried rice, a large piece of chicken, with their sauces! It wasn’t spicy like the laksa, but it was quite delicious. A tad on the greasy side, but overall an excellent dish!

Overall, this restaurant was a great stop! The prices were very reasonable, the food was delicious and the portions, well, they were huge! It’s a small shop with just a handful of employees, so be patient, and hopefully they’ll serve you up something amazing too!

Banana Leaf Tropical Cuisine

3330 32 Street Northeast
Calgary, AB
(403) 450-3880

October 27, 2013October 27, 2013

Bow River Vietnamese Restaurant – Calgary, Alberta

We’ve heard really good things about a Vietnamese Restaurant named Bow River Vietnamese Restaurant which is located at the intersection of Elbow Drive and Heritage Drive. At first, we thought it as the larger strip mall complex at this intersection, but it is actually located on the main floor of the building across the street. Parking is quite limited, but we were lucky enough to have grabbed a parking spot.

The interior of the restaurant looks more like a Chinese restaurant, but it was fine. It looks like an authentic restaurant, as it feels like you’re eating at home with their dining room chair selection.

We started with their Shrimp Salad Rolls which was surprisingly better than it looks! We’ve been to so many places where they premake their salad rolls, and I’m quite confident these are made to order.

I normally order my usual – no matter where I go for a first time Vietnamese restaurant. If it’s good, then I will go back and try something different! So, back to my Rare Beef with Beef Ball Pho and this was really good. Although not a lot of beef balls, it had a ton of beef. The broth had tons of flavour and it was even better enhanced with other sauces.

My other half had ordered his usual as well, the Rare Beef Pho and he really enjoyed it. They were basically the same thing, but we like to think it’s different! The size of the orders were quite large and we were quite stuffed after this wonderful lunch!

Overall, we were pleased with this restaurant. The service was a little slow, as they weren’t busy in the house. They did have a lot of take out orders, so they must’ve been running behind from it.

Bow River Vietnamese Restaurant

8408 Elbow Drive
Calgary, AB
(403) 259-6099

October 19, 2013October 19, 2013

Pete’s At The Beach – Sylvan Lake, AB

I’ve been to Sylvan Lake once before, and had a great dinner. This time, we came by for breakfast – and we decided to try Pete’s at the Beach which is located right on Lakeshore Drive, across from the beach. There’s parking here and it’s at an ideal location, great for all types of travelers.

The interior was decorated with a large collection of old favourites and antiques to really neat artifacts. It was fun inside and you know each piece of item has some history for the owners.

We ordered our breakfasts, and we had their Denver Sandwich – opened and it was really nicely done! It was a delicious omelette with ham, peppers, onion on top of toast with some hash browns. It sounds simple, but simple is best in this case!

We also ordered their Eggs and Toast with sausages on the side. It turned out to be a pretty big and decent breakfast! The toast and bread used in both meals was the best! It was light and fluffy, even after it being toasted, and it just tasted really great!

This was a great place to stop at! It was great to see the locals come in and they talk to the workers in the restaurant like family! It was a great environment and the food was excellent! I would recommend coming here to grab some food! We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Pete’s At The Beach

4711 Lakeshore Drive
Sylvan Lake, AB
(403) 887-4747

October 18, 2013

White Spot Macleod Trail – Calgary, AB

Thanksgiving this year was kind of interesting. This year, I didn’t make any feasts which I quite enjoy – as I haven’t not made something in a long time. We decided we still wanted turkey dinner, so we went to White Spot on Macleod Trail which is located just in the Willow Park area.

We started out with some appetizers, their Salt and Pepper Wings which was not a good deal at all! It costed more than a buck a wing. Sure, they’re good, but they’re not worth the price tag they put on it.

As mentioned, we wanted turkey for dinner, so we got their Roast Turkey Dinner and on this Thanksgiving, they made it into a combo, I guess… it came with pumpkin soup. It was actually quite tasty and I really enjoyed the soup. Tons of flavour and the texture was nice too.

The actual turkey dinner was surprisingly good! It was a large plate with both white and dark meat, mashed potatoes with gravy and some stuffing. I’m not a huge fan of stuffing on the best of days, so I still didn’t eat these ones. I tasted it and that was about it. This plate did get cleared between the 2 of us, and quite quickly too!

The other thing we ordered was their Baby Back Ribs and these ribs were fall of the bone tender and juicy. We got it with onion rings, and the waitress really didn’t tell us that it was an upgrade/substitute fee. Oh well, it wasn’t the end of the world

Overall, the food was excellent and the service was really good. The only part I had to complain about was the bill as mentioned with the onion rings, it was added, which I’m sure we could have just read. But, I guess for Thanksgiving, they had a special combo that had dessert added as well. We weren’t offered it and when we asked the waitress, she took it off the bill and the total on the bill because more expensive. She didn’t explain to us anything – so we figured she didn’t know what she was doing. Instead of causing a scene, we just paid the more expensive bill and left. Kind of left a sour note in my mouth, but the food was soo good. Not sure if I’ll be back.

White Spot

10400 Macleod Trl S
Calgary, AB
(403) 278-8212