Snack – Page 9 – Elsie Hui

December 20, 2014December 20, 2014

Jump Start – Banff, Alberta

Long time ago, we went for a walk and decided to stop in to Jump Start for a quick bite. We found that the location was perfect for a cafe place like this as many guest could grab something and take out – and enjoy at the park or wherever their travels will take them.

We decided to take a break from the outdoors and went to dine inside. We ordered their Hot Chocolate as it was a breezy day. It tasted fine and it was in a nice mug where we could slow down the pace with. I like drinking my hot drinks out of a mug!

Then, we ordered their Roast Beef Sandwich and we did mention to them we’re eating in. They just took the sandwich from the fridge and placed it on our plate. We thought it was kind of strange they didn’t make it to order or at least ask to heat it up or anything. It looks like there’s a lot of roast beef in the sandwich, but it really only has 3 slices where they folded it. It was rather disappointing and reminded us of something you can grab from the fridge at a convenient store.

Without knowing that is what the did to the sandwiches when we ordered them, we also had their Ham Sandwich where you can actually see there’s only 2 slices of ham, and stuffed with lettuce and tomatoes. This one we didn’t mind cold as the vegetables wouldn’t be as nice if it was warm – but they still only took it out of the fridge. That was the nice thing – the veg was really fresh!

For what we paid, we’re not too satisfied although it was filling and convenient. Unfortunately they didn’t taste like much, but we were here when they first opened. Hopefully they’ve changed their ways – especially if they claim they’re the sandwich place. The location is very comfortable and we were here for awhile watching the people walk by, so that was really nice!

Jump Start The Coffee and Sandwich Place

206 Buffalo St
Banff, AB
(403) 762-0332

December 15, 2014December 21, 2014

Brown Sugar Bakeshop – Okotoks, Alberta

My coworkers know how much I love cinnamon buns and when they had an opportunity to tell me about Brown Sugar Bake Shop, I went there at my first opportunity! It’s located on the North end of Okotoks right in a strip plaza near Drake Landing.

Once we figured out what we wanted, as there was a lot to choose from, I decided I was going for their Caramel Sticky Buns which was heavenly! It was really light and fluffy with the perfect amount of sweetness from the caramel! It wasn’t a small piece either, everything about it was just perfect!

Then, for some savoury food, we ordered their Taco Beef Bun which was absolutely amazing! It was seriously beef taco in a bun instead of a taco shell. I think I enjoyed this more than a taco! The meat inside was well seasoned and flavoured to taste like beef that you would find in a taco. The bun, again was light and fluffy – but not so light where it just falls apart.

Then, their soup of the day was Chicken Taco Soup which does sound redundant with the options we picked in savoury selection – but everything was so different and delicious! The soup was hearty and well seasoned and made me want to make something like it at home right away!

Overall, a fabulous experience with great food and service. There was a lot of customers that came in just for the sticky buns, so you can tell it was a good one! I know we’ll be back as I enjoyed them so much and there was lots of other goodies I would love to try in their display case. The even have a wide selection of gluten-free products for those who need it!

Brown Sugar Bake Shop

#109 – 235 Milligan Drive
Okotoks, AB
(403) 982-9878

December 4, 2014December 5, 2014

Elk & Oarsman Pub & Grill – Banff, Alberta

Every once in awhile we like to go into a local pub or bar for lunch. This time while traveling through Banff, we went and sat on the patio of Elk & Oarsman which was really nice. Although I don’t have a picture of the place, the view was phenomenon!

We sat down on this bring afternoon where I ordered myself a Virgin Caesar as it’s become a drink I love, especially if it’s spicy. It’s definitely spicy here with tons of flavour!

I ordered their Elk Poutine which was thick cut french fries with gravy, braised elk and cheese curds. A delicious combination of things I love! It was the perfect combination for this particular lunch! There was actually a lot of french fries in this order and we didn’t actually finish the entire plate – we did eat up all the elk though!

My husband ordered the Lamb Shank and it was a giant piece of braised lamb in Cabernet honey jus. It was tender, juicy and tasty! Although the picture doesn’t look as appetizing, it was a great piece of lamb shank!

Our overall experience here was phenomenal and it’s no wonder why they’re always so busy! They have great food and service and the location is ideal – right on Banff Ave!

Elk & Oarsman Pub & Grill

119 Banff Avenue
Banff, AB
(403) 762-4616

December 4, 2014

Banff Springs Hotel Castle Pantry – Banff, Alberta

We woke up late during our stay at the hotel. We decided to grab a quick breakfast before checking out so we went downstairs to Castle Pantry located right at the main lobby – next to the Concierge. It’s a great place to grab something to go, or grab and sit at their seating area – which we did.

As we were just grabbing and basically going, I picked up their Apple Cinnamon Turnover which was absolutely amazing! It was light, crispy and flaky pastry crust with tender and delicious apple filling, covered in cinnamon sugar. It was not too sweet for breakfast for me as it as delicious.

We also picked up their croissant as the day before, we had an amazing Egg Salad Croissant during afternoon tea. We were quite hopeful it would be just as amazing. It was good, but not as good! We were still very content with the croissant!

Overall, it was the perfect place for a quick bite. Filling, delicious and reasonably priced. The service was great and it was like a cantina styled cafe. It works and it’s good!

Castle Pantry – Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

405 Spray Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-2211

December 4, 2014December 4, 2014

Rundle Lounge The Fairmont Banff Springs – Banff, Alberta

We had the opportunity to dine at the Rundle Lounge where we reserved a table for afternoon tea. It was beautiful and romantic – the setting was just picturesque. We didn’t have the best service, but everything else was very nice. We had a fantastic experience regardless of service and sometimes food is all we care about!

Once we were seated, the table was beautifully set and the menu was on our table with all the utensils we would need for afternoon tea, including our tea steeper!

We sat for a long time before the waitress even came to our table where she threw down our Fresh Berries which we didn’t know if we started to eat of what the issue was. So, we left it on the table until we got our tea. Along with the berries, she set down the Devonshire Cream and Strawberry preserve on our table.

I ordered the Empress Orange Pekoe which was quite nice. They describe the tea as black tea from India, Tanzania, Kenya, China and Ceylon. Not much of a description, but I do like Orange Pekoe as it’s one of the teas I consider “normal” and like anytime of day.

After our tea came, and we ate most of our fresh berries, our waitress brought out some scones, a sweet scone and a savoury one – which both tasted amazing!

From there, came the amazing 3 Tier Tower of goodies which is the highlight of the experience.

On the bottom tier, it was the Finger Sandwich tier with egg salad, smoked salmon, heirloom tomato, grilled vegetable, waldorf chicken sandwiches. My favourite from this tier would be the egg salad croissant. It was perfect in every way!

The middle tier had the Tea Pastries which had some mini madeleine cakes with a brownie on a stick dipped on chocolate as well as a mouse tart.

The top tier had the Petit Fours which was basically the sweet tier and the tier I love most. There was a lemon macaroon as well as a pistachio macaroon on this tier which is the best macaroon we’ve tried to date! There was also raspberry cheesecake on a cookie crust which was absolutely amazing!

Our overall experience was decent. The food was really good, the ambiance was superb and the service – well, it could have been better. We did enjoy our time, as we were looking forward to afternoon tea at the Rundle Lounge for a long time! This is definitely an experience you should try at least once!

Rundle Lounge – The Fairmont Banff Springs

405 Spray Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-6860