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Sushi Bar Miki – Calgary, Alberta

After awhile without sushi, we figured we’d go try a new experience and this time we found ourselves at Sushi Bar Miki which wasn’t hard to find but it was out of our way for sure! They’re located off 16th Ave in the NW in a strip plaza, kind of near a grocery store!

We ordered a few things to try and something we don’t normally get – but decided to have from here was their Ika Geso Karaage which was their deep fried squid legs. It’s one of my favourite things to order at dim sum, but I’m glad we got them here! Tender and delicious, soft yet chewy – I loved it!

We then got an order of their Large Sushi which had 10 pieces of assorted sushi and a tuna roll! The sushi was quite delicious and you do see a sushi chef in the front making the orders! It was a large plate of sushi and it came in around $25. The quality was there so that’s always a treat!

Then, we got our order of udon. We felt like something soup so we got their Sansai Udon which we ordered as we had no idea what it was (which we could have looked it up…) but it was vegetarian option! It wasn’t bad though and it’s got the vegetables you’d find in a Chinese market – not your usual vegetarian cuisine! The udon and broth was quite tasty so we’re glad we just picked something and went with it!

As though we didn’t eat enough, somehow we saved room for dessert (or we just figured it’d be fun to over stuff ourselves!) and we got their Mochi Ice Cream which is something I’ve loved for years! This platter had 3 flavours, the sesame, green tea and vanilla. All 3 flavours were so tasty we loved it!

Overall, fantastic dining experience and we’d have no problem coming back and just picking anything off their menu! Great staff and food! Not much more that we need!

Sushi Bar Miki

5032 16 Ave NW
Calgary, AB
(403) 286-2860

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Oka Sushi – Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

We’ve been fortunately enough to experience Oka Sushi without a reservation or without much wait while staying at Jasper Park Lodge during our weekend trip up! It was still a very packed small restaurant, but it was the tail end of their service when we showed up to wait.

We were very patient and excited to try creations made by Mr Oka himself as we sat and enjoyed the show! He is quite a sushi artist and it’s been our favourite sushi experience to date!

We ordered their Assorted Sushi which was nice as there really wasn’t a standard platter. It came with their tuna rolls and 8 assorted sushi! Everything was really high quality and perfectly prepared – absolutely delicious and quite a beauty to look at!

Just as we were about done our sushi, we thought it would be fun to put in another order as we enjoyed our experience so much! We ordered their Jasper Roll which had crab meat and shrimp in the sushi! It was divine and we inhaled it!

This experience has set the bar very high for us for all future sushi experience! Although it’s a small place, it’s wonderful to see a master in action, and the food is worth the wait!

Oka Sushi Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

1 Old Lodge Rd
Jasper, AB
(780) 852-1114

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Monplaisir Delicacy – Calgary, Alberta

We were introduced to Monplaisir which is located on the food court level of TD Square in the corner. Here, the offer delicious French Macarons and Belgium Chocolates. I haven’t tried their chocolates yet, but we have tried a few of their macarons!

We decided to try a small sample box, where we bought 6 delicate macarons. They asked us to leave it out a few minutes to take the chill off before eating, so we decided we’d get a drink from a nearby place in the food court. The custom box looks amazing and almost too good to eat, but we did pull the first one out and tried their Earl Grey flavour. You do get a hint of Earl Grey taste and scent, it’s subtle, sweet and nice! The Earl Grey one is the yellow one with the greenish filling!

With such a delicious macaroon, I had my hopes high as I tried their Chocolate Coconut and I was not disappointed. You get a nice rich chocolate taste and then the sweet coconut comes through afterwards. You do get coconut shreds in your bite as well!

Creme Brulee was always a sweet dessert we enjoy a lot, so we had to try their Creme Brulee flavour. This one really didn’t taste like much to us, but kind of sweet. It did offer the sugary crunch on the side but if you closed your eyes, creme brulee wasn’t the what came to mind – maybe vanilla.

our all time favourite flavour from Monplaisir would be their Espresso which was really fragrant with espresso aromas and flavours. You know what it is when you bite into it and it tastes absolutely amazing!

As Pistachio was another macaroon that we tried, it wasn’t as amazing as hoped. You definitely get a hint of pistachio but for whatever reason, I was hopping it would be more intense. Now I think it’s silly that I had that expectation as these are small delicate treats – so I do like this flavour!

The last one we chose to try on this visit would be the Wedding Almond. Not sure about the name but you definitely get the almond taste and flavour – which is really nice!

Overall, we thoroughly enjoy the macarons here and has been back a few times already! It’s great as they are opened on weekends as well as they are in a mall!

Mon Plaisir

Suite 410, 751 3 St SW
Calgary, AB
(587) 538-0690

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Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge – Jasper, Alberta

We are very fortunate and we’re able to splurge when we want to. When an opportunity came for us to visit Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, we took advantage of it! Our motivation for this trip was to see all the Gingerbread houses that at Alberta’s Fairmont resort. We knew that date the gingerbread house was coming down at this location and there really was only 1 weekend – so we took it! We booked a nights stay and got to experience their Junior Lakeview Suites which was absolutely amazing! This hotel is magnificent, beauty from every angle, inside and out!

We got checked-in and they were awesome at the front desk. All the staff we dealt with are exceptionally helpful and friendly! The key was still an old style brass key which was a neat treat from your typical magnetic room key card!

Once we got into our room, we were blown away from the size of the room. It was beautiful! Once inside, off to the side was a closet and mini bar area which leads you into the bathroom.

The bathroom was about the size of the bedroom itself. It has a double sink, a soaker tub, a stand up shower and of course a toilet! It was quite amazing. The soaker tub was quite a large single person tub which I didn’t get to enjoy – but that leaves room for another nights stay another time!

The shower was all glass with a ledge inside for you to put your amenities on. It’s quite amazing to shower in an all glass shower as you feel like you’re somewhere very luxurious – and you are! It was really a nice touch!

Once you come back to the main hallway, you’ll walk by the bedroom area. It’s got pocket doors to keep the space spacious and open – and almost a pocket window so you can see right outside from the bed! The King bed was nice and amazing and there’s also a TV in the room.

The sitting area was large and spacious with a table for 4 people, with a sofa and chair – it’s a great sitting area!

There’s also a wood burning stove in our sweet, which they give you some newspapers and logs to light a fire if you choose to. There’s also a TV so you can cozy up however you like during your stay!

The patio offers amazing lakeviews and it’s remote and quite. A perfect suite for down time and to enjoy the company you’re with! Our stay was amazing and we can’t stop raving about it and looking to find rates where we can justify another awesome adventure in Jasper!

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Old Lodge Road
Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Phone: 1-780-852-3301

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Poppy Brasserie – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Alberta

I had the pleasure to eat at Poppy Brasserie while were were looking at Gingerbread Houses (Village) while visiting Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. We had no reservations or anything, so we ended up whereever, and it was fantastic! Just located on the lower floor a little tucked aways is this great restaurant!

Once were were seated, with our drink orders taken, they came out with a fantastic bread basket that was warm and fresh! It was quite enjoyable!

We wanted to do a started so we opted for their Seafood Chowder and I must say it’s the best seafood chowder we have had to date. It sounds really odd, but it was fantastic! It doesn’t look like much, but it was creamy and velvety, with tons of flavours and seafood in this chowder!

As this was lunch, we decided we wouldn’t stuff ourselves with a full entree, so we ordered a Bison Burger which was better than expected. It was lean but tender and juicy of a patty. The toppings were minimal and perfect. The spicy arugula, with the with cheddar, smoky bacon aioli, sauteed mushrooms and topped with tomato chutney made a perfect bison burger!

Then, we had their Steak Sandwich which was a generous portion of 6oz striploin steak topped with blue cheese cream cheese on a wedge of grilled sourdough. Everything was cooked to perfection and you felt like you were eating from a true castle!

Overall, the experience here in the chateau was truly magnificent! The food and service was top notch, while the breathtaking scenery – there’s nothing that compares and makes your meal magical!

Poppy Brasserie – Chateau Lake Louise

111 Lake Louise Drive
Lake Louise, AB
(403) 522-3511