Canada – Page 60 – Elsie Hui

July 10, 2012December 31, 2018

Spud Mobeel Food Truck – Calgary

We were hunting for a food truck that I haven’t tried before and saw that Spud Mobeel was going to be at Casel Marche, which we didn’t think too much about… until we got there. I must say, I hate this location for a food truck – which I then realize lots of food trucks go there occasionally… oh well, I’ll stick to the Deerfoot Meadows locations. Anyway, enough with me rambling on about location – which ultimately doesn’t matter, as they are mobile! We weren’t hungry at all when we came by this truck, but still wanted to experience it so, I just ordered a small snack anyway.

I ended up ordering their Spiral Dog with Cheese which was excellent! It was a hot dog wrapped in a potato cut into a nice spiral that was placed around the dog… and then deep fried to a perfect crisp! And, since I got the one with cheese, a perfect cheese sauce was drizzled on top making a great snack!

As for the prices, I think it was a little high for what it was, but it isn’t completely out of this world. The spiral dog was $6, and then to add the cheese, it was an extra $1! It wasn’t the best, but it isn’t something you get all the time, so it justifies for itself! Nice thing about this food truck, all their menu items are gluten free – if it’s a concern for you!

July 6, 2012December 31, 2018

Milestones – Top Chef Inspired Menu – Calgary

Last year, we watched Top Chef Canada which is a featured program on Food Network Canada. Last year when it was on, they had a competition throughout the series where some of the winning chefs dishes get features at Milestones. This year, we did the same and it was great!

The menu for the Top Chef Canada feature this year wasn’t really a “choice” option. It featured 1 appetizer, 1 main course and 1 dessert. Me being me, I ordered the entire meal, and started off with Tomato Gazpacho served with mini bacon, cucumber and tomato sandwich. It was pretty refreshing as it’s a chilled soup with a mini sandwich!

The main course was a European Seabass, which wasn’t bad. It was a piece of seabass that sat on a bed or rice, with roasted fennel and orange glazed radish. The lemon slices was really refreshing. Overall, this was a good dish, except for the rice on the bottom. It was really hard, and gooey rice, which isn’t the best rice.

Finally, the dessert that I enjoyed was the Apple Bacon Tart which was a warm apple tart with crispy bacon in walnut crust – topped with blue cream cheese and basil

Overall, the meal was a decent one. I can’t say I loved it, but it was still quite delicious!

Milestones – SouthCentre

90 Anderson Rd SE
Calgary, AB T2J
(403) 225-1150

June 28, 2012July 3, 2012

Rustica – Silvertip Resort Canmore

Alright, it’s been a month of eating out and I love it! We went for a fancy dinner at Rustica in Canmore, Alberta – at the Silvertip Resort. From Calgary, going towards Banff (Highway 1 West) and take the Canmore Town Centre exit. Take a right at the stop sign and a left at the Holiday Inn hotel. Take Silvertip Trail up the mountain (5 minutes) to its termination at the Timbers Clubhouse. We actually asked for some directions as we got to the resort as the restaurant isn’t really marked well.

This restaurant is really nice, and the ambience is just fantastic! I can see this location being really popular in the winter as well as the summer. The real wood/log burning fireplace really set the mood for me! Rustica is known for it’s beef, so we knew we’ll order beef! Right after we put in our orders, a fantastic array of breads came to the table! The bread was fresh and delicious – and it tasted great even without the dipping sauce (Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar).

We were a table of 4, and we actually shared most of our food. The first appetizer that came to our table was Caribbean Crab Cakes which was a loose crab cake (not dense at all) that was crusted with coconut, and had some spicy mayo on the side adding tons of flavour to the crab cakes.

From there, we had a bowl for their soup of the day – which was Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup with truffle and it was a really creamy soup that wasn’t overly fatty… leaving you feeling kind of bloated! The freshness of the soup was really delicious.

Then, our last appetizer was Tequila lime Scallop Ceviche, which was a ceviche made of bay scallops guacamole, mixed with a fresh salsa fresco. As a serving vehicle, it was served with grilled tortillas! It was a refreshing and very fresh ceviche, and to be honest, I had a better time eating the ceviche alone – I didn’t need the tortillas!

Mom and dad shared a large piece of Filet Mignon which was extremely tender and juicy! This piece of meat was cooked to perfection, and flavoured perfectly!

I ordered the Mixed Grill which was a fantastic combination of all the best offerings (in my opinion!) It had a 4oz piece of tenderloin, half a rack of ribs and some prawns!

My husband ordered the New York Steak which was remarkably tender making this an exceptional beef steak!

The 4 of us ordered a bunch of side dishes to share, and it was also tasty! We ordered baked truffle penne, and garlic fingerling potatoes! We were so satisfied with our main meal, we decided to get some desserts to split and to stuff ourselves to the max! We ordered Cheesecake Spring Rolls which was deep fried cheese cake, berry coulis, caramel sauce

Then, the final dessert we ordered was the Lemon Tart which was a refreshing lemon tart with whipped cream and candied lemon!

This restaurant makes delicious food, and presents it in a sexy way! The price was competitively priced, especially for the Canmore region. Canmore offers lots of fantastic offerings and this is a place you should try!

Rustica

2000 Silvertip Trail
Canmore, AB T1W3A6
(403) 609-6599

June 27, 2012December 31, 2018

Chicken on the Way – McKenzie Towne Calgary

I was bummed out when Blockbusters closed on High Street in McKenzie Towne, but to my excitement, Chicken on the Way opened a new location there! They’re a little shop that takes take-out only, and often, the line is out the door (rain or shine)!

The first time I ate there, I purchased their daily special – and on that day, it was 3 piece chicken, fries and a fritter with gravy! The wait time wasn’t bad at all, and it comes in their famous yellow box that smells so good just holding the hot contents.

The chicken was perfectly fried and perfectly seasoned! Their pieces of chicken are actually larger than some other places that serves fried chicken. These large pieces of chicken has super crispy skin and really juicy chicken meat! It’s a perfect fried chicken in my opinion. The fries and fritter during my first visit was over fried and over salted, but all other times I’ve revisited the location, they’ve fixed that problem and made it better!

I really enjoyed their fritters – even though it was a little over fried, the sweet batter was excellent. With a super crispy exterior and a soft interior, the fritter is something I will always get when I visit Chicken on the Way.

When I don’t make a big enough for dinner or just want an awesome snack, Chicken on the Way is where I like to go now! It’s close to home and the prices aren’t completely ridiculous, making this a great option! I would recommend trying it out if you haven’t done so yet!

Chicken on the Way

27 McKenzie Towne Avenue SE
Calgary, AB T2Z3S7
(403) 720-2367

June 25, 2012December 31, 2018

Braizen Food Truck – Calgary

Food trucks are something that is still really new and exciting to me! It seems like they’re coming up with a new truck every week! I don’t follow any trucks religiously, but I do have my favourites that I will eat at if they’re where I’m at! Braizen Food Truck is one of the trucks that I really appreciate. The Braizen food truck is a small black “food truck” that is compact, quick and serves up delicious offerings!

We went on a gloomy Saturday afternoon as they were parked at Deerfoot Meadows – which is one of my favourite locations to enjoy food trucks. I ordered their Harrisa Chicken stew which is a slow cooked chicken stew that sits ontop of quinoa and raisins. This stew is jammed packed with flavour, and it definitely has a nice kick of heat!

We also ordered the Coconut Beef Curry with Potatoes, and this was awesome! You can taste the coconut curry – which is great flavour! I may say at this point this beef curry is my favourite so far from Braizen as it was a perfect curry, and the texture was perfect!

Our friend ordered the Jerk Chicken Sliders with pineapple slaw and he said it was good, but cold. I guess they didn’t toast the buns, which would have made a big impact on a gloomy day. I didn’t get to try it, but it sure tickled my appetite!

Overall, this truck is really good as each dish has bold flavour and it’s definitely well seasoned. The food is amazing and the portions are decent for what you get from a food truck!