Posted on

Communitea Cafe – Canmore, Alberta

Now that I’ve been to Canmore a few times, I always go by Communitea and never go in. This time, we made the extra effort to go in and it was perfect!

The space was spacious, clean, and comfortable! I really enjoyed my time there, and I’m sure all their customers did too!! It’s the weirdest thing I’m about to say, but they made me the best chai tea latte I’ve ever had so far!! It was perfectly spiced, the texture was smooth, and I can go on and on! It was just really nice!

We also had a cup of London Fog and again, it was really smooth and delicious. It seemed to have hints of vanilla and ginger which was a really refreshing twist!

As this was an in-between meal stop, we only ordered 1 panini to share – The Westcoaster, which was the perfect amount as their panini’s are quite large! It was nicely toasted, filled with eggs, smoked salmon, dill cream cheese and spinach. The dill cream cheese was a little over powering, or there wasn’t enough smoked salmon. It was a great tasting panini, but I would either put less of the dill or more smoked salmon – then it would become top notch!

I am sure I will be back next time I’m in town! Just a great little place to sit down and enjoy some relaxing time pass by! I think I’ll try their steeped tea leaves as they have a huge selection and I do enjoy my tea leaves!

Communitea Cafe

117, 1001 6th Avenue
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-6818

Posted on

Fairmont Banff Springs

I’ve been really fortunately to have been able to try the luxurious Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, and I have always wanted to return since the first visit. I’ve really liked the style of the resort as it is very historic, yet warm and inviting. Some of the rooms were really small, and crammed, but it is the experience to be able to say you’ve stayed at a Fairmont Resort. I have stayed there about 3 times total, and all times it’s been really different.

The great outdoor heated pool is definitely something to rave about. I remember sitting in the heated pool in the heart of winter with snow falling down, and an elk came by the pool to see what the guests were all about. While all the guests in the pool were so excited to see the elk, of course security for the hotel kept a close watch on the wildlife.

We once got a room that seemed to be tucked in the corner, and everything was really crammed, and the location was noisy — this room was near a walkway where tour groups walk by and it made for a different type of experience. This room is the only pictures I have…

We were lucky once, and got upgraded to a different type of room where we had a great fireplace, great view and great everything! So, it’s hard to say what the actual feeling of the resort is as we seemed to stay in very different room types… so it’s been really challenging for me to say whether or not I like it here… I must say, when I’m given further opportunities, or if it costs the same as other resorts, absolutely, I will be back for the Fairmont Experience. I really do like the valet service they have in the winter as well, as they do take the extra effort and scrap your windows! 🙂 It’s definitely worth the extra for that kind of service!

I do keep an eye out for specials and promotions and try to reason with myself to make a trip out and stay at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Hopefully I’ll be returning soon!

Posted on

Chaya – Banff, Alberta

If you’re looking for the best Japanese place to eat in Banff, look no further. Chaya is owned an operated by Japanese owners, so you definitely know the food is authentic. I love going to Chaya as they have great udon noodles! I normally order a chicken udon, as that is my ultimate favourite dish from Chaya! It is really infused with great flavours in both the chicken and the stock they use for the soup!

The location is quite small, so I recommend going right when they open (at 11am) or right after the lunch rush! It’s quite often they would have Japanese tours going in there for a quick bite!

They offer a huge variety of Japanese cuisine, and besides udon, we really like the soba and the rice don. This location is tucked and hidden beside McDonalds right on Main Street and is often missed. But, keep your eye open for Chaya and enjoy their food! Their dishes are slightly on the expensive side, but it’s well worth it!

Chaya

118 Banff av
Banff, AB
(403) 760-0882

Posted on

Giorgio’s Trattoria – Banff, Alberta

Giorgio’s is a really good location for Italian cuisine in Banff, AB. It is located right on Main Street, which makes it really convenient if you’re just walking up and down the street trying to find something really good at a reasonable price. Sure, I haven’t been there for awhile now, but I remember my dinner well — so it was really a positive experience that is memorable.

I love shrimp and I ordered the Seafood Linguine, and as you can tell, it’s quite large in portion as I’ve eaten some before the picture was taken. The shrimp wasn’t bad at all, but it’s not the best either! You can see it as they do camouflage with the tomato sauce!

Very memorable, we had the braised rabbit, which doesn’t seem like they have that item anymore. It was really soft, tender, fall of the bone and juicy!! It was something I would have had again, but now we’ll try to find braised rabbit at other locations.

Giorgio’s Trattoria
219 Banff Avnue
Banff, AB

Posted on

Quarry Dining Lounge – Canmore, Alberta

We found ourselves at Quarry’s one evening as everywhere we wanted to try was completely booked up. Quarrys was also booked up, but they gave us a seat at the bar which was really neat! I love watching bartenders mix up drinks!

The food service was really fast despite the mad rush they had! They warned us that our meals would take awhile, but we didn’t think it was bad at all. We started with their bread and it was very fresh! Nothing like fresh bread on any day!

I ordered their Panko Crusted Salmon and I loved the seafood here! The fish was fresh without having the fishy taste. The crispy crust wasn’t hard or dry or greasy! It was a perfectly executed and it was delicious.

My hubby ordered their Steak and to our delight, it was very tender with tons of flavour. The portion was very generous and prepared to perfection of the doneness of the steak. The fries was thin and not soggy.

We enjoyed ourselves a lot here, and so we ordered dessert, their Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream. It was simple and delicious. Everything was perfect at our experience at the Quarry!

What an amazing place to go to for a delicious and simple meal!

Quarry Dining Lounge

718 Main St
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-6088