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Boston Pizza Chinook Centre – Calgary, Alberta

This particular evening we were wanting to eat at Boston Pizza which is somewhere we use to go a lot, but has cut down. We went to the Chinook Centre location as it’s not only convenient, but we could also get some Christmas shopping afterwards! This location is one of the newest locations in Calgary, and I think it’s great!

I ordered the Baked Chipotle Bacon Penne which was excellent, with a nice spicy smokey chipotle taste which was kind of subtle, but enough to detect. This plate of penne was a large portion but was really good – it was penne with creamy alfredo sauce tossed with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and cheese. Then to make it extra special, they put a nice layer of cheese on top and baked it to oozy gooey yumminess!

For the pizza, we ordered Spicy Perogy Pizza and this was such a different type of pizza. Instead of your typical tomato pizza sauce, they use sour cream, and they line the pizza with potato slices. The toppings was delicious and it had lots of smoky bacon, cheese and green onions!

For dessert, even though we were super stuffed, we were convinced to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding and we’re so happy that we tried it. It was a delicious steamed chocolate sponge cake, topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream smothered with rich caramel sauce.

The food at this location was phenomenal, and the service overall was excellent. The prices was right, and you’ll never know what kind of new menu items you’ll find from Boston Pizza. It’s not your typical Pizza Chain as it offers not only your usual suspects at a pizza joint, but it offers new and exciting menu items and even specialty items like gluten free dishes.

Boston Pizza in Calgary Chinook Center

232 – 6455 Macleod Trail SW Map
Calgary, AB
(403) 255-2525

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MGM Grand Buffet

We don’t normally eat at buffets, but we did on this occasion, as the room I booked came with complimentary buffet. I stayed at the MGM Grand Resort & Casino which was a wonderful place to stay.

MGM Grand Buffet Entrance

The buffet was delicious, and there was a lot of food options. It was quite the Grand Buffet as you’ll definitely find something for everyone! They have from regular breakfast/lunch foods like potatoes, eggs, sausages, to much more exotic brunch items like sushi. Even the selection at the salad bar was massive, and the ingredients were fresh. They employees at the Grand Buffet keep the items stocked and that’s a great thing to see – as I’ve been to a few buffets that don’t refill to control their supplies and not meeting demands.

MGM Grand Buffet

One of my favourite stations from this buffet was the Smoked Salmon, they had two pieces of really nice salmon, and I’m sure I ate enough they would’ve frowned at me if they knew it was going into my belly – solely! I did try some of their sushi, and it wasn’t anything special, but I think it’s a special item for breakfast! This buffet is definitely trying to cater to as many ethnics and cuisines as possible!

MGM Grand Buffet - Sushi

To further enhance what I’m talking about regarding selection, even the selection of loaves was massive! There is really something for everyone, and it’s kind of too bad this was found at the back – because I really stuffed myself before I found the bakery selection!

MGM Grand Buffet - Pastries

I really enjoy desserts, and the dessert bar at this buffet is actually quite massive for a morning buffet. I’ve previously been to a buffet in Vegas last year and they actually do things like turn the ice cream machine off for the morning buffets, and everything becomes cookies, pastries, like croissants, breads and toasts and other morning goodies. At the Grand Buffet, they even have a large selection of sugar free desserts which is really pleasing to see!

MGM Grand Buffet - Dessert Bar

This is a great location and definitely a grand buffet! You can find traditional meal items to specialty items, and usually variations of all, plus everything in between! So, if you’re looking for selection, especially with the heated item selection – this could be a great option for you!

MGM Grand Buffet on Urbanspoon

MGM Grand Buffet
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 891-7777

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Days Hotel London – Waterloo

During our stay in London, we stayed in a small hotel called Days Hotel London – Waterloo which didn’t matter as we were only there for the bed – for a few hours! We were actually expecting the room to look more like a cabin on a cruise ship, so when we checked-in, the hotel met and exceeded our expectations!

The bathroom was extremely small, as you’re staring at yourself in the reflection of the mirror on top of the sink while you’re on the toilet. There was no bathtub, just a tiny stand-up shower. There was plenty of space in the hotel suite itself, and comes with complimentary coffees and teas. The star rating for this hotel is a 3 Star hotel, which is fine of a rating. I may have rated it 2.5 stars, but that’s my opinion.

A few neat things about this hotel though, it’s got no air conditioning, and just offers a fan. It was fine when we went (in September) as it was cool and rainy for a few days. We actually turned on the heat at nights too. A good thing about this hotel, the windows do open for fresh air, and it’s 100% smoke free. I never would’ve thought that would be possible in England as it seems like everyone smokes.

The best thing about this hotel would be the location – being a few minutes walk from Lambeth North station makes it really convenient. For the big Tube station, the Waterloo station is about a 10 minute walk away. On the same street as the hotel – going towards the station, there are little grocery/convenient stores that seemed to be opened a lot and was great for us to pick things up like water and snacks.

It was lovely, and from our window, we were able to see the top of London Eye as we were staying at the Southbank.

Days Hotel London- Waterloo

54 Kennington Road, London, SE1 7BJ GB
Phone: 44-2079-221331

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Fernandez & Wells – London, England

While we were in London, we really wanted lunch, and had absolutely no idea what we were wanting to eat – but knowing we had to eat! We just happen to be walking down Lexington Street, and we saw 3 cured legs at the window, and we knew this was the place where we wanted to eat! This lovely location is called Fernandez & Wells which seemed perfect!

This store front is wonderful! It’s small, warm, cozy, and the smell of freshly roasted and cured meats fills the air! When we got to the counter to see what we wanted to eat, there was a pile high of sandwiches on a selection of ciabatta buns or ‘bocadillos’ (crusty flutes) – and they get grilled after you order them.

I ordered the Grilled Chorizo Sandwich which is made of their fresh chorizo, and lined with some roasted red peppers and rocket leaves. After this sandwich was grilled, it was delicious and it was kind of spicy and super tasty!

We also ordered Rare Topside of Beef Sandwich which was a sandwich packed with roast beef and some horseradish. The roast beef was perfectly roasted and it wasn’t tough at all! It was tender and full of intense beef flavour which was very nice! I personally think they put a tad too much horseradish on the sandwich, as it cleared my sinuses and made my eyes water! I ended up scooping off some of the horseradish before finishing up my half of the sandwich.

Fernandez & Wells really keeps things simple. When we asked what there is to drink, they looked at us funny and said “wine or water”, so we opt’d for wine, as it looks like the thing to do! We don’t ever drink wine, so it was kind of funny as we had a nice buzz from it! 🙂 We ordered the Alpha Zeta Chardonnay which was quite light already. I can’t say if it was good or not as I do not know how chardonnay is suppose to taste, or the difference between any wines. But, it was crisp and light – and actually a bit refreshing!

This was one of the best sandwich lunch places we’ve had in a long time! Things are kept basic, simple and rustic and that made for a delicious place to eat! We even went at an odd time, and there wasn’t seating left. Most of their customers take away, or they’re sitting there enjoying cheese and wine or something like that! It was just nice to step out of the busy streets of London and step into their restaurant and we were able to relax and watch the world pass by. This location is truly a hidden gem for us!

Fernandez & Wells

43 Lexington St
Soho, UK
(020) 7734 1546

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Giraffe – Waterloo London

During our trip to England, we had to visit London. Our first night in London, we met up with my cousin there and she brought us to Giraffe which was located on the Southbank near Waterloo. It was a beautiful location as it was right off the river, and a great place to stop in for a bite to eat as it was just beginning to pour that day.

I ordered a Smoothie as I wanted something sweet and fun! I tried the Mango Mama which was a smoothie made with mango, strawberry, banana, orange, apple juice. I ordered mine without the banana, since I’m allergic to bananas, so it wasn’t as thick and creamy. It was still a delicious drink though, full of fruit flavours! The best thing about this drink I must say was the awesome giraffe stir-stick standing in my smoothie! The giraffe was just tall enough so it’s head would stick out of the drink! My little nephew loved these giraffe stir-sticks too!

I wasn’t too sure what to try – the menu was massive, so I just picked something I thought I would enjoy instead of venturing off and trying something new. I ordered the Rodeo Chicken Burger which was a huge burger of grilled chicken breast with melted cheddar, fried mushrooms, BBQ sauce and onion ring. It had the usual condiment suspects such as lettuce, tomato and mayo. It was weird, as I’m not normally a fan of chicken breast – they’re normally kind of over cooked and dry, but this chicken breast burger was actually juicy, mouth-watering good! With the crunch from the onion ring, and the extra sauce from the BBQ sauce, it was a delight to eat this burger!

I split my meal with my husband, and he ordered Grilled Mojito Chicken which was something completely different from what we’ve ever ordered or tried to make at home. This was half chicken marinated in mint, lime and rum. Served with sin on fries and a home made poppy seed celery slaw. This half a chicken was really unique as it was infused with mint and lime flavour. It’s like no other roasted chicken, but it was extremely enjoyable.

My cousin enjoyed a Szechuan Sesame Noodles which was basically fried vegetables and egg noodles in a Szechuan pepper sauce with ginger, garlic, fresh mango and fried shallots. It was definitely Asian style and it must’ve tasted good as she almost finished the entire bowl. This bowl of noodles was the best smelling dish, and it looked really good as well!

My little nephew ordered a kids Pasta Pomodoro fresh penne pasta with pomodoro sauce, and of course he had fun eating this plate of food! He actually enjoyed it so much, he ended up eating it with his hands instead of his utensils! The little kid finished everything, and had some of our french fries as well!

Overall, this was an amazing place to eat! The atmosphere was fun, the prices was reasonable – especially considering the location of the restaurant! Best of all, the food was great, and the service was fine. Our favourite course from the evening would for sure be the Grilled Mojito Chicken, and we would order that again!

Giraffe

Southbank Centre
Waterloo
Belvedere Rd
London, UK