Elsie Hui – Page 52 – Calgary Travel Foodie

August 12, 2014August 12, 2014

Sugarbowl – Edmonton, Alberta

Edmonton is a neat place for dining and I must say, I don’t mind dining in Edmonton! We went for breakfast bright and early at the Sugarbowl and it was already busy with a bit of the lineup outside their doors. We decided that we didn’t really want to wait for a table inside – so we sat outside!

As we were outside on a breezy morning, I started with a nice cup of tea! The tea was quite unique as it wasn’t a brand I’ve seen before. It was quite fragrant but not overwhelming. I think it would have been nice with honey – I just put sugar in mine.

This restaurant is known for their Cinnamon Buns so I ordered one and it was the size of my head! Although it doesn’t look very appealing, it was very fresh and soft and fluffy. It tasted really delicious with brown sugar topping and butter on the side. It’s like a fresh loaf of cinnamon bread but better!

The other breakfast we ordered was their Chicken and Waffles and this was another great choice! The chicken was not greasy, well seasoned, and pan-fried to a nice tender crisp – and still super juicy! The waffles were light with a hint of sweetness. The maple butter was definitely a nice condiment and it completes the dish!

This was one of my favourite breakfast places in Edmonton. Although parking can be a bit tricky, we’ve been lucky enough to find street parking and the weather was nice enough for us to walk to. The service was a bit lacking – but what lacks in that department really makes up in the quality of food! I’m sure this is a place I will return to!

Sugarbowl Cafe

10922 88 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB
(780) 433-8369

August 12, 2014

Peace River Garden Restaurant – Peace River, AB

Another long trip means we were craving food at odd times. This time was around 4pm when we made it into Peace River and basically the only thing opened was Peace River Garden Restaurant which dishes out Chinese/Western food.

I felt like something light and soupy yet filling so I decided to order Wor Wonton and yes the bowl was as full as it looked! Complete with tons of veggies and at least 10 wontons, this was an awesome choice!

I’ve also been talking about Veal Cutlets lately and I guess I made my husband crave it. He was really excited that he saw it on the menu and ordered it. The waitress even giggled and asked why he’s not ordering Chinese food! His story is that I use to eat it in our old family restaurant… which is true, and has absolutely nothing to do with him. Oh well! 🙂

I gotta say, food and service was not bad! There were a few other tables that came in to eat during our odd hour visit. The owners knew a lot of their guests as well, so they got some loyal customers and that makes me happy!

Peace River Garden Restaurant

10016 100 Street
Peace River, AB
(780) 624-1048

August 11, 2014

Pho Anh Huyen Noodle House – Calgary, AB

We were off to another road trip when we figured we’d stop into Pho Anh Huyen for something to eat before we took off. The location isn’t hard to find, but it definitely has limited parking spots. Once you enter the door, it has a scent of “washrooms” which seems to have disappeared quickly.

We started off with Pork and Shrimp Salad Rolls and it’s not as good as my favourite place, but it was decent. The sauce they gave was primarily diluted peanut butter so I added some hot sauce into it to make it tastier for myself as I like the kick to it.

Then, I ordered a bowl of Beef Stew Noodle Soup as I had no idea what I wanted, and this was one of my husbands favourite… so if I didn’t like it, I can always trade with him! It turns out that this was really good, both the beef stew and the soup broth had tons of flavour and the noodles were really well cooked! It didn’t stick together yet it wasn’t soggy and breaking apart!

My husband ordered himself a bowl of Rare Beef with Brisket Noodle Soup and it was quite a different soup. As clear as the broth looked, it also had a really good flavour it the soup. The portions were large and they were really generous with the amount of meat given (in both bowls actually!)

Overall, the prices were average as other Vietnamese noodle houses. The food was decent although not the best we have had. Generous portions of both soup and meat which makes it a good deal!

Pho Anh Huyen Noodle House

1403 Centre St NW
Calgary, AB
(403) 276-3636

August 11, 2014

The Bavarian Inn Restaurant – Bragg Creek, AB

From traveling on my birthday, we discovered how wonderful Eastern Europe food could be so we were excited go to Bragg Creek to try Bavarian Inn Restaurant. We were here around 3PM and they had to turn people away as they were too busy and booked up! We would never have guessed but we were lucky we were ahead of that little rush.

Once we got seated by the window, we browsed through the menu and saw a few items we would love to try. But, since this was a late lunch/early dinner, we could only eat so much. We started with Goulash Soup which they called it “ungarische gulasch suppe” which was like a hearty beef stew with more liquid component – so it turns it into a soup. The flavours were really developed as you can tell a lot of time went into this awesome soup.

I decided to try their Schnitzel Krustchen not only for their pork loin schnitzel, but for smoked salmon as it’s something I really love! This lovely dish is also topped with a fried egg with red cabbage and potatoes on the side. It’s a hearty meal and to my surprise the red cabbage was relatively sweet, so I really enjoyed it as I don’t love all types of sauerkraut; I was a little worried. I actually cleared everything off on my plate and I was impressed with myself!

My husband enjoyed a Jager-Schnitzel which was also a pork loin schnitzel, but what caught his eye was the creamy mushroom sauce that accompanied the dish! On the side was some spatzle, which is really short noodles or dumplings made of flour. Till this day, he still raves about this dish so obviously he truly loved it!

We had such a fabulous time here as the food was amazing, we even tried to order a slice of their Homemade Black Forrest cake, but they ran out. I was shocked that they ran out at that hour as dinner service hasn’t even started – so hopefully they started baking again! I know I will be back to try other amazing dishes here and even their desserts!

The Bavarian Inn Restaurant

75 White Ave
Bragg Creek, AB
(403) 949-3611

August 11, 2014August 11, 2014

Fireweed Grill – Kananaskis, Alberta

We had to do a birthday dinner redo as I was not satisfied with the original plans for my husband, so during a quiet getaway to Kananaskis, we dined at Fireweed Grill which I must say was amazing and perfect for any occasion – even lack of an occasion! It was perfect!

We didn’t order anything to start with, so for my entree I had Quebec Pork Tenderloin which I don’t know how it Quebec, but it was lovely. The meat was slightly overcooked but because it was pork tenderloin, it remained really tender and delicious. With the glaze topped with the salsa, the dish was heavenly!

The birthday boy ordered the New York Striploin which was a 10oz steak which was cooked really funny. The thickness difference was 1cm from either sides, making one edge of it “over cooked” and the other edge “perfect”. We didn’t say anything, but it was still tasty and the sauce did help with the well-doneness and everything else seemed so perfect!

Since everything was amazing, we decided we would have dessert. Our waitress was Kelsey who was absolutely amazing and adorable. She recommended her favourite to us, the Banana Bread Pudding which we were shocked how incredible it was. It was piping hot from the bread pudding and ice cold from the ice cream. The combination of it together — there are no words to describe it. Even eating the portions by itself was absolutely memorable. We eat a lot of desserts and so for, this ranks #2 out of ALL desserts we have had to date.

Overall, we were stuffed and extremely satisfied. The dessert and Kelsey really made our experience one to remember and we would return any day! It made the perfect weekend getaway!

Fireweed Grill – Delta Lodge at Kananaskis

1 Centennial Dr
Kananaskis, AB
(403) 591-6270