alberta – Page 17

December 22, 2014

Sunshine Vietnamese Restaurant – Calgary, Alberta

We decided to have more Vietnamese food as that’s a cuisine I really like that isn’t as expensive as some other types! So, we found Sunshine Vietnamese primarily by the large amount of positive reviews for this restaurant.

We ordered some Deep Fried Chicken Wings to start, and they give you plum sauce to dip your wings into. As odd as it sounds, we just ate the wings fried with no sauce. As odd as it sounds, I think I would like it more with a sweet chili sauce instead of plum… or a spicy plum sauce would be really interesting as well! The wings itself was fried quite nicely, we enjoyed them!

I ordered their Bun as I’ve been eating a lot of noodle soups lately. I decided to go for their Lemongrass Beef with Spring Rolls and it was a large portion of vermicelli! There was 2 full spring rolls and not too much beef on the top.

My husband has this amazing ability to not get bored of eating the same thing – over and over! So, he always goes back to what he likes, the Rare Beef Noodle Soup! I guess it does make sense if you’re comparing food – you’re eating the same thing at a different place! The soup here was really good and the flavours were deep, so it was better than some places we’ve gone too!

Overall, a great experience with a lot of options on their menu! The food is quite authentic and the service is friendly as well! We enjoyed our time here and hopefully we’ll be returning!

Sunshine Vietnamese

380 Canyon Meadows Dr SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 271-2214

December 22, 2014December 22, 2014

Pho Chu The – Calgary, Alberta

We were meeting up with some friends of ours where they introduced us to Pho Chu The for really good Vietnamese food at a great rate. The location is on the west side of Macleod Trail and it could be tough to get to if you’re not sure where you’re going.

I ordered the standard Rare Beef Noodle Soup as it was a day I ate dinner before having more dinner. For some reason I thought it was a lighter meal! I did finish the bowl regardless of what I ate – so clearly it was really tasty!

The plate of condiments that came with our noodles were presented really nicely. The beansprouts were fresh and plump (and not brown) while the chilies were cut up for us! It was nice seeing it so pretty!

My husband ordered pretty much the same thing but their spicy version! They looked like they enjoyed it thoroughly and it smelled amazing! Fragrant and flavourful – that’s what you want in a spicy dish… not just pure spice! I did try a spoonful of the soup and it was pretty amazing! You don’t need to add anything else to make it better!

Overall, it was a nice place to visit! The place was really clean, the prices are average, the service is a bit slow, but they’re friendly. There was a parking lot in front of the restaurant, but if I recall, there wasn’t that many spots. We actually walked over so I don’t remember.

Pho Chu The

4633 Macleod Trail SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 457-3455

December 22, 2014

Cochrane Cafe – Cochrane, Alberta

We love travelling through Alberta and this time we were looking for a quick breakfast and we stopped in Cochrane – at Cochrane Cafe! This is a Chinese/Western restaurant which was a place we decided to do Western instead of Chinese! The location is pretty much on their main street with parking spots outside.

It was a brisk morning, so I decided I would have standard Hot Tea out of tea bags. They don’t have the tea from a Chinese restaurant or anything – but that as fine! It’s what makes them Western!

I was feeling like having pancakes, so I got an order of their Hot Cakes and it came out on a plate a perfectly stacked stack of pancakes! I was delighted! The pancakes were light and fluffy and they weren’t burnt or anything! They were amazing!

I then figured I’m never full without some sort of meat – so I upgraded my hot cakes to include sausages. These Sausages came on a separate plate on the side which was perfect, so it wouldn’t be swimming in my maple syrup!

My husband ordered their Steak & Eggs which was really neat! They claim it’s a 6oz (precooked) portion of steak and their hashbrowns were actually hashbrowns! The meat was cooked well and although a little tough, it was well seasoned and still delicous.

Our experience here was pretty good! The food was delicious and the prices was average. The place was clean and it’s a neat place to stop in if you’re in Cochrane!

Cochrane Cafe

316 1st St E
Cochrane, AB
(403) 932-2521

December 21, 2014

Rose Garden Thai Restaurant – Calgary, Alberta

I really enjoy eating Thai cuisine and we had an chnace to make it to Stephen Avenue one afternoon where Rose Garden was actually opened for lunch! Without hesitation, we went inside and the place is decorated beautifully!

Once we sat down, we we were approached by really friendly staff and they were quick and knowledgeable. We started with an appetizer called Spicy Deep Fried Thai Fish Cakes and they were really delicious! The fish cakes were flavourful and tender while fried to a nice golden brown outside crisp! It’s like no other appetizer we have had before and I enjoyed this thoroughly. It was not fishy at all!

We had an order of their Thai Curries and we decided we would try their Yellow Chicken curry with potatoes and chicken strips. The curry was mild to medium and it came with quite a few pieces of chicken. The presentation was extraordinary which was really nice!

The last dish we tried was their Pineapple Curry with Prawns which was my favourite. I really like prawns and pineapples, so I ate this dish completely! It was spicy, but it was toned down with the crushed pineapples and coconut milk! It was delicious and I would recommend this dish if you enjoy fruits in your savoury dishes!

Of course, a Thai meal wouldn’t be completed with Coconut Rise to soak up all the delicious sauces from the dishes! We ate everything up – thinking there would be leftovers for the following day or dinner. We couldn’t bare the thought of this waiting to get reheated! It was quite an enjoyable lunch!

Overall, the food and service was top-notch! The location can be tricky if you’re not use to parking downtown or don’t like paying for parking. There’s always the option for public transportation as well. The prices seems a little high, but the location is quite exceptional! It was a fantastic experience and we hope to be back again soon!

Rose Garden Thai

112 8 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 263-1900

December 20, 2014December 20, 2014

Jump Start – Banff, Alberta

Long time ago, we went for a walk and decided to stop in to Jump Start for a quick bite. We found that the location was perfect for a cafe place like this as many guest could grab something and take out – and enjoy at the park or wherever their travels will take them.

We decided to take a break from the outdoors and went to dine inside. We ordered their Hot Chocolate as it was a breezy day. It tasted fine and it was in a nice mug where we could slow down the pace with. I like drinking my hot drinks out of a mug!

Then, we ordered their Roast Beef Sandwich and we did mention to them we’re eating in. They just took the sandwich from the fridge and placed it on our plate. We thought it was kind of strange they didn’t make it to order or at least ask to heat it up or anything. It looks like there’s a lot of roast beef in the sandwich, but it really only has 3 slices where they folded it. It was rather disappointing and reminded us of something you can grab from the fridge at a convenient store.

Without knowing that is what the did to the sandwiches when we ordered them, we also had their Ham Sandwich where you can actually see there’s only 2 slices of ham, and stuffed with lettuce and tomatoes. This one we didn’t mind cold as the vegetables wouldn’t be as nice if it was warm – but they still only took it out of the fridge. That was the nice thing – the veg was really fresh!

For what we paid, we’re not too satisfied although it was filling and convenient. Unfortunately they didn’t taste like much, but we were here when they first opened. Hopefully they’ve changed their ways – especially if they claim they’re the sandwich place. The location is very comfortable and we were here for awhile watching the people walk by, so that was really nice!

Jump Start The Coffee and Sandwich Place

206 Buffalo St
Banff, AB
(403) 762-0332