banff – Page 3 – Elsie Hui

December 4, 2014December 4, 2014

Rundle Lounge The Fairmont Banff Springs – Banff, Alberta

We had the opportunity to dine at the Rundle Lounge where we reserved a table for afternoon tea. It was beautiful and romantic – the setting was just picturesque. We didn’t have the best service, but everything else was very nice. We had a fantastic experience regardless of service and sometimes food is all we care about!

Once we were seated, the table was beautifully set and the menu was on our table with all the utensils we would need for afternoon tea, including our tea steeper!

We sat for a long time before the waitress even came to our table where she threw down our Fresh Berries which we didn’t know if we started to eat of what the issue was. So, we left it on the table until we got our tea. Along with the berries, she set down the Devonshire Cream and Strawberry preserve on our table.

I ordered the Empress Orange Pekoe which was quite nice. They describe the tea as black tea from India, Tanzania, Kenya, China and Ceylon. Not much of a description, but I do like Orange Pekoe as it’s one of the teas I consider “normal” and like anytime of day.

After our tea came, and we ate most of our fresh berries, our waitress brought out some scones, a sweet scone and a savoury one – which both tasted amazing!

From there, came the amazing 3 Tier Tower of goodies which is the highlight of the experience.

On the bottom tier, it was the Finger Sandwich tier with egg salad, smoked salmon, heirloom tomato, grilled vegetable, waldorf chicken sandwiches. My favourite from this tier would be the egg salad croissant. It was perfect in every way!

The middle tier had the Tea Pastries which had some mini madeleine cakes with a brownie on a stick dipped on chocolate as well as a mouse tart.

The top tier had the Petit Fours which was basically the sweet tier and the tier I love most. There was a lemon macaroon as well as a pistachio macaroon on this tier which is the best macaroon we’ve tried to date! There was also raspberry cheesecake on a cookie crust which was absolutely amazing!

Our overall experience was decent. The food was really good, the ambiance was superb and the service – well, it could have been better. We did enjoy our time, as we were looking forward to afternoon tea at the Rundle Lounge for a long time! This is definitely an experience you should try at least once!

Rundle Lounge – The Fairmont Banff Springs

405 Spray Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-6860

November 29, 2014

Waldhaus Restaurant – Banff, Alberta

We went to Banff for a weekend where we wanted to try Waldhaus that claims it’s inside Banff Springs Hotel. It is on it’s property, but outside. There is a shuttle that takes you to and from the restaurant and it’s located pretty much on the golf course.

Once we got seated as we had a late reservation, we were offered some delicious bread. The special bread in the basket would be the pretzel croissants. It’s pretty filling, but it was really tasty! The texture was amazing and with some butter, it was a nice treat! It’s a pretzel rolled into a croissant shape.

I ordered the Vension Medallion which was delicious! The vension was tender and juicy and marinated really well, and of course cooked to perfection! The vension was topped with lingonberry preserve with some black garlic jus and the combination was amazing.

We also ordered the Jager Schnitzel which was a thin piece of breaded and fried veal with mushroom ragout on top. We really like the mushrooms on top and the combination of the fried veal with the mushroom gravy – it was divine!

As we had such an amazing dinner, we decided we would have some dessert. We wanted to try some traditional Black Forest Cake as everything was made traditionally. The black forest cake was made with a modern twist, so it was quite different.

We had an experience to remember and loved our time here. To top off the experience, the chef came out and chatted with his customers and he even stopped at our table to talk to us! We were impressed with the entire visit, especially the food! The service and atmosphere was top notched!

Waldhaus Restaurant

405 Spray Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-6860

October 26, 2014October 29, 2014

The Summit Cafe – Banff, Alberta

This is the cafe located on the top of Sulphur Mountain where you can either take their Gondola up to the top or you can hike the trail. This cafe is called The Summit Cafe and it’s pretty spacious in size with spectacular views. We’ve been here twice now and we love having their specialty coffee’s and just relaxing by the window, soaking in the views. The coffee is just from a hot chocolate machine but it’s really delicious.

We did order an order of Onion Rings which was fried when you order them. They smelled amazing and they tasted really good as well. Fresh, crispy and tasty! Not much more you need!

Overall, we’ve enjoyed our experience here and we’re thinking about coming up here more often. Our first hike up the mountain to the cafe was almost 4 hours as we took lots of breaks. This time, we took just under 2.5 hours which is amazing! Soon, we can get up the mountain, have some treat and make it back down in a nick of time!

The Summit Cafe – Sulphur Mountain

Mountain Avenue
Banff, AB
403-762-7486

October 26, 2014

Athena Pizza and Spaghetti House – Banff, Alberta

We’ve been wanting to try Athena Pizza and Spaghetti House for quite some time now as they’ve been here for over 30 years – it shows us they’re doing something right. Located right by the Clock Tower Mall, on the 2nd floor, they’ve got a good sized space for pizza!

One of my favourite pizza’s is the Hawaiian Pizza so I ordered myself a small pizza. It’s actually pretty big for it’s size, but probably right for it’s price. At $15.50, this pizza has lots of Canadian bacon and pineapple on it. It’s got a nice crust that is sturdy enough to hold the toppings without being thick or greasy. It’s a good pizza!

The last thing we enjoyed was their Oven Baked Lasagne which had thin lasagna pieces with a rich meaty homemade sauce, topped with cheese – and then baked in the oven. The garlic toast that it came with was absolutely delicious and I would probably order another slice of it if I didn’t have an entire pizza!

Overall, it was a great place to eat! The food was good, the pizza was decent and the pasta was terrific. The prices were a little high for what it was, but the quality of food made up for it. The service was quick and friendly.

Athena Pizza and Spaghetti House

112 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-4022

October 25, 2014October 25, 2014

Evelyn’s Coffee Bar – Banff, Alberta

We were walking around along Banff Avenue when I decided I wanted to stop into a coffee shop and wanderied into Evelyn’s Coffee Bar right on Banff Avenue, north of Caribou Street. The location is really easy to find and the tables outside will help you find it!

This is a coffee company that seems to have re-branded itself or renamed it for whatever reason. But, on their own website, it’s now called Evelyn’s Coffee Bar. I went in and ordered their Pumpkin Spice Latte which is one of my favourite fall drinks. This one not only had a latte art but it smelled wonderful! I think I will order it extra hot next time, or I took too long before I started drinking it – it wasn’t too hot. It tasted great and it made me really happy.

We also ordered a Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Frappe which I thought my husband was silly – it was a relatively cool afternoon, but whatever he wanted. It tasted really chocolatey and delicious. The nice thing about this frappe was it wasn’t filled with ice so you’re able to enjoy a lot more of this drink.

I really enjoy this location as it’s busy, yet you’re able to find a table to sit and enjoy the drink. You never feel rushed or anything. It’s a great place to sit down and watch the world pass you as you’re right on the busy street of Banff.

Evelyn’s Coffee Bar

215 Banff Ave
Banff, AB
(403) 762-0352