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O’Cup Calgary

There’s this one day, I just went to Chinatown, and noticed a new restaurant/cafe – so I called up a few friends and advised them something called O’Cup was opened. We made the effort to go down. It’s in the former location of Bubble Station (former location of original Dessert House). This little place has really odd hours which doesn’t make me feel like it’s very convenient. We got in at 8pm as a few of us got off work around then, and right away they told us it was last call. Regardless, we asked for a few more minutes as the rest of the party arrives – and they were really accommodating in that aspect! At the end, when we were about to leave, there were a lot of tables that did come in for drinks, so I think it’s okay if you actually make it in before 9PM.

Their menus are really interesting as they put lamination on the menu and you check off what you want with a white pen. We ordered some Milk Tea, and it says it can come “hot”, and we ordered 2 drinks from that section. One of them came hot, and the other was cold. We didn’t specify, as we assumed it would be “cold” unless we asked them for a hot drink. Regardless, it was a very decent. The drinks did come out one at a time, so it was like they only had 1 drink maker. We got the Almond Milk Tea and that came out hot and it tasted quite delicious!

I ordered the Hazelnut Milk Tea and it came out cold. It tasted really good, but there was a ton of ice cubes.

As a little snack, I ordered my favourite Condensed Milk Waffles. I love condensed milk, and I am convinced that if you put it on anything, everything tastes good! The condensed milk was delicious, but the waffles was just a little weird. It was really dry and dense and not my favourite.

We also got another sweet waffle, and we tried the Oreo Cookie Waffle which was good, except for the texture of the waffle – so I think it’s their batter that hasn’t been perfected… otherwise, it’s just a different type which I’m not a fan of! I am sure there are lots out there who would like it. I just like the ones with a crispy exterior and a light and fluffy interior.

We also had some Popcorn Chicken which comes in a little bowl and some mustard mayonnaise as a dip. It was fried to a nice colour with a huge crisp! I really enjoyed their popcorn chicken and I’m sure I’ll get it again!

We all shared another deep fried item called the Taiwanese Fried Chicken which are small pieces of chicken slices, seasoned with a seasoning very much like salt & pepper chicken. Again, it was really crispy and tasty and the chicken wasn’t too dry!

Finally, our last little treat that we ordered was the Curry Fish Balls, and it was interesting as it wasn’t actually all fish balls. They have pieces of lo bak (daikon) in it – and just a few fish balls. So, we were just a little mis-lead, but it tasted good anyway! But again, you really can’t goof up something like this!

Overall, I did enjoy the “deep” fried food and the drinks from here. So, now, we got another little place where we don’t mind going to on a Saturday or Sunday, as the hours work best for us there!

O'Cup on Urbanspoon

O’Cup

2-110 2 Ave SE
Calgary, AB T2G
(403) 452-2606

Hours of Operation:
Mon – Thurs 11AM – 9PM
Fri-Sat 11AM – 11PM
sun 11AM – 6PM

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Homemade Vietnamese Sandwich with Grilled Chicken

I really love Vietnamese Submarines, and these days, it seems to be hard to find some in the city – for a reasonable price. I had to make a few modifications as I didn’t have all the ingredients, but the sandwich sure tasted great!

Ingredients:
1 French Roll or similar bun (crusty outside, soft inside)
1 chicken breast or 2 chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 or 2 slices of cucumbers
cilantro
pickled carrots
chili pepper (optional)
onions
soy sauce
fish sauce
white soft cheese (I use mozzarella cheese)

To make this, I actually made my own pickled carrots, which is really simple to do. Some people have a mixture of pickled daikon and carrots, but I opted for just carrots as that’s the way I’m use to! If you’re making it, make this step at least an hour ahead of time.

Pan sear the chicken thigh or breast with some oil, salt and pepper. Once it’s cooked, take off the stove and let it rest.

In the mean time, cut your bun, spread one side with mayonnaise and the other side with a few shakes of soy sauce and fish sauce, and salt and pepper.

Place the meat on the bun, and top it with some cheese and bake until the cheese melts in a 350F oven, which takes a few minutes. Then, take the submarine out of the oven, and top it off with the pickled carrots, cilantro and other fresh vegetables. (I usually don’t put the raw onions on as I’m worried about onion breath at work – if I’m having this for lunch) Put the top of the sandwich on and you’re ready to enjoy!

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Indian Edge – Kenilworth, England

Indian food in England is actually quite different than Indian food in Calgary. My brother-in-Law really wanted to take us for curry, and brought us to Indian Edge and I’m really glad he did. The food is so delicious, and it’s not all about spice, it’s about the flavours – which I appreciate! Here in Calgary, it’s almost a contest of how much spice you can eat, but not here – everything was really good, and the best part is, we didn’t have any stomach aches afterwards.

I ordered a Mango Lassi drink, which was done really nice here at Indian Edge. I’ve had a few experiences where it’s just pureed mangoes, and it’s really hard to slurp up a straw. The consistency is still thick enough that there is substance, and it’s not watered down. It’s by far my favourite one so far.

We started the evening with some Papadum, and when I tried it from Indian Edge, I actually said “it doesn’t taste burnt!”. I’m not sure why, but from all my previous experiences, I remembered a distinct burnt taste associated with it. So, I am glad we got some papadum, and that I tried them regardless of previous experiences. There were plenty of sauce options that came with the papadum, five of them, and I’m not sure what all of them where. I know that the one I enjoyed the most is the one most like fresh salsa!

Our main curry dishes, we ordered Mattar Paneer which was a dish of green peas and Indian cheese. It’s my least favourite from the dishes we ordered, but it was a good dish.

Not as tasty as the Lamb Jalfrezi which was the spiciest dish we ordered for the evening. The lamb was cooked until tender in a sauce with a combination of peppers, onions cooked medium with a Bangladeshi sauce.

We also ordered 2 chicken dishes, we got to try chicken tikka massala which was a creamy and tender chicken dish, with delicious sauce that was made of a tomato sauce with mild creamy coconut and almond sauce. The Chicken Tikka Massala was my favourite!

The other chicken dish that we tried was the chicken shashlik which wasn’t like the usual curries we eat, as this dish was not covered in sauce, but had fresh succulent dry roasted chicken pieces cooked in clay oven with sweet peppers,onions, tomatoes and spices – and was skewered like a kebab.

Last but not least, we ordered the Salmon tikka which pieces of salmon fillets, barbecued in tandoor in light tandoori fragrant spices. This was also a relatively dry dish, and very tasty. Large chucks of salmon and the spices was a wonderful combination.

To eat with the curry dishes, we ordered a variety of options – just to try different things! We ordered Basmati Pilau Rice, and the Mushroom Pilau Rice which was used as a vehicle to eat the curry! Both rices was really good, and it added another dimension to the curries. I think I enjoyed the normal Basmati Pilau rice more, but the mushroom pilau rice was a really close second!

We also ordered 2 types of naan, which I’ve never tried until now!! We tried the Keema Naan which was your typical naan filled with flavourful and delicious minced lamb. This was by far my favourite naan and I can eat it on it’s own! The other naan we had was Peshwari Naan which was a naan filled with coconut and fruits! I really enjoyed this as well, especially when I was indulging in a super spicy curry, it helps cut down the heat and adds sweetness! It is one of the most delicious naans, and I thought “garlic naan” was the best thing ever…

Overall, Indian Edge now sits on the top of my favourite list for Indian cuisine, which really isn’t too good. I can’t just go to Indian Edge next time I have a craving for curry. But, I still have my favourite locations in Calgary I can go to in the mean time!

Indian Edge

50 Warwick Road,
Kenilworth
(01926) 850100

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Chez Francois – Canmore, Alberta

We made it to Chez Francois one long weekend evening, and it turned out to be a fantastic place to eat!! We sat down, pretty late, and no one gave us any problems for coming in an hour and some before closing!

They started our evening with an awesome greeting from their friendly staff, and gave us some bread with duck pate. The bread was really fresh, and the pate was really tasty, smooth, and creamy! It was quite delicious.

We started off with Feuilleté d’Escargots which were escargots in puff pastry with a creamy herbs & garlic sauce, and it was really wonderful!! It’s been awhile since I had great escargot, and Chez Francois prepares it to perfection!

For the main, I enjoyed the Saumon Colbert which was poached salmon topped with shrimp and scallop mousse glazed with a Hollandaise sauce.

We also ordered the Poulet au Vinaigre de Framboise grain fed chicken breast light creamy raspberry vinegar sauce

With such a wonderful experience, we definitely will be returning, as we didn’t order a dessert since it was getting quite late. The best thing about Chez Francois, it’s opened for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ll find another opportunity to return again!

Chez Francois

1602 Bow Valley Trail
Canmore, AB
(403) 678-6111

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Chachi’s – Calgary, Alberta

I’ve seen Chaichi’s Sandwich Bar a few times now, before I actually got a chance to go in. I always see it when I’m at Tim Hortons, but by then — I’ve already got some delicious food in my hand. However, I finally made it over to Chachi’s for a birthday lunch, and it was okay. It’s actually nothing special… and for the amount you pay, I may as well go over to the grocery store and order a deli sandwich.

The sandwich itself wasn’t bad, but I must say it’s nothing special. I ordered a Chicken & Havarti sandwich, and that only had one size option, long – which was fine for me. It was jammed packed with chicken breast, havarti cheese, basil pesto, Dijon, red onions, lettuce and tomatoes on Italian bread.

We also had the New York Style Smoked Meat Sandwich, and that was alright as well. It was much softer, and basically consisted only of smoked meat, and mustard also on Italian bread.

Chachi’s

#35 South Trail Crossing
4307 – 130th Ave SE
Calgary, AB (403) 457-5397