Via Cibo – Calgary, Alberta

I was having one of those crazy days at work that left me feeling really tired and exhausted. Luckily on this day, we got to meet up some friends at Via Cibo which is located at Deerfoot Meadows in the Southeast.

Because of such a tiring day, I decided to order myself a nice cup of Latte which was not only presented beautifully, but it tasted really rich and creamy. It was quite perfect actually! Anything would have been perfect on a day like this, but this was beyond perfect!

We started with a bowl of Chef’s Soup which was a chicken egg drop soup. It looked really greasy but it didn’t taste like it – even though it was! This soup was made with chicken, chicken broth, carrots and celery – of course with the egg drop. It was quite flavourful and quite different from any other kind of soup I’ve had before.

As there was a bunch of us, we had 2 pizza’s ordered. The first pizza was their Margherita Pizza which was a vegetarian pizza with mozzarella, tomato and basil. It was a fine pizza with a fantastic crust! As simple as it looks it was jammed pack with flavours!

The other pizza that we devoured was their Via Caslinga Pizza with tomato, sausage, salami and cheese. It had a nice kick to it and it was delicious! The crust again was quite tasty with a nice texture and thickness to it.

As we’re in an Italian place, we couldn’t skip trying their pastas. I must say – they have excellent pasta and it exceeded my expectation! We ordered the Pomodoro with Meatballs and it was really something special. The texture of the pasta was fantastic, the meatballs were large, juicy and tasty. The overall dish was delicious and something I would order again!

Then, we actually made it to dessert round during the same visit! You would think we have been starving for weeks – but the food was too good, we couldn’t stop eating. One of the workers suggested we try their Zeppole which was Italian donuts with sugar coating and a chocolate filling. I do not need to say anything else. These were little bites of heaven!

And then, just in case you thought we had enough – we ordered some Fiasco Gelato also to share! We’ve had them in the past and they were awesome, and this day – same thing!! Nothing beats Italian ice cream!

Overall experience was beyond expectations. We ended up eating the entire restaurant before we left and loved it! I’m sure we’ll be back soon!

Via Cibo on Urbanspoon

Via Cibo Deerfoot Meadows

7929 11th Street Unit# 2
AB T2H 0A7
403 253 9273

Shark Club Sports Bar & Grill – Calgary, AB

One evening, we decided to relax at the Sharks Club at Deerfoot Meadows, and the bar was really nice and large. Parking was a bit tough to find but we managed to get a good spot regardless. This restaurant/bar is really large and spacious – and we enjoyed their patio upstairs.

We weren’t here too long so we just had some drinks and appetizers. We started with their wings Oven Roasted Chicken Wings in both hot, and salt & pepper flavours. The wings were quite decent, backed really nicely. We came on wing night and just ordered a bunch and they were very enjoyable! Even though baked, they had a really nice crust on the outside and juicy on the inside.

We also tried an order of their Pepper Prawns which are prawns sauteed with peppers, chilies, onion and garlic. The prawns were very flavourful and not over cooked. I enjoyed them, and normally a great dish to share!

Overall, the place was really nice to just sit back with drinks and wings! We had a great time and we’ll be back when it’s not so busy so it’s easier to find parking.

Shark Club Sports Bar & Grill on Urbanspoon

Shark Club Sports Bar & Grill

7995 11th St SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 250-5973

Le’s Pho – Heritage Meadows

Sundays are tricky for me – my favourite southeast Vietnamese restaurant is closed on that day, and sometimes, all I want is a nice bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup. So, we decided to venture off – but not too far to find some. We went to Heritage Meadows and found Le’s Pho Vietnamese Cuisine and Grill where I knew I had to try it.

Once we were inside, there was a sign that says “Please Wait to be Seated”, and it seems like it took forever to get seated, even though there wasn’t that many customers there at that odd time when I went (it as around 2 or 3pm). Once we sat down, probably another 5 minutes, a waiter came by to see what we wanted to drink. We just ordered some tea, since that’s what we like with our “Asian” meals. I quickly ordered the Spring Rolls and it came quite quickly. They looked pretty good, and it tasted good too! We’re off to a good start! Sure, it’s not the texture I was use to, but the flavours were all there, so I enjoyed them thoroughly! It’s hard to not like something deep fried, unless it’s soggy and not even a tad crispy!

I wanted something with a bit more flavour, so I tried their Satay chicken Pho which when it came out, it didn’t taste like satay at all! There was no other flavours besides a ton of spice… as though I ordered a super spicy chicken pho! There was no taste or texture of what you would expect from satay. Besides the spice though, the soup was very flavourless… a tad of fish sauce, and soy sauce didn’t help.

We also ordered a bowl of Pho Tai which is essentially rare beef with pho. This one is hard to goof usually, but the beef was fine, and the broth was really watered down. It tasted like nothing, so we were kind of disappointed with Le’s Pho!

The portion sizes are fairly large and the prices are within reason, but we didn’t like the watered down soups and just the overall lack in flavour of the pho. The noodles wasn’t too bad – just a tad on the soggy side, which I can’t blame them… sometimes I take too long trying to take a picture… but, I can say that taking long doesn’t make the flavours of the soup wash away. Overall, not my new favourite place for sure… but if I had to go back and give them a second shot (like I do with some places), I just might!

Le's Pho (Heritage Meadows) on Urbanspoon

Le’s Pho (Heritage Meadows)
8180 11 St SE
Calgary, AB T2H
(403) 259-3883

Ricky’s All Day Grill

I’ve been to Ricky’s All Day Grill before, but never the location at Deerfoot Meadows in Calgary until now. I really like going to Ricky’s, but from all my experience from dining here – I’m always expecting to be there “all day”. This location was interesting as they warned us the kitchen was backed up the moment we walked in. The food came faster than any other Ricky’s and we were not only happy, but we were so confused as well.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Sandwich – 6oz chicken breast grilled with Jamaican Jerk seasoning, lettuce, tomato ad Cajun aioli on a Portuguese roll – served with potato wedges! The potato wedges was really delicious, and especially dipped in my turkey gravy! The burger was quite different as it was a grilled chicken burger. The seasoning was quite tasty, but I wouldn’t say it’s jerk seasoning. It’s as though it was cajan seasoning they put on.

Ricky's Jamaican Chicken Sandwich

I enjoyed the Hawaiian Burger with a beef patty dipped in Teriyaki sauce, and then topped with lettuce, tomatoes and a ring of pineapple. I found that there as a little too much teriyaki sauce on the burger, which made it a bit over powering. The ring of pineapple was out of a can, but it’s always fresh and refreshing to have a ring of pineapple in the burger.

Ricky's Hawaiian Burger Meal

Overall, I had a great experience at this Ricky’s location, and I know I’ll be back. I like spending an entire weekend afternoon – especially during those cold snowy ones where I don’t want to do anything in a restaurant and stay warm, watch people enjoy their meals and what not! It’s always worth the wait at Ricky’s! 🙂

Ricky’s All Day Grill at Deerfoot Meadows

860, 8180 – 11th Street S.E.
Calgary, AB
(403) 266-1616

Fries & Dolls Food Truck in Calgary

I finally got to try Fries & Dolls as they came to Deerfoot Meadows in Calgary. I’ve always wanted to try them and I finally had the opportunity to. It’s wonderful and worth the wait! The wait was around 20-25 minutes from line up to satisfying my belly.

Because of their creativity, they have names for each of the types of fries and sweet potato fries they carry on their truck. The names of the sizes ranged from B Cup to D Cup which I think is a brilliant idea! On top of that, the fries are named after the dolls.

We ordered Marianne and Ginger which was Sweet Potato Fries – with Cajan spice. It was sweet and spicy which was a great combination! We had it with their chipotle sauce which was really a nice sauce for dipping.

A great added bonus with Fries & Dolls, they are environmentally conscience as well, as they use biodegradable cups for their fries and forks. It’s great seeing the movement slowly kicking in gear!

I enjoyed the experience, and best of all, I enjoyed the fries! I would definitely be returning when they’re in my area when I have time! 🙂