greek – Elsie Hui

June 1, 2019June 1, 2019

Broken Plate – Calgary, Alberta

It was a special day, and we chose to celebrate it at Broken Plate on Macleod Trail. We lucked out with the table without reservations as the place filled up quickly on a Friday night.

We sat down and the service was amazing and prompt! We ordered our drinks and appetizers and they came out relatively quick. We decided to start with their Prawns Santorini which was like a soup with bread and prawns. I wasn’t sure how to eat it, but I ate all the bread and prawns. It was amazing! The prawns were large, fresh and delicious. The soup was not a soup but a sauce, but we ate it like a soup. It was roasted red pepper sauce and that was full of flavour on it’s own.

I ordered their daily special which was the Steelhead Trout which was as perfectly cooked piece of fish on the grill, over a bed of risotto with seasonal vegetables. The trout was topped with a citrus and blueberry sauce which was absolutely divine! The sweetness of the blueberry with the tartness of the citrus on the fish was a unique and delicious combination.

Lamb seems to be a thing for Greek cuisine, so we also ordered their Leg of Lamb roast which was a hearty main dish, but it wasn’t too rich or heavy. The chunks of lamb was tender and flavourful, great lamb flavour on it’s own as well. Mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables accompanied this perfectly cooked lamb.

Overall, the experience here was perfect. We didn’t even let them know it was for any occasion and everything was amazing on it’s own. I would definitely recommend Broken Plate for any night, but a comfortable and semi-casual place.

Broken Plate

10816 Macleod Trail SE
Calgary, Alberta
403-225-9650

October 8, 2018

Something Else – Jasper, Alberta

I have a quick day trip out to Jasper, and this time was weird as I’m know to have an awesome bladder… I really needed to go to the bathroom, so we went the first place that didn’t need me to wait! So, we went to Something Else which was a pretty big restaurant with a few table seated – so it could be either or for the restaurant.

The bathrooms were nice, just thought I’d mention that! I ordered an appetizer order of their Louisiana Shrimp Jambalaya which was pretty delicious actually!! I’m usually skeptical about ordering seafood from a place I’m unfamiliar with, and being so far from home. I’m glad I braved this one as the shrimp was amazing, and the spice level in the jambalaya wasn’t ridiculous!

We also ordered their Lunch Special and this day it was either their Lasagna or spaghetti and meatballs with a soup. We grabbed their Lasagna special and it started with a nice bowl of vegetable soup. I know I didn’t have much but it was quite flavourful and it tasted like a tomato based vegetable soup.

The Lasagna was pretty big! It had lots of pasta layers filled with tons of meat sauce and then topped and baked mozzarella cheese! It was amazing and hearty!!

Overall, the experience was better than expected. The food was great, it was kind of right off the main street. We found parking, but somehow we always find street parking!! Had I known we were going to do a hike, I probably would’ve eaten more! Always figure it out first is my lesson to you! 🙂

Something Else

621 Patricia Street
Jasper, Alberta
780-852-3850

July 11, 2012December 31, 2018

Vasili Food Truck – Calgary

Canada Day this year was exciting as we went down to Prince’s Island Park for some festivities, dinner and fireworks! On top of all that, it was cold and rainy (on and off), but it was made better after visiting Vasili’s Food Truck which was parked on the East side of Centre Street bridge.

We walked by and saw the food truck, and knew that was going to be our dinner!! I ordered the Twisted Pig which really was marinated pork wrapped in pita with some fresh vegetables and topped with tzatziki sauce and feta cheese. This was my favourite from the 2 items we ordered. The meat was tender, juicy and full of flavour. Then, you put it with pita, fresh veggies and tzatziki sauce… what’s not to like?

We also ordered their Zeus Sub which essentially was meatballs on a sub bun topped with feta, sweet peppers arugula and aioli. The meatball was huge, so there was tons of meat in the sub! It’s a really cook take on the classic “meatball sub”, and I can say I like this one more!

Overall, it was a really nice experience eating from Vasili’s! The food was fresh, and the balance of flavours was great! Each of the items we purchased for dinner was $8, which isn’t bad at all! Where else are you going to get something for around that price!? I enjoyed it thoroughly!

December 12, 2011March 17, 2019

Balkan – Greek Restaurant in Banff

It’s been years since we’ve gone back to our favourite Greek Restaurant and it just happens to be in Banff, AB! It’s really nice as they have renovated the space to make it quite inviting – yet warm and intimate. It’s pretty neat, when you first get up the stairs, you’re greeted by beautiful piece of what appears to be a Greek imitation of their art on Ivory.

We came to this restaurant after watching the Santa Claus Parade that was held in Banff. It was quite spectacular as it was a night parade – which you normally don’t see. So, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to return here. This particular even, they were really packed as there were large families and parties going on – but we managed to make a reservation – so the food and service was still really good.

For drinks, I ordered a Virgin Pina Colada as it’s my favourite girly drink. It was really good and not too sweet, as some other places make it extra sweet – or there’s just no alcohol to make it bitter. We also had a bottle of Mythos which is Greek beer and it’s quite light and crisp.

For starters, they give you some nice fresh buns with Balsamic Olive Oil Bread Dip which is really nice! They do use a really nice Greek Olive Oil for this and it’s perfect for this application!

I ordered something I don’t normally, but for some reason, it really stuck in my mind that it was what I was going to get… so, I got it. I ordered the Arni Psito which was roasted lamb. The lamb was fork tender and it fell off the bone as I started eating at my dish. It was so good, I pretty much ate the entire plate before realizing we said we’d switch half-way to experience each others dishes.

The other dish we ordered was Greek Ribs and they were tender as well, lots of flavour and soft. It wasn’t fall of the bone ribs that are tender and juicy, but it sure is a different style.

Then, as stuffed as we were, we knew we wanted dessert from the moment we made a reservation to Balkans. We always order the Galactobouriko which is an amazing dessert that is really light, and not really sweet, warm, custardy with crispy phyllo pastry! To top it off, it’s topped with a decadent honey syrup and cinnamon.

Balkan The Greek Restaurant

120 Banff Avenue
Banff, AB
(403) 762-3454