northwest – Elsie Hui

March 17, 2015March 17, 2015

Sushi Boat – Calgary, Alberta

Recently, I decided to go back to Sushi Boat as I was in the area, and love this place! I use to come here a LOT when I lived in the NW. It was a Friday night and the place was full, but you didn’t need to wait long for a table either at any section.

Once we were seated, we looked onto the boats and they were actually quite empty. We waited for all the boats to go around a few times thinking they will replenish the boats – but they remained the same or even got eaten. We grabbed a few items that are standard and watched/waited as we ate. We started with their Salmon Roll and they were decent. It wasn’t the same as it use to be, but I was just thinking I got the “older” plate.

Then, we grabbed what we thought was Chicken Karaage, but it turned out to be Fish Karaage and we were really disappointed with that. It was cold, and not very good at all. The fish was dry while the batter was soggy. It wasn’t the sushi boat quality I remembered it to be.

Then, I saw one of my “go-to” sushi’s, the Spicy Tuna Roll and this has always been something that was pretty much fail proof, and it was! This plate was excellent, the spicy mayo was excellent as well.

Then, we decided to order off the menu and put in our orders as we haven’t been that pleased so far. We got a bowl of their Miso Soup and that was a nice salty treat! It did taste good but I thought it was a little too salty.

We got a plate of their Spicy Tempura Sushi which was really good! I think I just enjoy their spicy sauce, but the tempura was really crispy and not overly greasy! It was fresh and nice!

We had their 2 piece Pacific Roll, and that just came out as a giant modified California Roll stuffed with tons of imitation crab meat – which was fine as I love imitation crab meat! I definitely couldn’t put the entire piece in my mouth – although I did not try.

We got 2 orders of my favourite, the Hokkigai, as I’ve always loved surf clams. They were fine here, nothing bad yet nothing special.

We got an order of Inari as I like to call them pillow cases. My sister first called them that – and that name stuck! These are always delightful although I will never call it “sushi”. I just like the sweetness of the bean curd with rice packed in them! It was delicious!

And finally the last thing we decided to order, again as it’s more fail proof was their Crab Stick as I just buy packs of crab sticks eat eat on a daily basis. I love this stuff! It’s good as a sushi here as well!

Overall, Sushi Boat seems to have dropped in their quality a bit. Although the food is still good, it’s nothing like how it use to be. It seems like an average place with actual boats that go around for you to get your sushi! It’s still decent, but not what I was expecting.

Sushi Boat

806 Crowfoot Crescent NW
Calgary, AB
(403) 239-1818

February 27, 2015

Harveys (Brentwood) – Calgary, Alberta

We use to go to Harveys at least once a year – the beginning of every school semester and now it’s been awhile. We were talking about Harveys with some close friends who still eat here regularly so we decided to come back as a walk down memory lane.

We weren’t hungry at all, so we decided we’d get one meal to split as this was just for fun – not actually a meal for us. We decided to try their promotion that they have going on right now which is there Stuffed Cheeseburger which was a 6oz burger stuffed with cheese! It was really everything you’d imagine it to be – but it was fantastic!

We also go an order of their Fried Pickles which seemed rather expensive, but they were done really nice and fresh to order as we waiting around for awhile for it! It was crispy, sour and awesome!

The meal was really quite good and it’s nice to know that over the years, the quality hasn’t changed – although the service could have been better. It was rather painful service, but I’m hoping it’s just a one time thing! The burger topppings wasn’t too fresh, but it wasn’t nasty – so it was totally bearable!

Harvey’s

3630 Brentwood Rd NW
Calgary, AB
(403) 282-2230

December 16, 2014

Eggoasis Crowfoot – Calgary, Alberta

We decided to go for breakfast at Eggoasis in Crowfoot where there was plenty of parking. The place is pretty big and before you know it – you’re waiting for a table. This place is busy, but their service isn’t that quick either – so just be prepared!

Once we got seated, I decided to order a Hot Chocolate with no whipped cream, and it came in a beautiful cup. It wasn’t as hot as I know hot chocolate to be – which meant it was cold by the time my meal got here. I guess if you asked for whipped cream, it would fill up the rest of the glass and probably insulate it better.

I didn’t know which Eggs Benedict I wanted, but I knew that was what I wanted to try. I ended up opting for their Forrester’s Eggs Benedict which was their eggs benny with mushrooms, swiss cheese and meat – where I picked sausages inside my eggs benny. It was tastier than it sounds! I asked for a soft poached egg and it came out perfect and runny! I wasn’t in love with the hollandaise sauce, but I really loved the potatoes!

My husband went for an omelette, he picked the Hunter’s Omelette which an omelette with bacon, ham and sausage and some Swiss cheese. He loved it and devoured it after he got some Tabasco sauce! It was tasty and the eggs was cooked really nicely!

Overall, it was a decent meal. It’s not the best, but also not the worse. The location was nice, the atmosphere was comfortable, and the prices was about average for a breakfast/lunch location. We enjoyed our company the most, and that was the best part of our visit!

Eggsoasis – Crowfoot Crossing

10 Crowfoot Terrace NW
Calgary, AB
(403) 460-0286

December 7, 2014

Applebee’s – Calgary, Alberta

I actually use to go to Applebee’s in Harvest Hills a lot in the past. We decided to go back, but this time for lunch. We use to go with some friends for dinner all the time, and figured we’d go back. It’s not a bad place and now they have 2 Can Dine for $30 special – that’s what we went for!

This special comes with an appetizer where we ordered the Chicken Wonton Tacos which was wonton skins deep fried to make a taco shell, stuffed with seasoned chicken and topped with an Asian Slaw. It was a neat take on a taco and at first bite, it seemed a little flavourless, but when you ate the entire thing together, it was really tasty as the chicken was really well seasoned.

The first entree we ordered with this special was their Classic Meat Lasagna which was like your typical lasagna with pasta sheets and meat sauce, topped with mozzarella and ricotta and marinara sauce and baked till golden and delicious.

The last entree we got was the Fiesta Lime Chicken which was grilled chicken with rice and tortilla strips. The chicken was a large piece of chicken breast with a ranch sauce and cheese. There was salsa on the side and thankfully they put it in a separate dish as it was really watery.

Overall, it as a pleasant experience here and the special made it a really good deal. Service was a little slow, but the food was hot, fresh and delicious. We didn’t have much complaints at all, so it was good in general.

Applebee’s

707 388 Country Hills Blvd
Calgary, AB
(403) 226-6160

December 4, 2014December 5, 2014

Cafe HK – Calgary, Alberta

This side of the restaurant is a portion of T.Pot China Bistro and it’s just off to the side – but they have their own name and different style of Chinese food. Cafe HK is a cafe style whereas TPot is your sit down meal type food and a bit more traditional.

We really like it here although we don’t come here often, I like to think I don’t come here enoough! This particular visit, we started with Jelly fish, Surf Clam and Seaweed Salad appetizer which sounds kind of strange, but it’s got all the things I love on 1 dish! It was meant to bed. The surf clams tasted great, they’ve cleaned it well and prepared it to perfection!

Then, because of the hour we dined, it’s a late lunch/early dinner, they still had their afternoon specials on – which came with drinks! We both ordered their Almond Drink which was amazing! It smelled good and tasted great! My husband loved it more than I did, as I prefer mine to be sweeter.

I had a crazy craving for Beef Fried Ho Fun so I ordered that as it as still on special. Surprisingly, it was quite a large dish and it tasted great! Just the way I expect it to taste – and since I was craving it, it as even better!

As we weren’t expecting the dishes to be so large, we also ordered on their menu Chicken and Pineapple Rice Bake which was also really a large dish! With rice at the bottom, topped with chicken, pineapple and cheese – then baked… this ooey gooey goodness hit the spot for both of us!

We love this place, and we’re glad we stopped in again! I’m sure we’ll be back when another craving kicks in! It is your typical Chinese place, so service is decent, it’s quite clean, and the food is fantastic! Of course, prices are reasonable as it is competitive in a Chinese populated neighbourhood.

Cafe HK

Unit 100, 9650 Harvest Hills Blvd NE
Calgary, Alberta
403-532-3982