restaurant – Page 3

December 7, 2014

Magpie & Stump Restaurant – Banff, Alberta

We’ve been heading to Banff a lot more recently to get away from the city and this time we went to enjoy the Banff Santa Claus Parade of Lights. We stopped for dinner before the parade and went to Magpie & Stump where we enjoyed a fantastic dinner! Once inside, the place was already packed, and tons of tables were trying to get in-and-out before the start of the parade. We didn’t care if we missed it, but we were advised their kitchen was a little backed up from the amount of customers.

I felt like a sugary drink, without the alcohol so I got a Virgin Pina Colada which is one of my favourite drinks! It wasn’t the best one here, as it was fully of ice and watered down even at the start – so by the end, it was really quite flavourless.

We ordered their Spicy Shrimp Tostadas which was basically a large salad in between to large crispy corn tortillas, topped with a bed of pulled pork and spicy prawn. Then, it was topped with some delicious bbq sauce and lime crema. It was a large dish and very refreshing.

We also ordered their El Pollo Piquante Fajitas which was spicy grilled chicken with tomatoes, peppers, onions, queso and salsa on the side for you to build on flour tortillas. It was a fun, interactive dish which was delicious and quite spicy!

Overall, we loved this place, the service was quite good even when they’re so busy. The food was fresh and delicious and the location is really good as they’re right next to public parking. The food came out fast enough that we were able to eat, pay and get outside in time for the parade even though they warned us they’re backed up! So, they did an amazing job!

Magpie & Stump

203 Caribou Street
Banff, AB
(403) 762-4067

November 16, 2014

Saigon Seafood Harbor – Richmond, California

We went to celebrate family members birthday and they choose to go to Saigon Seafood Harbor as they’re regulars there – always good food and service at a great rate. I’ve been here a few times for dim sum and dinner before as well and we never have a complaint.

We decided to order their special, a 10-course meal for 10 people. It started with an order of Jelly fish, Seaweed, Octopus, Beef shank and Chicken which is a great take on your traditional cold starters! We really enjoyed the octopus and I’ve always loved Jelly fish!

Afterwards, an order of soup came and they split it up into individual bowls ahead of time to save some space, which was pretty brilliant! We had the Crab Meat & Fish Maw Soup 蟹肉魚肚羹 which was tasty and pretty standard at the same time.

In no order that the dishes came (as some of them came all at the same time), we enjoyed tons of good food where all the plates was something special! There was an order of Braised Cod fish with Roasted pork & Tofu 紅燒斑腩煲 in a clay pot. This was without a doubt one of my favourites as seafood (fish) is something I always crave when I’m away from home!

One of my husbands favourite of the evening was their Honey Glazed Walnut Prawns 蜜桃蝦球 which was giant shrimp deep fried and glazed with some glazed walnuts on the side. I’m sure together, we finished this plate – leaving only a little for the rest of the family!

Then came a dish with some fish and bok choy. We’re not sure what it’s called, but the fish was cooked really tenderly. We assume it was cod as it was a nice white fish, mild in flavour.

Some greens came too, there was a plate of Green beans with Spicy Pork and it was really good. It was spicier than expected but delicious and addicting from the flavours.

Another dish of greens came out which was Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas and it was sauteed with garlic and scallops. It was pretty tasty and the food was really fresh.

A neat thing that came was their Peking Duck and we loved the wraps it came with. It’s very different from the style we’re use to with the thin pancakes – but these you can stuff a lot of duck into and it absorbs the flavours. It was a little strange that there was bones once in awhile, but it must be their style.

From there, we got our Fried Rice which they splited into individual bowls again to save space. I always love fried rice, so this one was pretty good!

The last course was the dessert, where we didn’t actually eat their Red Bean Soup as we showed up with a birthday cake instead. Our overall experience here was excellent. The food was fantastic, the portions was huge and the price, I was told was really a good deal for what we got.

Saigon Seafood Harbor – El Cerrito

3150 Pierce St
Richmond, CA
(510) 559-9388

November 14, 2014

Sumo Grill Japanese Restaurant – Calgary, Alberta

We didn’t know where we wanted to go for dinner this one evening, but we were checking some stuff out over at Sundridge Mall in the Northeast where we saw Sumo Grill Japanese Restaurant and figured I haven’t been here in ages, we would come back – remembering it was decent food. We did come closer to closing time, but when we were done, they closed the gate off and wouldn’t let us go back through the mall, so we walked back in to take a picture.

This restaurant is ran by Chinese people, so it’s not authentic. We weren’t actually hungry so we decided to order a Sushi and Sashimi Combo which had 7 pieces of sashimi, 5 pieces of sushi, a California roll and 2 pieces of house special rolls. The quality was decent!

Then, we decided we wanted a bowl of udon, and decided we’d do something a little different – so we got their Spicy Chicken Udon which was really different. It reminded us of a Chinese dish, but just using udon noodles. It was tasty actually! They used ground chicken which was interesting as it fell to the bottom of the soup.

Overall, a decent experience. We don’t have much complaints and the nice thing it’s in the mall – which would be ideal for cold days! But, they close the gate before the mall closes.

Sumo Grill Japanese Restaurant – Sunridge Mall

2525 36 St NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 568-6886

October 17, 2014October 17, 2014

High River Inn Restaurant – High River, Alberta

We were actually trying to find some dinner in Longview where the place of choice didn’t have space for us. We started our journey home when we decided to make a stop in High River – where we found High River Inn Restaurant and it was a neat place. The owner was really pleased we were there, and she kept explaining to us that the food she has here caters to small town people. No problem – I know and I love it!

Although the place appears small, it’s actually very spacious inside with a decent size buffet. This place got pretty busy in here as well, but I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about making reservations as there’s lots of tables and chairs. The chef constantly puts out fresh food, so the smorg doesn’t go empty.

As this was our dinner, I allowed myself to help myself! Serving after serving, I really enjoyed the food here. I especially enjoyed the little conversations with the owner and she enjoyed talking to us in Cantonese as she doesn’t get a lot of Chinese speaking people at her place.

Overall, the place was really clean, the staff was really friendly, the food was really good! There’s nothing to complain about! It was an enjoyable dinner and I really like their eggroll. Most places have spring rolls, so this was a nice treat!

High River Inn Restaurant

503 1 St Southwest
High River, AB
(403) 652-7733

October 17, 2014November 10, 2014

The Wandering Elk – Canmore, Alberta

During our stay in Canmore at the Windtower Hotel and Suites we ate at the restaurant inside the hotel called The Wandering Elk. It was a large space, with some tables on the patio which you would pass going into the hotel. It’s a nice space that offers meals many times a day!

We started off with some wings as we felt like it and went for their Maple Bacon Wings and the portions are huge. The wings are plump and juicy – and they taste great! Maple and Bacon is such a nice combination, I’m shocked it isn’t more popular.

I ordered their Elk Dip which is like a beef dip but with elk striploin on a toasted ciabatta bun with caramelized onions and cheese. The elk jus is delicious as I found myself dipping my fries into it as well! It’s quite a different meal and I did find it to be on the lean/dry side – which made me adore the elk jus! Overall, it was a great plate, with a generous amount of elk and fries!

My husband enjoyed their BBQ Whiskey Full Rack of Ribs and that was really nicely done. There was tons of ribs and the first half was really good, smothered in delicious bbq sauce, but the other rack was significantly drier. I am not sure if it was just us taking so long, or if it is just that inconsistent as it was on the same order. Regardless, the first half was awesome and the second half was alright.

Overall dining experience was pretty awesome. The atmosphere was phenomial, the service was quick and friendly. Portion size are ginormous and quality was average. Not a bad place to wind down and relax with drinks and apps!

The Wandering Elk – Windtower Lodge & Suites

160 Kananaskis Way
Canmore, Alberta
403-961-2608