...Po'Boys Diner (Calgary)

As I am writing this, I found out that Po'Boys Diner is now closed.  We are saddened to see a restaurant that just opened, close so quickly.  We hope to see a form of it again in the future.  Since Po'Boys is now closed, we would just like to highlight the positive points of our experience.

We were invited last week to try out Po'Boys Diner.  There are not a lot of options when it comes to Creole and Cajun food in town so we were intrigued.  When we called to make reservations, Po'Boys seemed family friendly so we thought we would bring S along.  Upon walking into Po'Boys, the dim lighting and long bar on one side of the room makes Po'Boys feel like more of a pub/bar than a diner.  However we saw another family with children and we were told by our server there was another baby in earlier that evening.  S was also thoroughly entertained by the staff and were kind about the mess she made.

The complimentary appetizer platter had a selection of their most popular items including crab cakes, boudin balls and pork belly stuffed jalapeno peppers. Each item was perfectly deep fried and not at all greasy. Our favourite was the stuffed jalapenos which had just the right amount of spice and filled with a generous portion of melt in your mouth pork belly and cream cheese.

Our main course included the 'Peacemaker' po'boy and the house special jambalaya. The 'Peacemaker' was the star of the show and makes our mouth water to this day at its very thought. To start, the roll was nice and soft while still retaining a thin crusty exterior. The fillings included cornmeal fried oysters and large sauteed shrimp. The veggies were simple, but fresh helpings of  iceburg lettuce and tomato. A creamy and tangy mayonnaise based creole sauce called remoulade, rounded out all the fresh seafood flavours. 

                           

Jambalaya is a classice creole dish of seafood, sausage and rice tied together with spices and a tomato based sauce. It isn't a dish we have seen done in Calgary in an authentic way until now (our only comparison thus far has been the 'Jambalaya rice' at Bourbon Street grill). As with all the dishes we sampled that night, the balance of spice was perfect with just the right amount to leave a slight sheen of sweat on your brow without overpowering your tastebuds. 

Cornbread

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...Raw Bar (Calgary)

Overall - 8.5/10
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Food - 9.5/10
Service - 8/10
Ambiance - 8/10

Raw Bar located in Hotel Arts has recently had an overhaul of both its menu and decor to reflect a focus on modern Vietnamese cuisine or 'Vietmodern' as they call it. The interior definitely reflected the modern aesthetic with cool blue tones and the clean lines of the furniture.  In our opinion, Raw Bar has more of a party/bar kind of ambiance and less of a couples/intimate atmosphere, which we prefer when going out for our weekly date night.  However, this didn't detract from the fantastic food.  The food was the embodiment of what modern asian food should be. Every dish had an abundance of unique flavours and contrasting textures to make each bite interesting from start to finish.

Their menu is divided into three columns; seafood, meats and vegetables. Each column is then divided into small and large plates allowing you to craft a non-linear dining experience beyond the usual appetizer, main and dessert routine.  They also have an extensive cocktail menu from which I chose their well known "Derelict", a dangerously sweet mix of vodka, lychee liqueur, pineapple juice, plum & clove jellee and lemon.

We started off our meal with a series of small plates from the meat, seafood and vegetable columns which were great to share amongst the two of us. The squid a la plancha was perfectly seared and topped with nori flakes, a house chili blend and a tart lime aioli sauce. Unlike the usual fried calamari  appetizers found elsewhere, this dish was light, tender and popping with flavour.

The beef short rib steamed buns are another great shared dish that allows you to fill your own soft steamed bun with as many tender morsels of beef, green onion and chili aioli as you wish.

One of the dishes that was a surprising favourite was a crispy taro and mango slaw. The crispy fried shoe string taro root was mixed with a combination of green mango, tomatoes and cucumbers and then topped with fried shallots, peanuts and a citrus dressing. It was the freshness of the vegetables and mounds of fried taro that made this dish so memorable.  The flavours of salty, sweet, spicy and sour were perfectly balanced.

The larger dishes were also great for sharing and our favourite of the night was the lemongrass roasted half duck. The breast was thinly sliced and the meat from the leg was slowly roasted until tender and then shredded. The meat which was perfumed with the aroma of lemongrass was served with thin rice flour pancakes allowing you to create your own wraps.

We also shared the hanger steak which was served alongside a crisp and refreshing kohlrabi slaw. Hanger steak isn't something we see on too many menus, but is one of our favourite cuts of meat when we can find it due to its tenderness, flavour and value.  This particular hangar steak did not disappoint with its sweet-savoury Asian marinade.

With it's versatile menu and sociable atmosphere, we recommend going to Raw Bar with a large party so you can try as many of the dishes as possible.

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...Ikemen Ramen Bar (Calgary)

Overall - 6/10
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Food - 6/10
Service - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 5/10

We were excited to try Ikemen, one of the newer ramen establishments in the city but were unfortunately disappointed by several aspects of the dining experience.  Upon arrival we noticed a lack of a host/hostess or servers, which left us standing for several minutes before someone in the kitchen noticed our arrival.  The restaurant itself is not large and at the time, not very busy so we were a little surprised.  The restaurant also seemed to be unheated and on that chilly autumn night we saw many customers keeping their jackets on just to stay warm.  We had hoped the food would make up for the disappointing start to the evening.

We ordered two appetizers.  First, the unagi poutine and a special: raw octopus marinated in wasabi served with seaweed chips.  If there is one thing we would recommend at Ikemen it would be the unagi poutine which was both unique and quite tasty.  It had chopped unagi in a unagi sauce 'gravy' with cheese curds and bonito flakes on top of the fries.

The wasabi raw octopus was a good concept but unfortunately failed to execute.  The raw octopus was extremely slimy and quite chewy making it hard to eat.  The deep fried seaweed chips were leathery and very hard to chew as well.  We inquired about the chips and the kitchen replaced them with fresh chips which were a great improvement.

We tried the shio ramen and the green curry seafood ramen.  The shio ramen was good and I didn't have much to complain about.  The char siu was extremely tender and the broth tasty.  

Darrin had the green curry seafood ramen and unfortunately the seafood was not fresh.  The seafood had a texture of being previously frozen, slightly mushy.  The broth wasn't particularly tasty, the flavours fell flat to the expectations of a seafood/curry broth.  However, the soft boiled egg was done to perfection in both ramen bowls.

Afterwards we decided to have dessert at Crave where one of the girls working there inquired if I was Taiwanese because I looked like her mother, as we have similar 'bone structure'.  I then suggested she look up Chrissy Teigen's mother, who has an uncanny resemblance to my own mother, as I thought her mother might also resemble Teigen's mother.  I can't speak for Darrin, but that very random conversation, the cupcake and going to the bead store after made the night much more enjoyable.  Maybe it was an off night, but we hope that if we ever go back to Ikemen we will have a much better experience.

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...Blue Water Cafe (Yaletown, Vancouver)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9.5
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 9/10

 

We love seafood. From an early age fresh fish, lobster, crab, oysters and shrimp were a part of special occasions at our Chinese dinner table. Most of the dishes were served simply: steamed with ginger, green onion and soy sauce allowing the subtle sweet seafood flavours to really shine. Since then, our appreciation for good seafood has only grown.  Our recent trip to Vancouver had us eagerly anticipating a seafood feast at one of the cities most highly regarded restaurants: The Blue Water Cafe.

Herbed butter and chickpea spread were the accompaniments to the bread rolls

Being so close to the coast we couldn't pass up the fresh selection of West Coast oysters. That evening included the Kusshi, Sawmill Bay and Kwakwala varieties with a raspberry mignonette, horseradish and lemons. Our favourite had to have been the Sawmill Bay which had a sweetness and smokey finish just as advertised on the menu.

We followed up the oysters with an offering from the sushi bar. We thought it was a wonderful idea to have an in-house sushi bar to take advantage of the amazingly fresh seafood at this restaurant. The Stamina Roll, full of fresh crab, BBQ eel and smoked salmon was among the best sushi rolls we have had in a long time. The rice was delicately seasoned with each grain cooked perfectly and the combination of crab and smoky fish were excellent.

The appetizer selection was quite extensive and instead of limiting ourselves to one dish each, we chose the seafood tasting for two. Small tastes of four of their feature appetizers were served on a dramatic tower and included a fresh crab, shrimp, jicama and mango salad; scallop ceviche; albacore tuna tartar and finally a smoked sockeye salmon terrine. Each dish had a unique flavour profile from the tart and refreshing scallop ceviche to our favourite, the fresh tuna tartar served over an impossibly crisp tempura fried nori strip.

Our main courses continued to impress. One of our favourite fishes is sable fish which has a wonderfully buttery and rich meat. The miso sake glaze added a nice sweetness to the savoury profile of the dish.  The only thing that we felt could be improved upon was the broth and bok choy which was relatively bland and limp in comparison to the fish itself.

 The special of the evening was a seared halibut served alongside roasted brussels sprouts, chanterelle mushrooms and lentils. This wonderful fall dish was full of warming earthy flavours perfect for the season.

 If you ever get the opportunity, we would highly recommend Blue Water Cafe in Yaletown, Vancouver.  It definitely lived up to our expectations and everything a high end seafood restaurant should be.

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...Kirin Restaurant (Richmond, BC)

Last week we went to Vancouver for a short trip and as usual, we made a point to schedule our days around which restaurants we wanted to try.  We heard that Kirin Restaurant (which has multiple locations) gets quite busy and when we tried to get a table for dim sum last February we were turned away.  So this time we reserved a table weeks in advance for dim sum and were comfortably seated at a table next to the window.

At Kirin the server takes down your order and brings you the baskets of food, so those who want the experience of ordering from the roving carts may feel slightly disappointed.  However, the food more than makes up for it.  All the dim sum we had ranged from good to amazing; our favourites out of the savoury dishes were the shrimp dumplings (har gow), sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf (nor mai tai), and BBQ pork puffs (char siu soh). 

Shrimp dumplings (har gow)

Sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf

BBQ pork puffs

We found the pork and chive fried rolls to be unique, but I'm not keen on deep fried dim sum so it wasn't my favourite.  The pork dumplings (siu mai) was good but not overly special in comparison to what we have in Calgary.

Pork and chive fried rolls

Pork dumplings (siu mai)

The noodle wrapped donut roll was a little disappointing, in that the texture was chewier and harder than what you would expect a fresh Chinese donut to taste.

Chinese donut wrapped with noodle served with peanut and hoisin sauce

Our little S loves any dish with noodles so we ordered a scallop e-fu noodle stir fry.  The dish was surprisingly free of the gratuitous oil that usually accompanies a stir fry noodle dish which was perfect for our toddler.  The adults enjoyed the tender scallops, bean sprouts and the flavour of the chives.

A dim sum classic are the egg tarts which were very good here at Kirin.

Egg tarts

We had done some research ahead of time and knew we would be getting two things for sure; the durian mochi and the thousand layer cake.  Both lived up to our expectations.  The durian mochi was pillowy soft with a cold, sweet durian center that was not overly powerful.  Most people dislike the scent but I found it to be subtle and not at all offensive.  

The thousand layer cake, as the name suggests layers a sponge with a sweet egg yolk custard and coconut mixture.  It comes nice and hot and the portion is large enough to share.

Overall a great experience and we would recommend Kirin to anyone looking to try dim sum in Vancouver or Richmond.

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...The Nash (Calgary)

Overall - 7.5/10
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Food - 7.5/10
Service - 7/10
Ambiance - 8/10

Darrin's take: 
Since S was born, we have made a point of getting out each weekend for a date night. In fact, when I think back over the past year it seems like we've been dining out even more than when it was just the two of us. After a while, my memory of the dishes I've eaten start to blend into one, save for a few spectacular plates that still remain as fresh and vivid in my mind as when I took that first bite. One such dish was from our dinner at The Nash a few weeks ago. The meal was by no means perfect (see last paragraph), but sometimes the strength of one dish can shape your entire perception of a meal.

We started off our evening with a generous bowl of steamed PEI mussels in a spicy chorizo broth. The pairing of shellfish and pork is a classic one and the chorizo (although a bit on the tough side) made for a spicy counterpoint to the plump mussels. The frites served alongside were sprinkled with herbs and were crispy enough that they retained their crunch even after sopping up the delicious broth.

Chicken wings may seem a bit out of place in a place as decidely upscale as The Nash but their preparation here had a certain finesse and care that went beyond what you get at the local pub. Each wing was deep fried to perfection then coated in a spicy-buttery buffalo wing sauce and topped with crisp and tart watermelon pickles. A side of subtly flavoured ranch dipping sauce added even more decadence.

The Josper Oven roasted simple fish that evening was a whole branzino. The high heat of their special charcoal grill/oven resulted in a crispy skin on the fish while maintaining the moisture in the flesh. The fish was perfumed with fennel and lemon from the inside out and served with grilled lemon and a parsley salad. The wait staff can debone and serve the fish table side, but the option of doing it yourself is also available.

Now for the dish that makes my mouth water at the mere thought it of it; the AAA rib eye steak. As expected, the meat and its preparation were first class, but it was the accompaniments that pushed the overall experience to just the edge of over indulgence without going too far. Atop the rib steak were pillowy soft blue cheese gnocchi, sautéed wild mushrooms, sweet green beans, cauliflower and an airy spinach puree. A rich gravy was poured over the meat table side and was just the right consistency and amount to envelop each morsel of steak.

Chrissy's take:
On the one hand, the food at The Nash was delicious but on the other hand we have had a few unfortunate incidents that are hard to overlook.  You will notice we had the mussels to share for an appetizer and I had the branzino as my main. Despite the food tasting great at the time, a few hours later I had food poisoning that kept me up all evening. I was concerned that perhaps this was something that could be prevented so I emailed their management to politely inform them of the incident. I have yet to receive a message back two weeks later. We can't help but remember the time we had booked a table weeks in advance at Notable (same ownership as Nash) for Valentines Day. When we called a day before our reservation to confirm our table, our reservation had never been made according to the staff. The thing is, you have to call to make a reservation so we know it wasn't us that made some sort of error using the online system. Despite this we have returned to Notable with friends and family because of the food.  We can't say for sure its bad luck, poor service or management but I know I'm not jumping at the chance to return to Nash.

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...Carino Riserva (Calgary)

Overall - 9/10
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Food - 9/10
Service - 9.5/10
Ambiance - 8/10

Carino Riserva is another take on it's sister restaurant Carino, which according to our server, is more Italian focused.  We enjoyed the food at Carino so we were excited to try Carino Riserva.  Tucked away in the heart of the Mission, the delicious food and friendly, attentive service more than makes up for the underwhelming interior.  If you make reservations in advance, we would recommend requesting the tables by the window.

On this night we shared two appetizers, the hamachi salad and spicy prawns & "yaki-onigiri" salad.  You know when you eat something and the first thing you think is, "Wow that's good!"?  Both appetizers did that for us with subtle umami flavours and seasonings that were neither too salty or sweet.  The hamachi salad was presented beautifully and very light and fresh.  The fish was complimented with flavours of citrus, wasabi, a balsamic reduction and soy.

The spicy prawn and "yaki-onigiri" salad was a fantastic creation.  This dish is more filling than the hamachi with the grilled rice ball, but absolutely worthy of the space in your stomach.  The prawns were cooked just right, but not spicy at all, as advertised, which we didn't mind.

The pasta dish we shared was the campenelle which is a rolled pasta that was fantastic at capturing the thick, rich wagyu meat sauce.  The meat sauce was on the sweeter side, which is how we like our tomato sauces anyway.

I had the rack of lamb with scalloped potatoes. The lamb was served on a bed of peppers, zucchini and olives cooked in tomato sauce.  The lamb had a crispy sear but was tender on the inside and I couldn't get enough of the salsa verde that was served on the side.  The scalloped potatoes were very creamy but perhaps on the saltier side. 

Darrin had the striploin steak with foie gras, roast potatoes and citrus salad.  The steak was cooked medium rare and very tender.  It was glazed with a tasty soy gastrique, which is a traditional French sauce made from vinegar and sugar.  The foie gras had a smooth silky texture and a nice 'buttery' accompaniment to the steak.

Finally for dessert we shared the tiramisu which was beautifully plated with raspberries, blueberries and edible flowers.  The tiramisu had an outer layer of coffee cake wrapped around a mascarpone centre.  This was a delicious ending to our meal that wasn't overly heavy.

We can see ourselves coming back soon! 

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