...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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...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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...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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...Parc Brasserie (Calgary)

Overall - 8.5/10
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Food - 8.5/10
Service - 8.5/10
Ambiance - 9/10

Ten years ago if you wanted a good French meal, your only choices were La Chaumiere on 18th Ave or flying to France. Nowadays we are spoiled for choice with a number of restaurants that proudly serve classic French fare (check out our article for Food Trekkers). Parc Brasserie is another new option which has recently opened and is challenging for our favourite French spot in town. For those who don't know, a brasserie is a more upscale type of eatery that slots in somewhere between the laid back bistro and the high end French fine dining options.

Kir royale

Their menu includes an 'apertif' section of small bites that go great with a cocktail. They are reasonably priced and great for a snack or as a way to kick start your appetite for the delicious dishes to come. We chose the croquettes filled with emmenthal cheese and ham and the rillette de lapin (rabbit terrine - note that a lot of the menu was in French without English translation so review your old high school French notes or ask the friendly wait staff). The croquettes were expertly fried and lusciously cheesy on the inside while the rabbit terrine was the perfect meaty spread for the toasted crostini that accompanied.

Croquettes

Rillette de lapin

The hor d'ouevres section of the menu include your traditional appetizer type dishes and this evening we went with the escargot and squid. The snails were served in a non traditional portobello mushroom tart as opposed to swimming in small pools of butter.   The escargot was chopped up along with the mushrooms and hidden below salad greens on a tart.  I did not care for the tart which had a hard and dry texture and wished the escargot was highlighted rather than mixed with chopped mushrooms.  The squid was quite tender cooked in its own ink and served alongside a delicious olive tapenade, reminiscent of the dishes we had in Southern France.  The Merguez (spiced Moroccan beef sausage) was not served in 'chip' form as advertised and we felt this dish could have benefited from a crispy element to contrast and balance the soft textures of the squid.

Squid

Escargot tart

The 'Plats principal' are your main dishes. The canard was a perfectly seared breast of duck served with a savoury orange sauce on a generous bed of Puy lentils.  The veau was a tender veal striploin with wild mushrooms, pearl onions and wild rice was expertly done in a cream sauce and very satisfying.

Duck

Veal

 Then came the desserts, from which we chose the profiteroles and the baba au rhum.  The profiteroles looked stunning on the wooden board and tasted as profiteroles should- creamy and smothered with an expresso chocolate sauce.  The baba au rhum, a typical French dessert was a bit of a disappointment.  We had no complaints about the cake and chantilly cream which was pretty standard, but the rum was barely detectable and did not saturate the cake.  This is unlike the rum babas served in France where often times a shot of straight rum is poured table side onto your cake for a liquor infused aroma and taste.  Upon talking to the server, she informed us their rum baba indeed gets mixed reviews.

Profiteroles 

Rum Baba

Overall, we enjoyed our experience at Parc, especially the ambiance of the decor which took us back to our days in France.  We wouldn't hesitate to go back again and experience other offerings on the extensive menu.

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...Clive Burger (Calgary)

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

I love a good hamburger and the ones they do at Clive Burger are amongst the best I've had. They may not be pretty (in the conventional sense) or have avant-garde toppings but the beef is great quality, the fixings fresh and the bun perfectly proportioned and tender. So  roll up your sleeves, remove your rings, wrist watch and prepare yourself for a messy, but satisfying experience. 

Chrissy had the single burger with cheddar cheese topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles and relish for $7. The beef is sourced from Spring Creek farms which proudly raises their beef ethically without hormones or antibiotics and you can definitely taste the quality. My recommendation is not to overload the burger with too many toppings, otherwise the flavour of the beef might get hidden. For most, this size would be more then enough.

I went all out with the double burger with swiss cheese, topped with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup and clive sauce (spicy mayo) all for $10. Two delicious patties is more then enough to satisfy even the largest appetites. The sticker on the tomato was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect burger.

The fries here again are some of the best. Their flavour seems to suggest they were fried in peanut oil which results in a super crispy exterior. Go for the Clive sauce for dipping to get the full Clive burger experience. A large for $4 is enough for 4 regular diners or two very hungry ones.

If you want something different from the classic burger and fries, they also serve hot dogs and poutine. For refreshment you can choose from their homemade shakes, local soda or locally brewed beer from Village Brewery. In my opinion, the Village Blonde on tap is the way to go.

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…Korean Fried Chicken

Its official, the Korean fried chicken trend in Calgary is in full swing with a new Korean fried chicken joint popping up in Kensington to challenge Olive Chicken. If you want to try your hand at making your own Korean fried chicken, then check this recipe out. The sweet and spicy sauce is tangy and garlicy, while the simple cucumber pickles (Daikon would have been more traditional) does a really nice job of cutting through the richness of the fried chicken.

Ingredients:
- A mixture of your favourite cuts of chicken (wings, thighs, breast, drumsticks)
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of corn starch
- 1/4 cup of Sriracha hot sauce
- 1/4 cup of agave syrup (or honey instead)
- 3 cloves of crushed and minced garlic
- 1/4 cup of finely chopped green onions
- Juice and zest of one lime
- 1 cucumber peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar 
- Canola oil
- Salt and pepper

Method:
1. (Optional) Brine your chicken pieces in 2L of water, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of salt for at least 12 hours for really juicy chicken

2. Make the sweet and sour sauce by combining the agave syrup, hot sauce, garlic, green onions, lime juice and lime zest

3. Make the pickles by combining the cucumbers, rice wine vinegar, salt and sugar and let sit for at least 2 hours. Rinse under cold water and squeeze out the excess water

4. If you brined your chicken, rinse in cold water and dry then dredge in the mixture of flour, corn starch salt and pepper

5. Fill a large pot with 1.5 inches of canola oil and heat to 375 degrees

6. Fry the chicken on each side until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving with the sweet/spicy sauce and pickles

Enjoy!

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