...Ikemen Ramen Bar (Calgary)

Overall - 6/10
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
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.

Read More

...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.

Read More

5 Thanksgiving Recipes That Are Not Turkey

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we've already started thinking about what to cook for the holiday season.  If you're looking for an alternative to turkey or a side dish to complement your bird, here are five tried and true recipes from our blog: 

Thanksgiving Ham with Apple Bacon Chutney

This recipe elevates the Thanksgiving ham with a delicious apple bacon chutney.  Both sweet and savoury, the chutney both compliments and adds another dimension to each bite of ham.  Recipe here.

Bacon and Mushroom Thanksgiving Strata

This Italian 'strata' is essentially a savoury bread pudding flavoured with cheese, bacon, mushrooms and caramelized onions. Although not a traditional stuffing, this side more than makes up for it with the perfect blend of earthiness from the mushrooms, caramelized onions and richness of the cream and smoky bacon. Recipe here.

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

This recipe uses cornbread which gives the stuffing a wonderful texture and sweetness to balance the savouriness of the bacon and sausage.  The cornbread is also amazing for soaking up that puddle of gravy on your plate so you're guaranteed every bit of gravy goodness gets in your belly.  Recipe here.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin and Carmelized Onion Gravy

If you're sick of the traditional turkey, here's a beef alternative.  This recipe is equally as satisfying as a turkey with the caramelized onion gravy and makes for fantastic left overs.

Recipe here.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

If you're not a huge pumpkin fan, here's a different dessert to try.  I discovered a fantastic recipe for sticky toffee pudding last year and made it for Thanksgiving.  The cake is moist from the dates and the toffee sauce rich and decadent; needless to say, it was a hit.  Also, I feel like baking anything in a bundt pan makes your creation ten times more impressive.  Recipe here.

We hope these recipes were useful and at the very least gave you some inspiration for Thanksgiving this year!

Read More

Top 3 Fall Recipes to Try Today

We may be a little biased but we think we have a good collection of fall recipes here on the blog that we've posted over the last 4 years. In anticipation of the official start of fall, which is this Wednesday, we thought we'd share our top three fall recipe picks:

Butternut Squash, Sage & Cheddar 'Pizza'
What better way to use squash that are in season than in a 'pizza'?  The nutty butternut squash, sharp cheddar cheese and woody sage on a buttery, flakey puff pastry crust are the perfect fall combination.  Check out the recipe here.

Indian Spiced Cream of Carrot Soup
One of our favourite things to harvest from our garden are carrots.  Nothing beats the taste of an ultra sweet home grown, organic carrot.  This recipe takes advantage of the root vegetable harvest by spicing things up with garam masala, coriander, fennel and mustard seed.  Combined with the gentle hum of coconut milk in the background, you've got an extraordinary fall soup.  See the recipe here.

Apple Braised Pork Shoulder
This recipe comes from a time when we used an iPhone 4 to take photos; however it doesn't detract from the fact that this is an amazing dish that utilizes the fall harvest of orchard ripened apples.  The sweet apple paired with the melt in your mouth fennel braised pork is a warming (and winning) combination.  Check out the recipe here.

What is your favourite fall recipe?

Read More

...Watercress Express (Calgary)

Overall - 8.5/10
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 7.5/10

Watercress Express' food definitely lives up to it's slogan "Viet-Modern Cuisine at its Best".  While they offer the standard pho (beef noodle soups), they have done a fantastic job offering up other creative options that are tasty and unique.  Located on the busy 17th Ave, Watercress Express is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat to-go or in our case, a sit down family meal with Baby S.  Although seating is limited, many patrons were ordering food to-go so we didn't have any difficulty getting our table of choice.  The menu is clearly visible above the ordering counter, with descriptions of each dish.  We were tempted by many dishes and ordered a variety of appetizers and mains, forgoing our usual bowls of pho.  The dishes were unique and flavourful and demonstrated a great balance of flavours and careful presentation.  The attention to detail was evident and we were impressed by our experience.  

The following pictures shows the deliciousness that ensued:

Crispy Char Siu Wontons

The wontons were perfectly crisp with the ultra tender sous vide char siu pork shoulder.  The addition of tart green apple slices on ginger scallion sauce was a winning combination. 

Chicken Wings

These chicken wings were absolutely delicious.  Crispy with a light glaze of caramelized chill lime sauce and sprinkling of sesame seeds and fried shallots.

Pineapple Nuoc Cham Pork Wrap

 The wraps were beautifully presented, pre-cut to look like sushi and easy to eat in one bite.  The sweet pineapple in this pork wrap was a tasty addition.

Tamarind Beef Wrap

The refreshing cucumber and tangy tamarind beef was delicious and satisfying.  My question is, how do they cut/wrap each slice so perfectly?

Grilled Pork & Spring Rolls Vermicelli

The grilled pork was tender and flavourful and the spring rolls crisp.  A great classic vermicelli dish done right.

Kimchi Fried Rice

The spicy kimchi fried rice mixed with the runny yolk of the fried egg made it extra tasty.

Nuoc Cham Braised Pork Cheek Bao 

Served up hamburger style, this boa containing tender pork cheek, sweet and tangy pineapple and green apple was a hit.  On this day, we also had a side of fried shoestring onions which were very addicting.

Woking Shrimp Stir Fry on Crispy Egg Noodle

The crispy egg noodles were topped with fresh shrimp and vegetables.

Watercress Express is definitely a place to check out if you're looking for a fresh take on Vietnamese cuisine with fast, friendly service and quality food.

Read More

...Teatro (Calgary)

Overall - 8.5/10
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Food - 8/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance- 9/10

The Big Taste event was held March 6-15th this year and we were lucky enough to try out a couple of different restaurants over the week. For one week each year, participating restaurants create an affordable prix fixe menu that highlights what they are all about.  We realize this post is after the fact, however, we hope it gives you an idea of the style and flavours presented at Teatro.  The menu at Teatro focuses on traditional Italian flavours using regional ingredients. Dishes like steak tartare, gnocchi and braised pork shoulder were prepared with a high degree of refinement making the meal as a whole both comforting and upscale all at the same time.

Our five course gourmet menu started off with carrot and saffron velutatta with watercress and a house cured bresaola with pickled apple and shaved foie gras. The velutatta was a deliciously rich carrot soup perfumed with the aroma of saffron and our favourite of the two starters. The bresaola was delicate and cut paper thin however we found the shaved foie gras did not add much in the way of flavour.

Blurry due to the 'Hangry' shakes 

The second courses included one of the best beef tartare's we've ever tasted and a comparatively underwhelming marinated eggplant terrine. The tartare was perhaps the star of the night, tasting of fresh beef chopped with just the right amount of texture. The potato and sunchoke crisps nestled amongst the beef added great crunch to the dish.

We could find no fault with the pasta course. The thyme gnocchi were light and airy and matched well with the earthy wild mushroom bolognese. The sweet pea and pancetta risotto was executed perfectly and struck the right balance between buttery risotto rice, rich bacon and fresh sweet peas.

Our mains continued the delicious progression of courses. The Coho salmon was moist and flavourful and served with a tangy preserved lemon emulsion. The butter milk braised pork shoulder was pressed into a terrine shape then fried until crisp on the outside adding a nice textural element to the braised meat.

Dessert options included a deep and rich chocolate hazelnut torta or a bright lemon tart. Both were delicious but the candied hazelnuts on top of the torta completely won us over.

We didn't mention the wine pairing since we couldn't remember half the names but Teatro did a fantastic job pairing the food with the wine.  Overall, an enjoyable experience was had at Teatro.  We felt the Big Taste event allowed us to try many components that are on their regular menu at a great price.

Read More