New Garden Restaurant – Best Chinese in Kingston (so far)

I was advised very early on that Kingston is devoid of good Chinese food places. If you don’t want sweet and sour pork or chicken balls, you are going to have to pretty much make your own Chinese food. Fortunately J is quite good at it so we haven’t had too many problems but sometimes you feel like Chinese and you don’t want to cook. So what then?

We’ve tried Panda Garden (yea, it was buffet, but even for Chinese buffet it was bad). We’ve tried Silver Wok (my previous favourite but honestly J can cook better). We’ve recently discovered New Garden and I think it is now my favourite Chinese place in Kingston.

It is in the middle of nowhere (high on Division, by the police station). The clientele is very caucasian and very old. There is a bar where you can sit and eat facing a TV. When we went in… we weren’t impressed with the appearance. It was the day after the LMCC and we just wanted to eat and have a good time. The atmosphere of this place was certainly lacking.

This is the half BBQ duck for $11. Very very fatty. Not a lot of meat. The skin was not crispy. Very oily. Generally a pretty horrible dish. If I had only gotten this, I would not ever come back to this restaurant.

This is the cha-che gui (fried chicken) for $9. Nicely salted and crispy skin. The meat was juicy and tender. A satisfying dish. Not the best cha-che gui I’ve had but the fact that they even have this dish in Kingston makes me smile.

This is the beef with Chinese broccoli for $10. Tender beef. Good sauce. Fresh tasting gui-lan. I was quite happy with this dish.

This is the Sizzling Shrimp and Chinese Eggplant for $12. Fresh and bouncy shrimp. Nice flavours and zip to the sauce. Eggplant was soft and rich. A very nice dish (probably my favourite).

Overall, New Garden Restaurant isn’t the best Chinese food I’ve had… but probably the best I’ve had in Kingston. What puts it a step above Silver Wok is that the stir-fry’s as wok-hay (essentially a really hot wok). Chinese cooking is best when the wok is hot so that the energy of the heat can be transmitted directly to the food. Silver Wok often feels like the food is essentially steamed/poached.

I still prefer J’s cooking but if you just don’t feel like cleaning… I’d come here.

New Garden Restaurant, 779 Division St, Kingston, ON, (613) 542-5664, no website.

Avenue Diner (Calgary) – A classy breakfast option downtown

People seem to really like brunch. I theorize that it is because people just love to eat all the salty foods of breakfast (bacon, hashbrowns, eggs, omelets) as well as the sweets (french toast, pancakes, crepes, waffles). And because you are eating for 2 meals, you get to eat more! There appear to be a few different types of brunch places in Calgary:

First tier, you have Denny’s. Lots of locations. Open 24 hours. It serves greasy food that is great for the 5am grease fix you need after a night of drinking. I’d never go here for an actual brunch.

Second tier, you have Galaxie Diner and Belmont Diner (same owner I believe). Essentially the same as Denny’s in greasiness. Not open 24 hours. Huge line-ups. I don’t really understand these places. I don’t think it is remarkably better than Denny’s. Also I find the counters usually feel pretty greasy. One nice plus: all you can eat hashbrowns. I don’t have the heart to ask for it… but it is supposedly true.

Third tier, you have Diner Deluxe, Avenue Diner, and Dairy Lane. I really like these places. They have interesting menus, the line-ups aren’t insane, and they feel clean.

Avenue Diner is probably the classiest of the above 3. The decor is a little more upscale than your usual diner.  I have professed my love for Dairy Lane but Avenue Diner is a close second. It is nicely located on Stephen Avenue in downtown Calgary so in the summer, it is a great place to stop for brunch while walking around the bustling street. In the winter… it can suck. First… no close free parking. Second… they don’t have a double door. The cold Calgary wind BLASTS in whenever the door opens. They have a little curtain that is their best attempt at stopping the draft but I should be clear: it is pretty useless. Sit as deep into the restaurant as you can in the winter.

They usually have a daily menu as well as their regular menu. I’ve been there maybe 5x and my favourites are probably the Eggs Benny and the Banana’s Foster. I forgot to shoot some pics the last time I went so all I have is the one below:

This is the Avenue Florentine (double smoked bacon, wilted spinach, garlic roasted shallots) for $14.49. A perfectly poached egg. A nice thick(ish) Hollaindaise and some barely crispy bacon. I really liked it.

Stay tuned for more photos when I go back.

Avenue Diner, 105 – 8 Ave SW, Calgary, AB, (403) 263-2673, www.avenuediner.com

Congee Wong (Toronto) – A great place for chuk fun mein

There are lots of places like this in the Richmond Hill/Markham area but this is the one that I usually frequent. My friends, both old (50) and young (25) take me there which suggests a certain universal appeal to all generations. Furthermore, if a line-up is ever a sign of popularity, this place sure is popular. We had to wait 20 minutes to be seated. Essentially, Congee Wong is a chuk (congee/rice porridge), fun (rice noodles in soup), mein (dry wheat noodles) place. And damn is it good.

First, the vegetable of the day. It was obligatory. Both Jules and Priscilla insisted that we get veggies. It was pretty simple but tasty.

This is the Spicy Soft Shell Crab Fried Rice for $10.99. What a deal. You get so much soft shell crab! True, the crab itself isn’t particularly flavourful (tasted mostly of batter) but it added a really nice crunch and richness to the rice. The fried rice itself was also well made and satisfying. It was just slightly spicy and nicely seasoned.

This is the very classic Shrimp Wonton Noodles in Soup for $4.25. Again, a very good deal. The noodles were nicely bouncy and not overcooked. The wontons were impressive in the amount of shrimp they contained. There was also a good quantity of wontons (I think 6 in this bowl). A very tasty dish.

This is the Law-Bak-Goh (pan-friend Turnip Cake). I can’t remember the price. This is such a unique way to make this dish. Usually, they are sliced into large squares and fried like pancakes. In this dish, they cut them into smaller pieces so that more of the surface has that delicious crispy fried flavour. Very tasty and unique.

This is the Chiu Chow House Special Superbowl Congee for $9.25. I like Chiu Chow style congee a bit more than the regular style congee. Essentially, the difference is that the rice is a bit more formed and it is more like a soup with rice added. The regular style of congee is more of a thick oatmeal porridge. There was lots of seafood in this soup, including fish, shrimp, oysters, scallops, and even some bacon. A wonderful way to keep warm in the winter.

Congee Wong is simply delicious and what blows me away is how great a deal it is. All the food above cost us less than $50 bucks for 4 people. And we were stuffed. You really can’t go wrong coming here. I just hate waiting in line.

Congee Wong, 3 locations, 10 Ravel Rd, Toronto, (416)-493-8222, www.congeewong.com

Ten Ren’s Tea Time (Toronto) – Good if you love tea flavoured food

Go for Tea is my usual place for late night bubble-tea and crushed ice but a buddy of mine brought me to Ten Ren’s Tea Time as an alternative and I was pleasantly surprised. It isn’t quite as pretentious as Go for Tea and the crowd is quieter. They have a fairly impressive stash of tea and it is displayed beautifully (I love shelves lit from below). I didn’t get a chance to try it (as I had another agenda).

This is the Fresh mango crushed ice for $7.99. Look at all that condensed milk.

As you can see, the ice is more of a powdery quality instead of a slushy quality. It reminds me of snow. I really really liked the texture. My only problem is that the toppings were brutally sweet. The mango didn’t quite taste particularly fresh either.

The unique thing about Ten Ren’s is that they serve lots of food that is tea-flavoured. This is the Fried Fresh Green Tea Chicken Wings ($6.99 or half off if you order a drink between 230pm and 530pm or 10pm and 1am). They were wonderfully juicy, crispy, and seasoned. The green tea really added more to the crunch than impart any noticeable green tea flavour.

Overall, Ten Ren’s Tea Time is a nice alternative to Go for Tea. I am not sure which I prefer more but I do like certain things in both. In my comparison of crushed ice… I liked the ice texture more at Ten Ren’s but I liked the toppings better at Go for Tea.

Ten Ren’s Tea Time, 111 Times Ave, Markham, ON, (905) 881-8896, www.tenren.com

Go for Tea (Toronto) – Where the Asians hang on Friday night

I was in Toronto a few weekends in a row, first to pick up Jules, then for a meeting, then to shop in Buffalo over the Labour Day weekend. With my car, my friends decided that a trip uptown wouldn’t be unreasonable. Hence… after a gut-busting Korean BBQ dinner… we hit up Go for Tea.

It seems like a trendy place. Lots of Asians inside. LOTS. If you aren’t Asian… you might consider going in the company of a few Asians so you don’t feel so out of place. That being said… there is lots of English used and people are pretty friendly. The menus are in English for those Canadian Born Chinese who unfortunately can’t read Chinese. I love that you can call for service by pressing a little button by your table. It is linked to your server’s pager so they usually come running.

While they have lots and lots of teas and lots and lots of bubbles, it was the crushed ice I was interested in. This is the Crushed ice with blended fruits and condensed milk for $7.99. You will see that the ice is more of a snow cone type texture. Sometimes you get big clumps of many ice shards together. The fruit tasted canned, especially the pineapple. Only the strawberries tasted fresh, but it was still pretty tasty overall. My only concern was that it was fairly sweet. If you are someone who constantly asks for half-sweet or no-sweet, you might want to bypass this dish.

Here is a photo of the crushed ice with mango and condensed milk for $6.99. The mango was easily the best topping so might as well bypass the other fruit and go straight for the mango. Mmmmmmm.

Overall, I like Go for Tea. Their crushed ice is pretty tasty and they make a reasonable bubble-tea. I’ve also heard that their cooked food is pretty good as well, though I’ve never tried it. It is slowly becoming one of my Toronto staples. Stay tuned for my take on TenRen…

Go for Tea, Unit 2-230 Commerce Valley Dr E, Thornhill, ON L3T 7Y3, www.gofortea.ca

Zen 8 (Calgary) – No toro?? No tuna?? Whaaa??

I went to Wa’s over the summer and had the bluefin tuna special. Pretty epic. 1 hand cone, 1 small roll of 6 pieces, 6 pieces of sashimi for $25. Pretty darn tasty. I came back 2 days later wanting more and it was sold out. However, I’d heard from Wa’s that the owner of Zen 8 was the person who purchased the bluefin tuna for Calgary so I could maybe check it out there.

Don’t let Google Maps fool you: Zen 8 is no longer on Steve Ave (8th Avenue). It is no longer part of Penny Lane (destroyed now). It is on 3rd street and… 4th avenue. Stupid Google Maps. Led me to a construction site.

Here we have a beautiful example of an excellent R:F ratio. Look how little rice there is compared to fish! Fantastic! This piece of salmon was $3.50. Kinda pricey.

Here we have some beautiful Unagi nigiri. Again, fantastic R:F ratio. There was a bit too much BBQ sauce though. It was overly sweet and I didn’t get a good taste of the fish. $3.80 per piece. Again… kind of pricey.

Sadly, there was no blue-fin tuna to be found. Not only was there no blue-fin… there was no other tuna’s either. There was no red tuna, white tuna, or toro. They only had Ahi Tuna. I realize that Ahi Tuna is really another word for Yellowfin Tuna and that it does not imply searing. However, every single time I’ve seen the word Ahi Tuna on a menu in Calgary, it has been seared. Hence… not wanting to eat a piece of seared sashimi… I passed on the Ahi Tuna.

Here is a series of rolls. The first roll on the left is the Dynamite Roll for $9.60 (prawn tempura, cucumber, avocado, masago, mayo, sesame). Pretty plain. Nothing exciting here. Next up is the Rainbow Stampede for $9.85 (salmon, tuna, prawn, avocado, tobiko). Not very elegantly prepared as you can see a fairly poor progression of the various fishes on the outside of the roll. The fish was fresh though. Next is my favourite of the bunch, the Alberta Roll for $9.75 (sirloin beef, avocado, asparagus, tempura crunch, cucumber, pea shoots). I know you are probably thinking that it is perverse to put beef on a roll but this was actually quite interesting. The beef was seared and layered nicely on top of the roll. It was pretty unique. Finally, we have the Volcano for $9.85 (tuna hot and spicy, calamari tempura, lettuce, sesame). A big mush of flavours. Not very tasty.

Overwhelmingly, Zen 8 seems like corporate Calgary’s solution to lunchtime sushi. The location is nice, the interior is nice but the sushi just lacks substance. If you are interested in insightful, well made, and delicious sushi, look elsewhere.

Zen 8, 103, 414 – 3rd Street SW, Calgary Place, Calgary, AB, (403)237 – 8884. http://driveit.clickspace.com/webpage/1002265/1000243

Maruju Sushi (Calgary) – Reasonable… but no Shikiji

A friend recommended Maruju for the “best ramen she has had”, especially the pork chop ramen, and to especially ask for the pork bone stock (instead of the soy or miso stock). I usually trust her opinion (as she was the one who introduced me to Dairy Lane) but her last recommendation was Mohi Matal which I didn’t love.

Here it is. The pork chop ramen for $9.95 + $1.00 for the pork bone soup add-on. My criteria for great ramen is 1) well cooked noodles, 2) salty and umami soup base, 3) fatty meat, 4) maybe some vegetables. Based on my criteria… this ramen is only good, not great. The noodles were well cooked, not too chewy, not too soft. The pork chop was deep fried and salty but I didn’t really taste a lot more flavour than that. Also, I am more of a traditional person and prefer fatty pork loin versus a deep fried cutlet. The soup… well… it was tasty but again, it was just salty and did not have the Umami flavour that I crave in ramen. This is no comparison to Shikiji or Wa’s (reviewed here).

I tried out their sushi too and it was fairly tame. Nothing exciting. Not horrible either. A touch on the warm side. Here are three pieces of toro and a few tuna rolls.

I probably won’t come back to Maruju. My friend will hate me but I guess we’ll just have to settle it with a back to back ramen showdown.

Maruju Sushi. 919 Centre St. NW Calgary, AB T2E 2P6, 403-276 -8008, no website.

Tubby Dog (Calgary) – You have to try it. Once.

I love the Simpson’s episode where Homer is watching TV and an ad comes up: “We take eighteen ounces of sizzling ground beef and then soak it in rich creamery butter. Then we top it off with bacon, ham and a fried egg. We call it… ‘The Good Morning Burger’”.

I can’t help but think of that episode when I eat the Sherm’s Ultimate Gripper for approxiately $8 found at Tubby Dog on 17th Avenue. Tubby Dog is known for their eclectic hot dog selection but for me, this is the true reason why Tubby Dog is popular. How can it not be popular? Look at it!

You can’t see it well but it is a hot dog wrapped in bacon and deep fried. Sauteed onions and chili is then added. It is glazed with a cheesy sauce. A piece of ham is added to the top then crowned with a sunny-side up egg. Amazing. You look like a monster when you eat it.

Another view. Eaten on a different night. Those aren’t all for me though… I am not a monster.

Simply monstrous!

You have to try Sherm’s Ultimate Gripper once. You might find that after the first time, your body craves it every now and then. I probably eat it once every 1.5 years. I should probably check my cholesterol.

Tubby Dog, 103 – 1022 17 Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2T 0A5, www.tubbydog.net

Kobe Beef (Calgary) – Good, not just because I am sentimental about it

I can’t exactly remember when I first had Kobe Beef. Maybe it was in grade 11 during a summer camp (yes, I did summer camp in grade 11). Maybe it was first year university. Regardless, it is a place that has special meaning for me. Located within MacEwan Hall (the Student’s Union) at the University of Calgary, it is a venerable institution in and of itself (perhaps more venerable than the crumbling UofC). It, along with the Dairy Queen, the A+W, and Coffee Company, has been there since I was at least 6.

Here it is: the Chicken/Beef combo on rice. If you say “combo” to the asian lady at the till, she’ll know what you mean. This term is what the staff use as a short form of the chicken/beef combo and whenever I say it, I always feel just a little bit closer to this small asian lady. You can’t see it well because of all the Red Rooster chili sauce I put on it. I started doing that in second year university, when my buddy Eric dared me to cover it so that I couldn’t see the food underneath. Who knew that this was a fantastic way to eat it!!! True… the cooks themselves are shocked when I douse it in hot sauce. True… I need napkins to wipe the sweat from my face after I eat it. But for sentimental reasons, I just can’t eat it without the hot sauce now. You should try it… at your own risk.

The price has risen dramatically. It used to cost $5.30. Right now, it is $6.75. Yikes. However, if you compare the quality of the beef and portion size to the mall-based teppanyaki places (Edo, Koya, Teriyaki Experience come to mind), you’ll quickly find that Kobe Beef is well worth the trip to the UofC. The beef is what makes Kobe Beef fantastic. Though not true “Kobe” beef, it is still very tender, very soft, and served as slices. At all the other Teppan-style places, in order to get the beef to cook faster, they dice it up with their utensils into little bits which really takes away from the texture of the beef.

I really like Kobe Beef. I honestly come here every time that I am in Calgary. I still think it is objectively quite good, with good quality and good value. But I am quite sentimental about it too. Just like the way I still like Creed and the Spice Girls.

Kobe Beef, 2506 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2M, (403) 284-2110, no website.

River Cafe (Calgary) – A must-see when you dine in Calgary.

I like lots of restaurants in Calgary. Some are expensive. Some are cheap. I try not to discriminate. If there is one place  you must go in Calgary, it is River Cafe. It isn’t my favourite place to eat nor is it the finest dining experience. However, it has the most unique menu and I honestly feel that it captures what is unique about Calgary.

This post summarizes a series of 3 meals I had at River Cafe. Their menu is seasonal and constantly changing. By the time you go, the menu may have changed and you won’t be able to sample some of the lovely food you see here.

The interior makes you feel like you are in a cabin. It isn’t cheap/old feeling like Chez Piggy in Kingston but it feels clean and tasteful. In the winter, it glows with warmth. The only problem: the bathrooms are pretty horrible. Small and not particularly clean. Oh well.

J and I came to River Cafe on a beautifully sunny Saturday morning for brunch. It was pretty empty, especially considering that the Calgary Folk Festival was taking place.

This is the Tomato Salad (Fairwinds Farm Goat Milk Ricotta, Highwood Crossing Canola Oil) for $12. So many tomatoes, so many colours, so many flavours. A very delicious dish. Refreshing and certainly not too heavy or oily.

This is the special of the day: wood-grilled bison sirloin with scrambled eggs with hashbrowns, grilled zucchini and Saskatoon berry sauce for $20. Very very tasty. The sirloin was cooked beautifully, juicy, warm, and tender. It had some distinct gaminess but it was not overpowering. The scrambled eggs and hashbrowns were simple but executed well. The Saskatoon berry sauce rounded out the savoriness well.

This is what was left of the Bowl of Raspberries with Fresh Peach Ice Cream for $9. I was too slow with the camera. It was eaten by the I even remembered to shoot a photo. It was wonderfully light, smooth, and refreshing.

On a different day, we went to River Cafe for dinner.

This is the Wood Grilled Albacore Tuna Tatake (Pickled Fennel, Ponzu Gel, Puffed Wild Rice, Dashi Broth) for $14. The tuna was smokey without being burned (I recently had an awful ahi-tuna steak which was basically charcoaled). The puffed rice was an interesting texture. This was a bit expensive for how much fish you got.

This is the Fish and Game Platter (Candied Trout, Duck Rillettes, Walleye Roll Mop, Cured Bison, Pork and Game Terrine, Pickled Egg, Grilled Apple, and Turnip Relish) for $21. Lots and lots of smoked meats. Generally pretty tasty but not the best game platter I’ve had. I was happy to taste anything but there wasn’t one thing I wanted seconds of. I’d pass on this dish to be honest. Their platters change seasonally and I’ve had one a few years ago that was wonderful.

This is the Driview Farm Lamb (braised lamb and quince tourtiere, honey buttered turnips, mint). The meat was cooked well but there was nothing particularly unique about the dish. I wish that I had been more adventurous with my selection and I wish that they had been more adventurous with their product.

I don’t know exactly what this is. I didn’t eat it but it is pretty.

Again, I don’t know exactly what this is but liked the presentation.

With some close friends, we went to River Cafe for a 4 course menu. It was simply amazing.

This is the Tomato Salad again (Fairwinds Farm Goat Milk Ricotta, Highwood Crossing Cold Pressed Canola Oil). As I mentioned above, a delicious start to the meal. Refreshing, light, and tart.

This is the Wood Grilled Tuna Tatake again (Pickled Fennel, Ponzu Gel, Puffed Wild Rice, Dashi Broth). On my second tasting of this dish, I became more aware of the uniqueness of its flavours. Yes the tuna was tasty and yes it was smokey. But it was the garnishes that really impressed me. The dashi broth was very clear and salty. The ponzu gel was wonderfully tart and the puffed rice really added a nice texture to the dish.

This is the Roast Sablefish (Green Lentils Cauliflower, Dungeness Crab). Only the girls selected this as their main. The portion size was huge. I don’t really like fatty fish (like bass) so I didn’t really like the taste but J really enjoyed it. The meat was slippery and fell apart with her fork. The crab was buttery and savory. Tasty but not my cup of tea.

This is the Pasture Raised Pork Chop (Creamed Maitake Mushrooms, Cannellini Beans). I didn’t get a chance to try it but I can say it looked delicious.

I had the Mushroom Dusted Olson’s Bison Striploin (Brown Beech Mushrooms and Barley Risotto). Wow. Again the bison was cooked very beautifully with the flavours of the mushrooms and the inherent gaminess showing through. But what I really liked was the barley risotto, especially after soaking up all of the bison juice. What a wonderful dish!

On to dessert. This is the Macerated Fresh Strawberries (Lemon Custard, Lemon Balm Ice Cream, Honey Sponge Cake, Candied Pumpkin Seeds). A very refreshing way to end the meal. I loved the tartness of the Lemon Custard as well as the smoothness of the ice cream.

This is the Hacienda Iara Single Plantation Chocolate (Chocolate Caramel Tart, Hazelnut Crust, Strawberry and Venturi Schulze Balsamic Ice Cream. I didn’t like this dish quite as much. The chocolate tart was dark but a bit bland. It was disappointing especially when compared right next to the strawberries above. I’d say the strawberries were enthusiastic. This dish was understated.

Finally, this is the special dessert of the day: sticky apricot toffee pudding. Very rich without being too sweet. It had such a lingering taste that filled your mouth with toffee goodness. It was warm and comforting. I really enjoyed this.

Overall, I really like River Cafe. After my 4 course menu above, it really is now one of my favourite places to eat. The only reason why it isn’t my favourite place to eat in Calgary is because some of their dishes are hit and miss. Overall though, my experiences are positive and you must come here if you want to say you’ve eaten food unique to Calgary.

River Cafe, 200 Barclay Parade South West, Calgary, AB, (403) 261-7670, www.river-cafe.com