Food Mamma

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eating out

chestermere eats: sunnyz vietnamese sub & amato gelato

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It’s always nice when new restaurants open in Chestermere. It’s even nicer when the food is delicious and the service is fantastic. This is the case with Sunnyz Vietnamese Sub & Deli. Sure there are a couple of other Vietnamese places in town, both of which are great, but another sub place is always welcome.

When I walked in to Sunnyz, I was greeted with a friendly hello.  I couldn’t help but notice how clean the place was. The animated movie playing on the big tv was perfect to keep any child customers entertained.

The Lemongrass Sate Beef Sub was a flavourful sandwich with not a lot of heat so even Q could enjoy it. The bun was not too crusty and the pickled carrots and crunchy cucumbers provided a good contrast.  The little shop also has a variety of bubble teas as well as spring rolls and salad rolls.

This is a definite must try! The perfect finish? Head on over to Amato Gelato next door for a cool tasty treat. With so many flavours of gelato available, it’s hard to just pick one!

market turns one!

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It’s already been a year since Market opened it’s doors. Even now, I’m still enamored with the Urban Cultivator that they have. Hubby and I went to Market’s one year anniversary party on Sunday where they threw a great party with a delicious spread, live music as well as a silent auction. They also raised money for Grow Calgary, an organization which grows fresh local produce for the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank.

The food was amazing as usual. My favourite was the crispy quail, the crunchy breading topped with truffle aioli. The chocolate macarons were the perfect sweet treat, filled with chocolate and peanut butter.

Congratulations to one year Market!  Looking forward to enjoying your food for many years to come!

Market Restaurant on Urbanspoon

vij’s railway express

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What do you do when you’re in Vancouver for the day in meetings and have an hour to spare? You make your way downtown for the Street Food City, part of the Dine Out Vancouver Festival.

Many food trucks were gathered and diners were able to enjoy their food at the many tables and tents that were set up. With so much to choose from, it was hard to decide which truck to sample from.

I decided on Vij’s Railway Express and their Butter Chicken Schnitzel. The panko crusted chicken was smothered in a delicious butter chicken curry and served with rice and naan.  The dish was aromatic and the spices packed a punch. The flavour was intense and kept you going back for more.

The food truck gathering is on until January 26th by the Vancouver Art Gallery. Go check it out!

Vij's Railway Express on Urbanspoon

cousin’s night out: pio peruvian

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I am loving our monthly cousin’s nights out! We’ve had a few now and it’s been fun trying new restaurants and taking the time to hang out.  We all get a chance to choose a restaurant, order dependent on birthdate.

This month, it was hubby’s turn to choose a restaurant. After much deliberation, he chose Pio Peruvian. We had been wanting to check out the place for a while so it was perfect that we could do it with our cousins. The restaurant, located on Sunridge Way, was small but packed – always a good sign for any restaurant.

Since we were having dinner on a Thursday, we were able to have the El Menu Special – an appetizer, entree and dessert for $18.99.  We started with ceviche. The marinated tilapia was served with sweet potato and toasted Peruvian corn. This was refreshing and spicy and a great way to start the meal.

Hubby and I also shared the Salchipapa – beef sausage with fries and Pio sauce. The sausage was sparse but good and the fries were amazing.

For our main, we had the Pollo Saltado. Flavourful pan-fried chicken with onions, tomatoes and peppers served with fries and rice. Our chicken dish was amazing. It’s one I think about often and I can’t wait to go back for more.

We ended our meal with Alfajores – shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche. I thought it would just be a regular shortbread cookie but it was far from it. The warm cookie was buttery and flaky and the caramel made an amazing addition. It was a delicious way to end a tasty meal.

Do you have any suggestions for our next dinner?

Pio Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken on Urbanspoon

cousins night out: brava bistro

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I’m so lucky that I have a wonderful bunch of cousins that I can actually call my friends. Since life can get busy, we have started a monthly dinner for those of us in town – cousins night out. It’s a great chance to spend time with the ones we love while having a dinner out.

Since my cousin’s wedding was last month, everyone was in town! With nine cousins and seven spouses, our group of sixteen took over a long table at Brava Bistro for an amazing dinner.

Brava was very accommodating, fulfilling our desire to eat family style. It was perfect – by sharing, we were able to try many dishes and weren’t limited to just one – the best way to avoid food envy.

The appetizers and salads we sampled were delicious! The Prawn and Avocado salad was light and tasty while the Burrata and Tomato Salad was a great showcase for the creamy cheese.

Lobster was the star in both the Lobster Gnocchi and the Lobster Poutine. The poutine was my favourite of the night and I will definitely be going back for more.

Our mains were just as delicious and I was happy to be able to sample a little of everything. I really enjoyed the pasta dish, the Orecchiette Alfredo, which was creamy and garlicky.

Everyone loved the Beef Short Rib which was soft and tender. This was served with Mac and Cheese and Broccoflower.

The Atlantic Salmon was perfectly cooked and Crispy Cracklin Chicken was surprisingly juicy.

The night ended with sweet treats of Creme Brulee, Warm Gingerbread Cake and a Brownie Sundae. Delish!

It was a wonderful night with family. Can’t wait to go back!

Brava Bistro on Urbanspoon

state and main

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When a restaurant is able to provide me with many choices for appetizers that I can fill myself with a meal of them, I am a happy girl.  That is exactly what happened last week when I checked out the new State and Main with some media friends. State and Main is the new kid on the block, opening its doors in Calgary at Chinook Centre. From the same people that brought us Original Joe’s, State and Main offers classic comfort food with character.

All the appetizers we enjoyed were delicious! These included the Chicken Gyoza, Spicy Tuna Tartare, Dragon Boat Lettuce Wraps, Mama’s Meatballs, Calamari and Butter Chicken Poutine. My favourite were the Bang Bang Shrimp. I could probably have eaten these all by myself.

The mains were also tasty and the ones we tried included the Long Beach Fish Tacos, Red Thai Shrimp Curry and the Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak. The fish tacos were a fave amongst our whole group.

 

Definintely looking forward to going back to try out the dessert menu and for some more Bang Bang Shrimp!

State & Main on Urbanspoon

oeb breakfast co.

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I’ve been wanting to check out OEB Breakfast Co. for a while now and I finally got an opportunity a couple of weeks ago. I had attempted once before but the over one hour wait was not going to work for my little guy. This time, I met a friend early on a weekday and we were seated within a few minutes. Definitely the best time to go.

Opened almost four years ago, this cute little place is located conveniently on Edmonton Trail. The menu is extensive and it was so hard to decide what to have. I had heard many things about their Box’d breakfasts and thought I’d give one of those a try.  I went with A-Lott A-Lox -poached eggs, herb potatoes, Quebec curds, cured salmon, fresh dill, Spanish capers, brown butter hollandaise – all served in a little takeout box.

The food was so good! The eggs were cooked perfectly and the soft yolk oozed over the herb potatoes and cheese curds. The salmon was fresh and the hollandaise was perfect.

My friend had the vegetarian option and the eggs sprinkled with paprika and sitting on top of avocado and tomatoes looked so delicious.

There are still so many menu items to try, I can’t wait for my next visit. Breakfast anyone?

OEB Breakfast Co. on Urbanspoon

koob the kabob factory

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Since hubby’s been working in Mission for the past year, I have often been jealous of the places he is able to frequent so easily for lunch. There are so many great restaurants on 4th Street and I was happy to finally try out Koob, a place he frequents often.

Koob serves up meat kabobs in a pita, topped with fresh veggies and sauces. The delish ‘Koobwich’ is generously filled and then grilled.The owners and the staff at Koob are super friendly and the service was great.

You get a choice of meat (chicken, beef or lamb) or you can go veggie if you wish. The meat is grilled on an open flame while you choose the toppings for your pita. I think I had the whole lot with fresh veggies such as basil tomatoes and sumac onions.

These veggies are then topped with sauces of your choice, many of them made in-house. With the large variety they had, it was hard to choose. I settled on the Koob aioli and the garlic. Both were excellent choices.

My choice of lamb was a great one. The meat was well seasoned and was delicious. Q’s new favourite thing is lamb and he definitely approved. Healthy and tasty – next time I’m stuck for dinner, I know what I’ll be asking hubby to bring home.

Koob The Kabob Factory on Urbanspoon