Seriously, best breakfast sandwich of my life:
Colossus $7
If I would not get fat, I would pay $7 to eat this everyday of my life. Tomato + onion + cheddar omelette and 2 bacon slices in between french toast with MAPLE SYRUP.
As I was eating this, hot, gooey syrup was running down my arm. Seriously did not care. I’m pretty sure I got some burns from it. Sooooo good.
Salty + sweet = deliciousness.
MIGHTY SKILLET
Roaming Food Truck
I’ve heard so many good things about brunch at Diary Lane Cafe, that we finally made our way down there one Sunday morning. It’s a little out of the way, but it makes for a nice walk on a nice, warm morning. There was a little line when we got there, but it wasn’t too bad. I think we got in after waiting 15 minutes…
The bf got the Triple Double. Seemed a little excessive…but, to each his own…
TRIPLE DOUBLE $15.75
This was SO much food. He barely finished it. He definitely loved all the protein. The breakfast plate came with THREE Sylvan Star eggs, Broek Pork sausages, Spolumbo’s chicken sausages, and local naturally cured bacon. And on top of all that, there were local red potato hash browns and Engel’s toast. Crazy. We both could’ve definitely shared this.
I got the back bacon and Sylvan Star Gruyere stuffed french toast. I have this love hate relationship with french toast. I hate french toast but I love it when it’s stuffed with salty goodness. French toast is always a hit or miss for me. For example: awful french toast experience here.
Back Bacon & Sylvan Star Gruyere Stuffed French Toast $12.75
This one was…drum roll…GOOD! I loved the little details like the chives on top. and the bread wasn’t too soggy. Also, loved the local red potato hash.
The rest of the menu looked delicious too. It also serves lunch and dinner, will have to come back and try it some other time~
DIARY LANE CAFE
319 19 Street Northwest
Calgary, AB T2N 2J2
(403) 283-2497
Big Taste @ River Cafe.
Course 1
The first course was a light starter consisting of Polar Bluff carrots and Old West Ranch Buffalo Mozzarella. I love love love buffalo mozzarella. I could eat buckets of this stuff. Anything with buffalo mozzarella = good in my books. And really, you’d have to try pretty damn hard to mess this baby up. This light salad was served with roasted carrots, pickled carrots, crisp carrots, toasted farro, and arugula.
The entree from the Big Taste menu was a plump Noble Farm Duck Cotechino Sausage:
Big Taste Menu
That beauty of a sausage was served with braised french lentils, roasted apples, buttered cabbage, and a preserved lemon yogurt. I am just loving all the restaurants using apples in their dishes. Bf loved it, polished it off, wouldn’t even consider trading with me…
I wanted to trade because I got this god awful french toast:
Brioche French Toast $16
I don’t even know why I ordered this, I know that I don’t like french toast (unless is stuffed with salty, meaty goodness). Oh I know, I was persuaded by the promise of brioche and crème fraîche. Crème fraîche is like my kryptonite. I will pretty much order anything that has crème fraîche on it…
This. Was. Not. Good. Never again am I ordering a french toast that is not stuffed with meat. The bread was so mushy – I felt like I was eating bread pudding. Not a good texture. And the flavours were just boring. You would think that the Okanagan rhubarb, orange, basil, and white chocolate crème fraîche would be good…but it wasn’t…or maybe it was, but just not good enough to mask the nasty mushy texture the bread had. Yuck. Biggest disappointment ever. Also, I don’t understand why people like normal french toast? it’s just sweet on sweet topped with more sweet.
At least the dessert was good…
Big Taste Dessert
This was a dandelion honey panna cotta topped with Kayben Farm blackcurrants and 2 baby Highwood Crossing steel cut oatmeal cookies. Have I mentioned I love panna cottas?
RIVER CAFE
25 Prince’s Island Park
Calgary, AB T2P 0R1
(403) 261-7670
This year’s ticket price was a $1.00 , which is $0.25 more than last year’s. I really don’t like how it is getting more and more expensive. I know prices are going up and everything, but when you think about it, you’re paying at least $2 for a very small sampler that’s not even filling. It’s a nice little event, but at the end of the day, you’re paying $20 – $50 for food that’s not even as filling as a meal.
They do have nice little free sample trucks from vendors littered around the place. Pretty much it’s like free advertising for these big brands. There was a Dr.Oetker truck passing out free little slices of pizzas.
Back of the Truck
Free!
Another free treat was this ‘make-your-own-sandwich’ station. I don’t remember what company sponsored this, I think it was Kraft or something for their mayo?
Super Protein Sandwich!
Haha, I just made a dried sandwich, I don’t even like mayo.
I got the Sticky Rice with Mango from Delicious Thai for 5 tickets. I can’t believe that was $5.00, the actual dessert at their restaurant is only $4.20 (according to their website), and I’m sure it’s probably bigger than the sample they gave up. I actually can’t believe they charged more than their actual item now that I think about it.
I <3 Mangos
We also got Beef Samosas for 5 tickets. 5 dollars for 2 samosas. I thought the beef samosas would be awesome but the vegetarian ones are actually soooo much better, they just don’t have the same texture. One of my co-workers bring in awesome vegetarian samosas from the NE that’s only $0.50 each. These came to $2.50 each. Crazy expensive.
Delice Pastry Shop & Cafe
The Fresh Blueberry Pie from The White Spot were by far the best deal of the event. Yeah, they’re not very creative or innovative but they tasted good, only cost 3 tickets, and was a decent size. You can’t go wrong with blueberries, whipped cream, and pastry tart shells.
But in hindsight, for a couple more dollars I could probably get a really awesome and fancy dessert...
Since I really liked Nubian Express the previous year, I thought I would get something from them again this year. I got the Suya, a spicy African Stick Meat, for $4.00. This was not a good idea. I don’t even know what type of meat it was, I think it was beef…? It was all dry and not good at all.
Yucky.
One of the better dishes we got was the Roasted Duck Omelette from Bubblemania Cafe for 4 tickets. They actually cooked these up individually when you order them. All in a little tiny skillet, how cute!
Om Nom Nom Nom
At the end of the day, we both just got little drinks to use up the rest of our tickets. The bf got the Vietnamese Ice Coffee from The Satay House for 2 tickets.
Look at the little dinky cup of coffee...
I got a 4 oz Homemade Ginger Beer from Caribbean Choice for 1 ticket. Mmm…that was actually the best thing I had at the festival. It was soooo good. Maybe I’ll go get some this weekend…
Super Ginger-y
TASTE OF CALGARY
Festival Plaza @ Eau Claire Market
200 Barclay Parade Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 4R5
BUBBLEMANIA CAFE
459 16 Avenue Northeast
Calgary, AB T2E 8K9
403-277-9398
CARIBBEAN CHOICE FOODS
2235 Centre Street Northwest
Calgary, AB T2E 2T4
403-230-1880
DELICE PASTRY SHOP & CAFE
200 Barclay Parade Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 4R5
403-210-3006
DELICIOUS THAI
314 10 Street Northwest
Calgary, AB T2N 1V8
(403) 450-1996
NUBIAN EXPRESS
136 Kincora Hill NW
Calgary, AB T3R 1N6
403-992-8825
SATAY HOUSE
3231 17 Avenue Southeast
Calgary, AB T2A 0R1
403-248-2888
THE WHITE SPOT
10440 Macleod Trail South
Calgary, AB T2J 0P8
403-278-8212
So when we went to Seattle we stayed at the downtown Sheraton, I got this awesome deal on Expedia on the club floor. This room included access to the Club Lounge. The Club Lounge includes daily complimentary breakfast, after-hours hors d’oeuvres, and non-alcoholic beverages. The deal we got was great because that meant we didn’t have to go somewhere and buy breakfast everyday. We stayed in Seattle for 10 days so that saved us a lot of money!
Their breakfast was a good one too, not like one of those yucky continental breakfasts. Everyday they had tomatoes and mozzarella, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, an assortment of pastries, and fresh fruit.
Yum!
I ate so much mozzarella this trip, it was soooo good.
They even had figs!
In the afternoon they had hors d’oeuvre but we didn’t take advantage of this as much. I think we only went to this 2 or 3 times because we were usually out and about during the hours they offered it.
The times we did go though they always had an assortment of cheeses, crackers, various hot snacks, fruit, vegetable, and an assortment of desserts.
The first time we went they had mini samosas and quiches.
Bf's plate
My plate
One of the other days they had deep fried firecracker shrimp and chicken wings for their hot food:
Shrimp~
And then on one of the last days they had chocolate dipped strawberries and cheesecake!
Yum~
I really do think the extra money for the club foor is worth it. If you can get one of the club rooms for not a lot extra I would definitely recommend booking a club room!
SHERATON SEATTLE HOTEL
1400 – 6 Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 621-9000
This is by far my most favourite restaurant to have brunch in Calgary. It’s such a shame it is all the way up on Edmonton Trail. Edmonton Trail is such a huge hassle for me to go to without a car…
Anyways, got to start brunch off with some tea. I like my tea with milk and honey!
Tea
The bf got the pan fried trout & spinach hash with lemon butter and soft poached eggs. He absolutely loves pan scramblers and really enjoyed this.
Pan Fried Trout & Spinach Hash
Mmmm….I love poached eggs!
Close-Up
I got the wild mushroom, truffle, basil, and white cheddar scramble on duck confit hash. This. Was. Amazing.
Duck Confit Hash
I love love love truffles and this dish is fantastic. I would definitely recommend this dish. At first I was a bit disappointed because I had wanted poached eggs, but my disappointment went away as soon as I smelled the truffles. Oh god, my mouth is watering as I write this.
Close-Up
This is probably my all time favourite breakfast dish — a must try.
Big-Fish Oyster Bar & Lounge
1112 Edmonton Trail Northeast
Calgary, AB T2E 3K4
(403) 277-3403
The bf and I went to the River Cafe over the summer and had a nice brunch on their patio when the weather was still nice and warm~
Beautiful Interior
Look at this nice sunny view from the patio!
Sign~ Sooo niceeee!
Some tea for my brunch!
Tea time!
Organic honey for my tea!!
Healthier than white sugar!
We ordered the fish and game board to share. The board comes with house made crackers (the basket in the back). The plate from left top, candied trout, steelhead lox, pickled carrots. The middle row has some rillettes and duck paté with a little bowl of brassica mustard. The bottom row has house cured bison, Sylvan Star gouda, and some cranberry crackers.
Fish & Game Board
Very simple and elegant presentation:
Close Up
These homemade crackers were perfect with the board, very crisp and complementary.
Homemade Crackers!
We also got a supplementary basket of fresh baked muffins and pastries for $9.00.
$9.00 Worth of Pastries?
In the middle is a chive scone, which was the best of the bunch. Next we had half a piece of lemon poppy seed cake each:
Poppy Seed
This one was actually super delicious as well, a plum danish. I love danishes.
Plum Filled Yummy-ness~
The waiter forgot to bring this when he first dropped of the basket of pastries, but we got them in the end. A cherry perserve and a apricot perserve:
Looks kind of like ketchup...
The preserves were great.
I would definitely recommend going to the River Cafe, it has a very rustic atmosphere, and it’s gorgeous in the summer. I’m sure it’s a great place to be in the winter as well, I’ll have to make my way down there this winter!
RIVER CAFE
25 Prince’s Island Park
Calgary, AB T2P 0R1
(403) 261-7670
The bf and I went through this phase where we would eat at the Sunterra Keynote every weekend since their food was so reasonably priced. We’d have brunch there every Sunday, sometimes a dinner, and it definitely became a place to take our parents for celebrations because it was so cheap! We’ve weaned off it a bit now, I don’t think we’ve gone in a couple of months. I get sick of things pretty quick if we have it too often, and it also seemed like a waste to spend all of our money there when there are so many good places to eat at in Calgary.
Here’s a compilation of most of our meals there. As you will see from the pictures, even though you will order the same meal, you’ll still see a lot of variety & discrepancies. The discrepancies were also something that go on my nerve after a while. You’d never know if the food is going to be cooked the way you like it or if it was going to be a bit…off…
This was probably our first meal there, and what made me fall in love with this place. As you all know, I love having a traditional breakfast. Their “Classic” breakfast here is only $6.29!! That’s a good $3.00 off any other place that offers breakfast in town. The breakfast comes with 2 eggs (cooked to your liking, I got poached here), hash browns, choice of meat (ham, bacon, or sausage), and fresh fruit. I loved the mint on top, it made it just that much better!
Fruit - Fresh from the Market Below
The bf got a chicken burger with a side of Caesar salad:
I think around $9.00
The food here is nothing extraordinary, but it’s totally not bad either. I’d say above average most days, average some days, and I’ve never had a bad meal there. The portions are great considering the prices though.
Another day – the bf got a bison burger:
Still around $9.00
Look at all that bacon!! They sure don’t skimp.
I got a roast beef lunch once, this was a little pricier, probably around $12.00:
Love Love Cauliflower
I wasn’t a big fan of the sauce, and the meat was a little cold. I think the temperature issue was due to me getting it probably at the end of lunch service. It wasn’t over-cooked or anything, and the potatoes were fantastic. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Also, this was enough food for me to have lunch the next day as well!!
Smoked Salmon Crepe with Capers:
Around $10.00 I think, could be less
The bf ordered this, and he loved it!
My traditional breakfast again:
Love Love Tomatoes
Another reason I love this place is that they’ll give me grilled tomatoes instead of toast at no extra charge! There was a miscommunication this time and I didn’t end up getting any potatoes but I didn’t really need them anyways.
This time I got both potatoes and tomatoes, and even an extra tomato!! (See what I mean by discrepancies?)
So Yummy!
Here’s another Smoked Salmon Crepe:
Crepe
A Beef-Cooked-in-Wine Crepe:
More Crepe
And a breakfast burrito:
Probably around $8.00
That’s it for the breakfast/brunch portion of the post. As you can see, it’s a great place to take a large group of people for brunch and not break the wallet!
We also stopped by at night once to try their dinner menu:
Wine & Cheese Board for around $12.00
This is a wicked deal for under $20.00. Most places will charge more than that for their charcuterie boards. And it’s not like they give you regular cheddar and pepperoni either! We got fancy “exotic” meats and 3 different variety of cheeses.
We also got a burger to share. This was probably $10.00. The coleslaw that came as a side on this was fantastic. It tasted really good as a dip for the potatoes!
Beeeeeefffffyyyy Goodness~
The ordering system of this place is kind of weird when you go at brunch time. I’ve been there like 6 times now and I still don’t think I do it properly. Some of the stations, like the crepes, you order from the chef, then you go to the cashier to pay for your meal. Some stations, like the traditional breakfast, you just go to the cashier and they’ll take your order for you. Also, I never know if I’m supposed to stand there or wait for my food, or if I’m supposed to sit down and they’ll bring it to you. They do both, like if you’re not standing there waiting for your name to be called out, they’ll walk around looking for you…
A tad bit confusing, and a tad bit inconsistent, but a great place to eat nevertheless~
SUNTERRA MARKET
Keynote
200 12 Avenue Southeast
Calgary, AB T2G 1G1
(403) 261-6772
After the very not filling meal at the VIN Room, we had to get ourselves another snack. We decided to stop at The Great Canadian Bagel on our way home. We’ve been here a couple of times now, and every time, the food is always good and the service friendly.
Even though it was past lunch they still served their breakfast sandwiches. It’s like a Tim Horton’s breakfast sandwich but less greasy…
We both got the Western Sausage Supreme
$5 Bagel
This $5.00 bagel was way more filling than our $40.00+ “meal” at VIN Room had been.
Egg, Sausage, Cheese, and Tomato, What's not to Love?
Yum…this was very satisfying~
THE GREAT CANADIAN BAGEL
3-1919 4 Street Southwest
Calgary, AB T2S 1W4
(403) 209-2022
I’ve been wanting to go to WURST ever since I heard about it opening. We finally got a chance to go this weekend. When we walked inside, it was not what I had expected. The restaurant was big and roomy, and rustically decorated. I especially love the 2 trees in the dining room, it gives the whole restaurant a very warm feeling.
Pretty Decor~
I love the tables and chairs as well, I wanted to steal it and take it home with me!
Right across from where we were sitting was a huge painting of a pig:
Massive painting of a pig
We ordered off the brunch menu this time, but I can’t wait to go back and try their lunch & dinner menu. Everything on their menu looks really good, and the prices are reasonable as well. I especially want to go back and try their seafood tower, at $32.00 per person, I’d say it’s quite affordable. We asked our waitress, and they said they were still waiting for the towers to come in, so we’ll check back later. Maybe when their patio is opened (they’re hoping for late July), it’d be a nice, relaxing meal to have on a sunny patio~
House-made ketchup that was brought to our table in anticipation for the bf’s fries. The ketchup is quite smokey, the taste of it almost leans towards a barbeque sauce:
House-made Ketchup
The bf ordered “The Mission” sandwich:
“The Mission”
The open-faced sandwich consists of Bratwurst Sausages, Braised Red Cabbage, Fried Egg, Crispy Shallots, and Appenzeller. It’s nice of them to serve it with a little salad even though he chose fries as his side.
Cloose Up!
The fries were really good, they were nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
I got their French Toast, and it was glorious. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed french toast as much as I did that day. I would recommend everyone that goes there to get this item. It was the perfect blend of savory and sweet. I usually don’t like to order french toast, waffles, crepes, or anything sweet for breakfast, because it is, more often than not, too sweet. Those items, you usually have about half of, and then you’re begging for some salt. I loved the fact that this came with double smoked bacon and shredded Sylvan Star gouda stuffed in the toast. At first I thought the bacon would come on the side, but it was so much better like this. With every bite, you got a taste of sweetness from the blueberry sauce, and then just the right amount of saltiness from the bacon and cheese. Oh, and the texture of the melted cheese is to die for. I could honestly eat this every morning and never get sick of it.
Glorious Glorious French Toast
The french toast also came topped with apple slaw and whipped crème fraiche. The crème fraiche is actually which made me order it in the first place, I’m a sucker for crème fraiche. But…mmm…this was so good, I’m salivating just thinking about it right now…it’ll be hard to try other items of their brunch menu now, because I’ll always want to order this. And, oh man, was this ever filling. I was full half-way through this thing, but I powered through it and ate it all! It was much too good to waste.
I can't wait to go back! They also have a beer hall downstairs, we poked our head over the banister and it looks like a fun place to go with friends. They have long banquet like tables and lots of beer steins lining the walls - very atmospheric. WURST 2437 4th Street Southwest Calgary, AB T2S 1X5 (403) 245-2345
