Date Night! Taste of Edmonton & Capital EX

With the weekend finally here, Vince & I had the chance to finally take a break from our busy lives and have a night all to ourselves. For our date? We chose to hit up the local festivities, Taste of Edmonton at Churchill Square, and Capital EX at the Northlands exhibition grounds.


Heading out for the day!

I didn't have the chance to look up the menu for Taste of Edmonton like I had in the past, and to my dismay, most of the food available was the same as the year before. Most of the food vendors were bigger restaurants with a couple locations around the city, such as Brewsters, Hudsons, New Asian Village and the Old Spaghetti factory, but there were also some smaller, local restaurants like Urban China and Korean Village.


Cloudy, but the weather was still nice :)

Now, is it just me, or is this event getting more & more expensive with each passing year? The food sampling plates are very small, and cost around 4-5 tickets with each portion. Food tickets are priced at $1 each, so the money you bring flies out of your pocket in no time, leaving you hungry! With this realization, Vince and I chose to eat food we never tried before, or was somewhat unique in comparison to the rest of the food available. I guess it worked out in our favour that we weren't too hungry either.


Pad thai from Krua Wilai

Our first choice was the Pad Thai from locally owned restaurant, Krua Wilai. My first impression was that it should taste okay, for it had the familiar orange-coloured noodles, but I was a bit thrown off by the uncooked bean sprouts sprinkled throughout the plate. Regardless, I took a bite, and wished I had chosen something else to eat! The noodles had none of the familiar flavours pad thai has to offer, but rather tasted like ketchup mixed with noodles! Thank goodness the bean sprouts were fresh and crisp, I guess. Needless to say, I don't think I will go there anytime soon.. or ever?


Deep fried wontons from Panda Hut Express

My next choice was the deep fried wontons filled with cream cheese and crab meat from Panda Hut Express. Being Chinese, my family and relatives have always warned me not to go to this restaurant, but I've always been curious about these particular wontons advertised on the radio & advertisements in the local newspaper. I was surprised when I bit into one, because I wasn't expecting so much cream cheese to be inside! It was really interesting, and I liked the melted texture of the cream cheese. I wish that there was an abundance of crab meat in the wontons, because I was hardly able to detect their presence. The cream cheese was rich and filling though, and I liked it! Time to make use of those BOGO coupons I find for their restaurant all the time!


Chicken tika

Our last stop was at the stand for New Asian Village, where I usually go for my Indian fare. I chose this one since the food was familiar, and I had a little craving for Indian since I haven't had it in a long time! We picked up both offerings at the booth: Chicken Tika with Garlic Naan and Channa Masala with Saffron Rice. The chicken tika was new to me, as I have never tried it, and I was surprised that it was actually as spicy as it was! Good thing the garlic naan accompanied this dish to tone down the heat in my mouth as I ate the dish. The chicken was a little dry, but my favourite part to this plate was actually the onions and green peppers, because they fully absorbed the flavour of the sauce.


Channa masala :)

As for the channa masala, it was just like usual, the way I like it! Mmmm, yum :)

After taking our part in tasting Edmonton's offerings, we headed down to Northlands to check out the park grounds and meet up with some friends for some carnival games and gambling! As we arrived at the grounds, the sky was looming with grey clouds, and I hoped there wouldn't be too much rain to keep us from going outside to meet our friends later on.

Our first stop at the grounds was actually inside the newly renovated EXPO Centre, at the Sip! exhibit. Located right next to the casino, it was dimly lit, and I didn't quite know what to expect. Once we got closer though, we realized we were in a place where we could do exactly what we had done one hour earlier: buy food tickets and try out different food! The food here was a little different though, somewhat 'classier' and more exotic, as the dishes weren't items you could just find everyday. Unfortunately our stomachs weren't so accomodating and we didn't have a chance to sample any of it!

We saw a crowd in the distance, forming infront of a stage where two world renowned mixologists were giving a presentation. Gavin MacMillan and David Jennings gave a 40 minute presentation on how to make a couple different drinks. They focused mainly on the Caesar, which was first made in none other than our very own Calgary. Apparently, in the last year, over 343 million Caesars were made in Canada, equating to over 3 caesars per person in the country.. hm, I wonder who is drinking all the alcohol to accomodate the numbers of minors in the country?? Anyways, they made a bacon caesar and a dill pickle caesar.. super interesting! They said that in order to make it, you would have to make dill pickle and bacon infused vodka. They told the audience how to make it.. but it didn't sound too appetizing, especially when it came to putting bacon fat into vodka!


Very entertaining mixologists

After the presentation, we headed over to the Candyland exhibit, which showcased the different methods of making different Candy over the years. There was information on Jelly Bellys, Chocolate, Pez, Skittles.. you name it! It was fascinating to learn all the different facts out there about candy. For example, did you know it takes an average of 21 days to make one jelly belly? Or that candy corn isn't just for Halloween? They customize the colours for different occasions throughout the year, like red & green for christmas!


jelly belly galore!!

At the end of the exhibit was a chance to indulge and buy all the candy you read about. There were collectible Pez dispensers, and chocolates, but I headed straight for the Jelly Belly bar. All the flavours they had were in bulk containers for you to choose what flavours you wanted to buy. I was most interested in the 7-Up flavour, but I also picked up Red Apple, Cantaloupe, Margarita, and Berry Blue just to name a few. It was so hard not to pick every one they had, but I knew if I bought too many, I'd end up seeing the dentist for massive cavaties I would get!

From then on, we looked outside and the sky was ANGRY, pouring down sheets of rain. I felt bad for the people waiting outside at the Telus Stage, holding onto their good spots and waiting for Metric to come out and play their set. Then, we decided that if we couldn't go outside to play the carnival gambling games, we would head to the casino and play the slots! In the Casino they had Over/Under, which was nice, but just wasn't as thrilling as playing outdoors because the host was not very enthusiastic. Do you ever find that you tend to win more when the host is actually fun? You have a better time and end up winning more! I swear.

We decided to wander around the slot machines after having some bad luck with Over/Under, and I spotted my dream game: Sex and the City slot machines!!!! I first encountered the machines when I was in Las Vegas in May, and didn't have the chance to play since I am still underage (only 19!). I saw Vince's cousin playing and having so much fun (she won a lot, too!) and was so jealous that I couldn't play! There was one seat open and I took my seat, inserting a $5 bill. About 30 seconds later, I was up to $65! WHAT LUCK! It was so exciting, so I took a couple more spins, lost some money, and cashed out with my voucher! I left that machine with $50 in hand to use on anything I wanted!


FIFTY DOLLAAAA ;)

It seems like from that point on, the night turned around, because the rain had stopped and Metric was going to play on the Telus Stage as scheduled. Vince and I headed out to the grounds, looking for some games to play, and he won me my little Domokun plushie :) All in all, a great time again this year at Capital Ex!


Go baby go!


Another one to add to the collection :)

Basil Leaves are Great.. Not Only For Cooking! [CLOSED]

Yesterday, after studying at the library, I met up with one of my good friends, Dan, for dinner. We originally planned to try out Samurai Bistro located downtown, but to our dismay, the restaurant was closed when we got there! So instead, we headed around the corner to a Vietnamese restaurant called Basil Leaf.


Basil Leaf Restaurant

Basil Leaf has been open for a while now I believe, as Vince and I had made a prior visit sometime in March of this year. It's located where the old Chinese supermarket "shun fat" used to be (I have no idea what the English name was, because I was always told in Chinese!). That supermarket burned down twice I believe, and now this restaurant is located in one unit of the rebuilt building. The building is still empty with the exception of this one restaurant. Let's hope it doesn't burn down, cause I really like this place!

From the outside, you would not get the impression that the restaurant would look the way it does on the inside. The decor is very well done. It's modern, and of all things, this restaurant also features a sports bar! When we arrived though, the place was relatively slow, so we didn't get to see whether or not there was a dinner rush.

So as we sat talking about the past and present, the waiter was very eager to take our order, likely due to the fact that there was not much business and he was a little bored! Dan ended up ordering the pho dac biet, while I got pho bo vien (?), the one with just beef balls, because there was no tripe option! Boo!


My pho with beef balls


Dan's pho dac biet

However, once our dishes arrived, I was more than pleased! It was one of the best pho soups I've come across lately, and I personally think it could rival the broth at Tau Bay. The soup was flavourful, and not overloaded with msg since I wasn't really thirsty after the meal. The noodles were cooked perfectly, not too hard and not too soggy, while the beef balls were chewy and seasoned well. Dan also agreed with me on the soup, so everyone go check out this restaurant!

The prices are very reasonable for what you get, as the bowls are much larger than those at pho hoa, and are priced around $7.50. They also have an assortment of vermicelli bowls, spicy soups, and rice offerings as well. The only thing that really bothers me is the area the restaurant is located in. It's right by the Hope Mission, so there are some questionable people in the neighborhood. Be careful when you go :)

Basil Leaf Kitchen & Sports Lounge
10023 107 Avenue NW
Edmonton AB

Urban China

I had some relatives from Vancouver come up to Edmonton for a surprise visit this past week, and for my family, that meant going out for dinner. The Chinese cuisine in Edmonton isn't all that great, so it was hard choosing a place that would be appropriate to bring our guests out to. To my surprise, my mom and aunt decided to pick Urban China - very surprising since neither of them had been there before! Their reasoning was that dinner on a Monday night would be much better than on the weekend. Less business = better service = better food! They're smart.

I had heard and read from others' experiences that this restaurant was a little more on the expensive side for Chinese food, and taste of the food was a hit or miss. As a family, we chose to order their Peking Duck set meal for $208 - not bad, since it was meant to feed around 10 people, or 11 in our case.


Settings at the table

Most set meals in Chinese cuisine feature the same type of food, so I won't be explaining every single course in the meal we ordered, but rather I will describe some of the dishes I thought were cooked very well, or had some degree of difference or unique quality to them.


Pork Stomach and Pickled Mustard Soup

In most Chinese set dinners, it begins with a soup. The soup accompanying this meal was a "Chiu Chau" style soup, made with pork stomach and pickled mustard. I'm definitely not a fan of pork stomach, but pickled mustard on the other hand.. yes please! The soup was lovely, the seasoning to the soup was great to cover the usual prominent taste of pork in the soup, and the light broth was great to start off the meal.


Peking Duck Wrap


Toppings for the wraps - including honeydew and cantaloupe!

Our first course was BBQ duck, and it would be served through two different dishes. The first dish we had was the traditional peking duck wraps. Normally this dish is garnished using carrots, cucumbers and green onion. Here at this restaurant, we were given the choice of cucumbers, onion, cantaloupe and honeydew! It was so unique, and surprisingly, the sweetness of the melon was a great pairing for this dish to offset the saltiness of the hoi sin sauce.


Duck & Jellyfish

The second duck offering was presented as a duck meat and jellyfish mixed together. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish, as the jellyfish was cut into thick strips, and cooked perfectly to maintain the elasticity of the jellyfish. And while I talk about this - is jellyfish considered to be a seafood? I really don't know..


mmm Lobster!

Our dinner also included a lobster course. This one here was really interesting - instead of the normal cream-based sauce and noodles, this one was cooked with a completely different sauce. It tasted almost like a satay-based sauce, and was very delicious. I don't even like lobster and I thought this dish tasted very good.


Stir fried beef with bell peppers & king mushroom

Another interesting dish in our meal was a beef dish, in which the beef was stir fried in a spicy sauce with bell peppers and king mushroom pieces. The coolest part of this dish was the king mushroom - it looked like tofu, but once you bit into it, it had a very interesting texture. The outside was a little tough, but the inside was soft and chewy. It was a nice contrast in texture when compared with the tender beef, and crisp peppers.


Second soup for the night :)

A second soup in our meal was a fish based broth, which included snow pea tips, grass mushrooms, wood ear fungus, snow ear fungus, and bamboo. It was a nice twist on the usual snow pea tips with abalone mushrooms in broth!


Steamed fish with glass noodles

And onto one of my favourite dishes from the night - steamed fish fillets served on top of glass noodles. This dish was one of my favourites because it was flavourful, and a very unique way to present the fish. The noodles were al dente, and the salted vegetables garnishing the fish gave the perfect saltiness to the dish.

All in all, the meal was great! I will be back again for sure in the future :)

Urban China
10604 101 St NW
Edmonton AB

Monday Morning Magic

Since it's inception 33 years ago, Monday Morning Magic has put long lasting smiles on the faces of many children 3 - 12 years of age affected by a disability. This event, sponsored by the Children's Ability Fund, is hosted at the exhibition grounds of Capital EX (otherwise known as Klondike Days) on only Monday morning from 8 - 12 in the morning.

The scheduling for the children is a little different each year, but one thing that does not change is the tremendous amount of support that this event receives from not only local organizations, but local 'celebrities' as well. Players on our Edmonton sports teams like the Oilers and Eskimos come out to celebrate children's successes and they also give the children a chance to experience attending the exhibition in a safe and controlled environment.

Although I work with special needs children regularly, it really warms my heart when I see how many children are affected by developmental disabilities and just the amount of love and support they receive in their day to day lives. Despite the difficulties associated with taking care of these children, parents and caregivers work so hard to help these children overcome obstacles, and to have this one special opportunity to spend time with the children and give them the experience of attending a carnival-like setting without the judgemental eyes of others is amazing for these kids. I'm so thankful for Northlands and the Midway Entertainment giving their support to this community event!

Now, onto the events for the day. Since the park opened at 8am, we tried to get our kids to the exhibition grounds as early as possible, which ended up being at 945 am. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, but since the whole system was changed this year, this ended up being a MAJOR problem, because the rides were being shut down at 1030, rather than 1130 like previous years. Most of our kids were able to go on one or two rides, which shows you just how busy this event can be. I was a little upset because I was really confused as to why the kids weren't being given enough time to check out everything there was to offer on the midway, but I soon found out it was because they decided to move lunch up to 1030 rather than 1130 like the previous year.

At 1030, we were directed to the newly renovated Edmonton EXPO Centre, which looks AMAZING now compared to the Agricom it was before. Inside the centre there were lots of new exhibits to explore later on in the day. We were sent towards Hall D, where lunch was prepared for the children. It consisted of a hot dog, a rice krispie square, a box of juice, and a bag of chips. We walked into the auditorium area, and a special presentation of Super Dogs was going to be performed while we ate lunch. The kids totally loved the show and the dogs were crazy! The tiniest dogs were able to leap so far, and some of the big dogs were massive!


Cutest little pug!


This dog was only two years old, and weighed 97 pounds!

After the show, we were invited to head down towards the performers and given the chance for a meet & greet with the dogs. My favourites was the pug, and this other huge dog, which weighed 97 pounds.. that's more than what I weigh!

As we left the performance, each child was given a stuffed animal that could be won from the games on the midway, and ice cream as well. All in all, it was a great day, and the kids had so much fun on the rides and checking out the exhibits. Cheers to another year well done!

Homestyle Sushi

About once a year, my parents like to prepare a sushi meal at home from scratch. Lucky for me, I was home this past Sunday to eat their delicious meal! My parents have worked most of their lives in and around the food industry - they previously owned and or worked a restaurant and cafe, and my mother is a dietician. I guess they just can't get enough! Not that I'm complaining though, because their food is amazing!

I can't really say much about the food other than the fact that it tasted great! My parents served up Atlantic and BC salmon sashimi, multiple plates of beef tataki, chicken teriyaki, some maki rolls (kappa + salmon) and their attemped inside out california rolls with whatever leftover ingredients they had. I love family time :)


Daddy's beef tataki.. tastes like no other!



Salmon sashimi



Delicious maki



Cute little inside out rolls

Phobulous Eats

After our usual Friday pre-dinner drinks with co-workes at O'Byrnes, I had a ridiculous craving for pho despite the heat of the summer sun. The closest pho place we could think of was Phobulous - so we headed there since we haven't been in a long time.

When we arrived it seemed as if the restaurant was closed since the parking lot was nearly empty, and the neon light of the open sign didn't seem to be shining. I was hoping not to look like a fool by pulling on the door, and sure enough the door swung open! I guess the open sign didn't seem to be on due to the bright summer sun shining right back at it.

Once the door opened, I could smell the fragrant scent of the beef broth being boiled, and we were seated promptly by a new waitress. One thing I have noticed about this restaurant is the constant changing of staff running the restaurant. I swear I never see a familiar face each time I walk in there! Nonetheless, the waitress was very friendly and seated the two of us promptly while the other waitress brought us our water - all in the timespan of 30 seconds.

The thing I really love about this restaurant is their creativity in their play on words. Practically all of their pho offerings include the word pho, such as the 'mother pho', 'pho real' and 'pho shizzle'. Besides the change in staff, I also noticed the recent change in decor. The restaurant used to feature scenic portraits and more modern looking furniture, but now there are paintings and photographs taken by local artists hung up on the walls, available for purchase. It's great to see that this restaurant supports local talent!


Such a creative name :)

While perusing menu (I already knew what I wanted) I noticed a new forest-green coloured piece of paper stuck to the inside of the menu, advertising some weekend specials, which included a northern Vietnam spicy noodle soup. Despite being adventurous, Vince was unable to order the dish since they didn't consider Friday as a weekend day (but they consider Monday??? So weird. I'm guessing it is possibly since there may be leftover items from the weekend available!)

I ended up ordering the 'phonomenon', which is pho with rare beef & beef balls, while the waitress recommended a sate hu tieu bowl to Vince. Hu tieu is a little different from traditional pho, where a pork broth garnished with chives and crisp fried shallots is used instead of beef broth. Service was great, so we didn't have
to wait long before our orders arrived steaming hot!


Phonomenon - pho with rare beef & beef balls

My pho bowl was 'phonomenal' as usual, with the tender beef slices and chewy beef balls (I wish there was tripe!), and seemed to be a much bigger portion than normal. Maybe it's due to the fact that I am too used to seeing the dinky portions being offered at other Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton! What I was most interested in, however, was Vince's hu tieu sate.


Hu Tieu Sate served in two separate bowls

As the waitress brought over his food, it was served in two separate bowls. The large bowl contained the noodles topped with fried sate chicken, chives, shallots and vegetables, and filled with very little soup. This was accompanied by a smaller bowl of the pork based broth on the side. She said that normally the dish is served as one, but she felt that having the two separate really brought out the flavour of the sate.


Let's get a little closer..

I found his dish to be very flavourful as well, and a nice change to the usual beef soup. The hu tieu broth is markedly different, capturing the true flavour of pork, and a little saltier than the usual pho soup. Either way, it was a delicious meal and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The next time I go, maybe I'll be seeing some familiar faces again.. at least I hope so :)

Phobulous
8701 109 Street
Edmonton AB

Wings n' Wishes

So, the other day at work, we had a company called "Butterfly Wings n' Wishes" come to our summer camp to display butterflies (unfortunately my biggest fear) and other insects to the children for them to see and interact with them.

The guy brought along caterpillars, caterpillars in cocoons, and full grown butterflies with him - all of which I closed my eyes for, haha. But I learned an interesting fact.. apparently most butterflies have a lifespan of about 2 weeks, with exception to the Monarch which can live up to 4 months.. eeew


Scorpion - the presenter allowed the children to 'shake hands' with it.. blegh!

So the presenter also brought along a couple hissing cockroaches (nasty!), those pill bugs you find in your basement, a tarantula, and a scorpion. Man. This presentation sent chills up & down my spine!

I Love Weddings - Congrats Eric & Emily!

So, I'm a sucker for romance and cheesy lovey-dovey things, so when the opportunity to attend a wedding came up (last one I was at was around 10 yrs ago!), I was DOWN! I don't know what it is that gets me at weddings, but the tears just flow down my cheeks - I know I'm going to be a mess at my future wedding.. maybe bawling on the floor, haha.

Anyways, the wedding was for some of my close family friends, Emily and Eric. The ceremony was lovely and quite different from the traditional weddings I've been to (where the service was primarily catholic) because they are Christian. But I think my favourite thing about weddings honestly is.. the food!

After the ceremony was a reception in the hall, where there were finger foods and appetizers prepared all by one lady! It was crazy because there was so much food in there. She had prepared fresh fruit like watermelon and canteloupe, a whole BBQ Pig (Chinese Style) and a variety of freshly baked goods. It was amazing because I was told she hand-made everything for all the attendees! There were so many things to try, I didn't have the chance to try them all. But from what I remember, she prepared mini pineapple buns, pork buns, wiener buns, samosas, quiches, mousse cake, and a couple other pastries.


Reception goodies!

For the dinner at night, it was held at the Mayfield Inn & Suites. The building itself looked pretty ugly from the outside, but upon finding the hall the dinner would be held in, it looked much better and very presentable, great for a wedding banquet. The lights were dim and the table featured a blue gift box for each person, and a simple candle floating in water as the centre piece.


Banquet Table

The menu sitting on the table looked very appealing to me. Starting with mushroom soup, and a mimosa salad, followed by beef sirloin pepper steak, and ending with a choice of tiramisu torte or creme brulee cheesecake.


Wedding Menu

To start off, the waitresses brought along buns in a basket to start off the meal. The term "freshly baked" told me that the buns would be a soft and warm, inviting start to the meal, but I discovered otherwise. The buns were very cold, and probably taken out of the oven 10 minutes prior to serving. The butter balls available were hard like rocks and very difficult to spread onto the bread. Needless to say, I skipped the carbs...


Mushroom Soup

The mushroom soup on the other hand was more inviting. It was nice & warm with numerous bits of mushroom in every bite. The only thing I would have to complain about was the generous serving of sodium in the soup! I think the bread was probably supposed to offset the saltiness of it - too bad for me, I guess!

Next was the mimosa salad, composed of boston lettuce, served with mandarin oranges, tomatoes, egg, grapes, and drizzles with a mandarin orange and kiwi dressing. I have a mild kiwi allergy, but the idea of a kiwi dressing intrigued me so I took the plunge and decided to challenge my allergy. The salad was surprisingly sweet, and I liked that the toppings were presented atop 3 full leaves of lettuce. The salad was drenched with dressing though, so it was a little difficult to taste the individual parts of the salad without tasting the dressing.


Mimosa Salad

The beef sirloin main course looked promising, served with the twice baked potato, and seasonal vegetables, but this dish for me was the most disappointing despite being the one I most looked forward to.


Beef Sirloin Before

As you can see above, the dish was presentable, but the problem was the beef. The beef sirloin was way overdone, and fell apart when I tried to cut it. I could only endure eating half of what was given to me, because it was just very difficult to eat! The sauce was very helpful in overcoming the dryness of the steak, but not enough to make the dish any better..


Beef Sirloin After

So, I guess the banquet planners were smart, because I needed a GOOD dessert to recover from the terrible entree. The tiramisu torte and creme brulee cheesecake took the prize at this dinner - both were creamy, presented well and exactly what I expected! :)


Tiramisu Torte


Creme Brulee Cheesecake

I guess it's pretty tough to time things accurately when serving a party of 300, but I'll make sure everything goes smoothly at my banquet in the future! ;)


Little Sister & I at the Banquet :)

Oooh I Love Shopping :)

Just thought I'd post up some recent purchases! mm, boy do I love shopping.. and good deals too of course! Last week when I hit up CrossIron Mills, it definitely meant shopping! There were sales in some of the stores, so here's what I was able to pick up :)


Headbands from F21 - the black one has sequined flowers while the silver is just another ordinary bow to add to my growing collection ^^


Tops on sale - From L to R - H&M, F21, Costa Blanca

All three of these stores seemed to have a massive sale going on at the outlet mall. As far as I am aware, H&M across the country & in the states is having a huge sale, F21 usually has their sale items, and Costa Blanca was featuring many items in store on sale. Go check it out! A lot of stuff is cheap cheap cheap so you can stock up on wardrobe basics & essentials! The CB cardigan was only $4.00 ! Crazy, right?


These shoes were on sale at Urban Behaviour for $18.00 - so cute with the bows on the back


Rings purchased in a recent F21 order I made with Vince

So freakin' cute! I was worried the connector ring (on right) would restrict the movement of my fingers, but it doesn't at all and is actually comfortable! The only difficult thing is trying to interlock my fingers with my boyfriend's when we hold hands.. teehee

I recently bought a ton of new OPI's as well, and will post pics & swatches on another day. Ciao~ :)