Edmonton is warming up and puddles lakes are forming all over the city, but the balmy weather hasn't stopped me from craving hot noodle soup. I recently heard about a restaurant in Chinatown offering bowls of noodle soup where you are in control of the soup base, noodles and ingredients that end up in your bowl.

Tao Garden - 9642 107 Avenue - Edmonton AB

Tao Garden is located right behind the Chinatown Lucky 97 Supermarket, somewhat hidden away from the busy traffic on 97 Street. I remember eating at the restaurant that previously occupied this space many years ago, but I have no recollection whatsoever of the food or overall experience. Regardless, the interior of Tao Garden is bright, clean, and televisions feature Chinese TV shows to watch as you sit and enjoy your meal.


Flat rice noodles with bamboo shoots and basa fillets in satay soup
The menu features hot pots, rice pots, and other smaller snack items like congee, dumplings, and curry fish balls, but what I was most interested in was the option to build your own bowl of noodle soup. When I'm in Hong Kong I love going to the hole-in-the-wall noodle shops that allow you to customize bowls to your own liking, so I'm glad that Tao Garden offers this type of dining.


Thick rice noodles with sliced beef brisket and tofu puffs in Little Sheep broth
For $9.50 you get to create your own bowl, which you customize to your liking on an individualized order sheet. The price includes your choice of one soup base, two toppings, your choice of noodles, and either hot coffee or milk tea. Each bowl also comes with green onion, cilantro, suey choy, sliced mushrooms, and bean curd skin, but if you're not a fan of any of those there's the option to exclude them from your bowl too. The menu is extensive and the combinations are endless! You can choose from 12 different soup bases, 35 different toppings, 8 types of noodles, and you can opt for additional toppings at $1.25 each. If you're looking for a cold drink, it's an additional $1.

Diane, Teresa and I stopped by for a late lunch last Saturday and we all enjoyed our bowls and agreed we would return in the future. The Little Sheep broth was full of flavour, and the satay soup came with an unexpected, but delicious, kick of heat. Toppings were fresh and the portion was very generous. At $9.50 a bowl with a drink included, you leave with a full tummy at an unbeatable price. The restaurant isn't anything fancy, but that's not why you should come to Tao Garden. Come for the fun build-your-own noodle adventure and to warm up with a bowl of noodle soup.


Edmonton is a cold, snowy city for the majority of the year. During the winter months I'm always looking for ways to warm up from the cold, and nothing is more comforting to me than a bowl of steaming noodle soup. I'm going to be highlighting some of my favourite noodle soups in the city, and I'd love for you to share yours with me so I can try them too. Follow along with #YEGNoodleSoups and let the fun begin!

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend to just relax and recharge. Life has been crazy busy lately and it's been pretty difficult to find the time to just sit and unwind, but I'm hoping to be back into the swing of regular postings soon. :)

For the first Makeup Monday of 2015 I've got a brand new product from Make Up For Ever to share. If there's one thing in my daily makeup routine I can't live without, it's a good eyeliner. As a follow up to the release of the Artist Liner last year, Make Up For Ever has released two new jet black liners for you to add to your collection. Ink Liner is a matte black liquid liner designed for precision, while Graphic Liner delivers ultra-fine lines with ease using a felt pen tip.

In my makeup routine I typically alternate between gel and fine-tipped pen liners depending on the type of look I want to create. I love pen liners primarily due to their ease of use and precision, so I was immediately drawn to the Graphic Liner. Just look at that sharp tip!

Like other pen liners, the Graphic Liner is light and easy to grip. What's different about it though, is that you do not need to shake the pen in order to distribute the formula onto the felt tip. This makes it feel much lighter in your hand compared to other pen liners. The felt tip is also very stiff, unlike many other felt liners that feature a flexible tip.

After testing the formula for a couple weeks I have to say I have a love-hate relationship with the Graphic Liner. For an eyeliner, I love how pigmented and precise the lines can be. The liner doesn't run during or after application and can last a full day of wear without smudging. It's got a nice semi-gloss finish and the pen itself is lightweight and easy to use. What's there not to like? I'm not the biggest fan of the stiff felt tip which can be a bit irritating during application at specific angles. I personally like my pen liners to have a flexible tip so as to give a smooth application without feeling the pen drag across the eyelid. When the dragging occurs I find the lines are less precise and have the tendency to allow the ink to spread a bit outside of the drawn lines.

Aside from the stiff applicator, the Graphic Liner is a solid eyeliner I would definitely recommend. It's available through Make Up For Ever boutiques and Sephora across Canada for $29 CAD, which can seem pricey, but the wear time and pigment intensity is worth the investment in my books. I'm considering giving the Ink Liner a try, just because it does feature a flexible tip and a matte black finish. Has anyone tried the Ink Liner? Let me know if you have and your thoughts in the comments below!

*Disclosure: This product was sent for consideration of a review.

After numerous meals over the holiday season my body needs to take a break from the heavy eating. Eating lighter meals without sacrificing flavour is what I aim for, and for me it usually involves getting pretty creative with salads. A couple of weeks ago I spent an afternoon with Sorrentino's to see what their solution was for post-holiday meals.

For the month of January the different restaurants under the Sorrentino's Restaurant Group offer what they call the 'Back to Basics' menu. Simple, traditional Italian recipes handed down from the Rago & Saccomano families are highlighted in this menu.


Chef Claudio Tentenni & Twyla Campbell working on pasta
Alongside a handful of food writers and bloggers I was given a preview of the Back to Basics menu inside of the Sorrentino's cooking class kitchen, but not without first putting in some effort. Under the watchful eyes of Chef Chris Hrynyk and Chef Claudio Tentenni, the group of us spent the afternoon practicing our kitchen skills to make fresh pasta, veal meatballs in cream sauce, and chicken piccata.


Veal meatballs
If there's one thing I learned during the cooking class, it's that quality of ingredients is paramount. In the Sorrentino's restaurants, almost everything is made from scratch and it is so important to use the freshest, highest-quality ingredients.


Pastas: Pappardelle, Tagliatelle, Tagliolini

Chef Chris Hrynyk
The hours flew by while everyone had an enjoyable afternoon in the kitchen. With a little sip of wine here, and a taste of cream sauce there, I gained some valuable skills in the kitchen and a greater appreciation for the amount of effort chefs put into their finished plates. While simple, the food we cooked was flavourful. It was refreshing to have a fresh meal compared to the rich, heavy meals of the holidays.

I never knew that Sorrentino's offered public cooking classes, so the afternoon spent cooking simple, traditional dishes was a pleasant surprise. The chefs were so patient and willing to share their knowledge, and of course eating the food we cooked ourselves was very rewarding. I had a wonderful time in the cooking class and would definitely return again in the future. If Italian food isn't up your alley, Sorrentino's offers many other themes to their cooking classes as well. February is focusing on Spanish cuisine, while March will feature Greek food. At $85 per person per class (or cheaper if you buy a multi package!), the cooking classes are very affordable compared to some of the options in the city. I've got my eye on their Friday date nights, where couples can register for a class at $170. Corporate team building classes are available as well, so they're able to accommodate a variety of groups. Classes sell out quick, so book soon!

If you're interested in tasting some dishes off the Back to Basics menu it will be available until January 31, 2015, in addition to the regular menu.

*Disclosure: as this was a media event, views expressed in this post are solely mine. I was not expected to feature this cooking class on my blog, nor obligated to do so. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.