Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

It was the grand opening of Fredericton’s authentic Vietnamese restaurant on Dec. 30th 2011. Vietnamese food is rarely found in this city. This is the second restaurant that claimed to offer authentic Vietnamese food, after the existence of Asia Beef Noodles in downtown (Queen St) since a few years ago.

Located at the corner of Prospect and Symthe (at the Fredericton Dental Centre), Saigon Noodle House surely has its advantage to attract clientele from nearby businesses and passers-by. The restaurant opens 7 days a week for lunch & supper, offering a wide variety of Vietnamese and Thai cuisine at an affordable price. It’s a franchise restaurant; there’s one in Saint John and another one in Moncton.

“Please wait to be seated.”

The restaurant’s dine-in menu. Take-out menu is available too.

Rice paper roll with tofu, with sweet fish sauce as dipping sauce. $5.99.

Rare beef pho (noodle soup). One of the best clear broths I’ve had! $9.99.

Lemongrass shrimp with rice, served with crispy spring roll, side salad, fragrance rice (molded in star shape), and soup. $14.99.

There was a promotional discount of 15% for their grand opening, with complimentary jasmine tea and mint ice-cream for dessert. Overall, it was a great experience. It’s highly recommended to anyone who enjoys or would like to try out some delicious Vietnamese food in town.

Anything that I’d really want to pick on? More bean sprouts in the noodle soup will be great. I also noticed that mint leaves were left out. I’d actually prefer a separate plate of bean sprouts, cilantro, and mint leaves to go with noodle soup. That way, I can add the desired amount of veg into the soup. This seems to be the way that most Vietnamese restaurants will present their pho dishes. Preference of serving size will be greatly appreciated too, e.g. small, medium, large. I won’t complain about the generous serving size of pho, but given a choice, I’d have opted for a smaller portion to avoid wastage.

The only complain that Miles had for his dish was that  it could be spicier!

Address: 1012 Prospect St, Fredericton

Reservation no: 506-206-3494

It was just a business project created for his MBA entrepreneurship class, but 6 years ago, Naz made his business plan a reality by opening up the Caribbean Flavas Restaurant. An award-winning restaurant nestled in the heart of downtown Fredericton, this casual fine dining restaurant offers cuisine that is influenced by different cultures; African, Asian, European, as well as Indian.

The tropical decor reminded me a lot about tropical countries such as Malaysia. Miles and I went to this restaurant during lunch hour and enjoyed their lunch entree. It was a pleasant experience. We had the choice of mild or spicy for our food. Needless to say, we opted for spicy! Miles who used to take Canadian spicy has improved on his tolerance for spicy food dramatically by getting used to savouring the authentic hot & spicy Asian food ;)

Miles ordered this “Trini-Curry-Wrap up Roti (Indian flat bread).” A choice of chicken or tofu in cashew curry sauce with chickpeas and vegetables, wrapped in roti and served with garden salad tossed with in-house mango vinaigrette.

I had the “Twist of Jamaica.” Crusty Pastry filled with seasoned ground beef and Tandoori onion rings, drizzled in sweet chili sauce.

Craving for some Chinese food? How about savouring some authentic Chinese food? Mei’s Restaurant is one of the places to visit! Located in the heart of downtown Fredericton, the restaurant has received lots of good reviews after it has been changed under the new management. *Thumbs up*

Out of all the dishes we ordered, dessert was the only one exempted from the hot & spicy category. A warm, hot, and spicy lunch on a cold, windy winter day :)

 Fish in soup with numbing spice. The more you eat, the tastier it is! And of course, the more intense burning sensation is on tongue!

 Thick and yummy beef soup with eggs.

 Fatty pork with mixed veggie. Does this remind you of bacon?

 Ma Po Tofu. Tofu and pork cooked with hot spices.

Crispy Milk for dessert. The crispy texture resembles the Chinese doughnut, filled with soft and sweet glutinous rice. It tasted great on its own, even without dipping in condensed milk served on the side.

There was a group of us who attended a friend’s farewell party at the East Side Mario’s Restaurant. John, who was part of the “gang,” has decided to move to Toronto for a more stable job. John, we shall miss you always :)

Despite the sadness of John leaving us, we had a great meal together. Of course, I had fun snapping pictures too ;)

The interior of the East Side Mario’s.

The signature crispy garlic bread. Freshly baked. Yummm…

Caesar Salad.

Bruschetta. Fresh Roma tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil and balsamic glaze served on herbed flatbread.

 Cheese Cappelletti for cheese lovers! Pasta stuffed with ricotta cheese filling, topped with even more ricotta, baked with our Besciamella-Tomato sauce and our blend of Mozzarella, Provolone, Gouda and Parmesan cheeses.

Firecracker Shrimp Farfalle. Large black tiger shrimps sautéed in extra virgin olive oil with fresh green chilies, snow peas, Roma tomatoes and basil. Served with bowtie-shaped paste tossed with herbed garlic olive oil.

Zesty Sicilian Pizza. Italian sausages, Capicolla ham, black olives, pizza sauce, and four cheeses.

 Sizzling Calamary Al Diavolo. It’s the signature appetizer. Lightly seasoned calamari sautéed with garlic, onions, red, green and hot cherry peppers and served sizzling in a herbed tomato broth with lemon.

 The New Yorker pizza. Pepperoni, red and green peppers, mushrooms, pizza sauce and blend of cheeses.

Cannoli.

Cannoli (meaning “little tube” in the Sicilian language), one the most famous Sicilian desserts that can be found in almost all Italian pasticceria. The Cannoli shell is made of flour, sugar, salt, eggs, water, vinegar, and vanilla. It’s traditionally filled with rich and sweet ricotta cheese.

Chocolate Mousse cake.

The Issac’s Way Restaurant in Fredericton offers a cozy dining ambiance. It features a bar section that serves a variety of alcoholic beverages.

There are lots to choose from the food menu. Miles and I had a hard time making up our mind for what we’re going to have.

Finally, I made my decision and settled for the Smoked Salmon Salad. The “hot” smoked salmon was served on a  bed of greens with sliced cucumbers and onions, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, toasted walnuts, with their very own citrus vinaigrette. This went along with a freshly baked bread stick on the side. The meal turned out great and it was very filling.

The Smoked Salmon Salad.

Miles ordered the Big Isaac Burger. It was piled high with onion rings, grilled mushrooms, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, and pesto mayo on a Kaiser bun. 

The Big Isaac beef burger is piled high with onion rings, grilled mushrooms, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, and pesto mayo on a Kaiser bun. It was served with a generous serving of home fries and pickle. It was a challenge to take a bite off the burger. Miles really had to open his mouth big and wide. No kidding!

The BIG Isaac Burger.

Dessert time… Miles had a Triple Chocolate Cake and I had a Brownie Cheesecake. Yumm…

The Triple Chocolate Cake with delicious chocolate icing.

The Brownie Cheesecake drizzled with chocolate sauce.

Address:
73 Carleton Street
Fredericton,
New Brunswick E3B 3T2

Tel: (506) 472-7937

I’ve always been wanting to try some Thai dishes at the Suwanna Restaurant. The opportunity arises during my weekend trip to Grand Bay/Saint John, along with Miles and friends.

This is my second visit to a Thai restaurant in Saint John. The first Thai restaurant I went was the Lemongrass Restaurant.

Suwanna Restaurant is a well-known Thai restaurant here. It opens five days a week (Tuesday to Saturday) for supper only. Reservations are highly recommended. The chances are, tables will all be booked up if a reservation is not made at least two weeks in advance.

So I did. A reservation was made three weeks in advance, to make sure that there’s a table available for seven. The meal turned out to be fantastic! The nice dining ambiance, friendly waiter, enticing menu, spicy dishes, and last but not least, wonderful desserts!

Venue: Suwanna Restaurant & Inn
Address: 325 Lancaster Avenue, Saint John, N.B.

The entrance of Suwanna Restaurant & Inn.

Sour & spicy Tom Yum Soup.

Hot bamboo shoots with shrimps and green onions.

Suwanna Chicken, with red pepper and green chili pepper.

Dragon egg plant with beef.

Ginger Chicken.

Massaman Curry, garnished with roasted peanuts.

From top to bottom: Hot bamboo shoots with shrimps, Suwanna Chicken, Dragon egg plants with beef, Ginger Chicken, Massaman Curry, and Broccoli & Beef.

Those dishes were mouth-watering. Massaman Curry has a mild curry taste to it, best served to individuals with variable tolerance for spice. The desserts were a hit!

Eugine Cake. A moist and tasty cake with generous serving of homemade whipped cream.

Chocolate Cheesecake. Very chocolaty!

Sundae with fresh raspberries, homemade raspberry sauce and whipped cream.

Snooty Fox, a British pub & restaurant established since 1994, is located in the heart of downtown Fredericton. It’s my favourite pub.

My favourite food item on the menu? Poutine! More stories about poutine can be found on my previous posts, ”Poutine…“ and “Poutine II“.

Poutine. Fresh cut fries with cheese curds and hot gravy.

We ordered Quesadilla Trio off the lunch menu. It turned out to be a delicious dish. The quesadilla contains all ingredients of the clubhouse sandwich; grilled chicken breast, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. These ingredients were stuffed in the mini quesadilla with melted cheese, and served with Caesar salad and soup of the day on the side.

The Caesar salad was delicious, with fresh romaine tossed in the Fox’s tangy dressing, parmesan, croutons, and crispy bacon.

Quesadilla Trio, with Caesar salad and soup of the day.  

The Snooty Fox on Canada Day.

Interested in visiting the Snooty Fox some day? Check out their menu here.

Boston Pizza is one of the best pizza places in town. I’ve previously posted two blog entries about this restaurant. The first one can be found here and the second one here.

Their gourmet pizza is a big selling point; ranging from the Classics, International, BP Originals, to Veggie. None of them is to your liking? Try “Add it On or Create Your Own.” Customize a pizza that suits your personal taste.

Miles and I tried the Boston Royal, one of Boston Pizza’s signature pizzas. It’s topped with the Signature pizza sauce, pizza mozzarella, smoked ham, pepperoni, shrimp, olives, green pepper, and onion.

The Boston Royal.

Pizza sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and dried crushed chili.

Frank’s Finer Diner is a restaurant located on the north side of Fredericton. It’s well-known for its 50′s style dining settings. My previous post about Frank’s Finer Diner can be found here.

This restaurant is particularly famous for its homemade pies. I’ve always wanted to try some. Here is my chance, after an exhausting (both physically and mentally) morning at TreeGO…..

A generous serving of appetizer: onion rings, home fries, wings, and veggie sticks.

Philly Steak & Cheese served on a toasted bun with steak strips, green pepper, and melted cheese. Home fries and coleslaw on the side.

Don’t forget to save room for desserts…

Butterscotch Pie. I liked this the best!

Chocolate Cream Pie.

There is always something new at Tim Hortons, almost to a point where I can’t keep up with it. On top of my first and second post entries about Tim Hortons, here is some new updates about the Canadian all-time favourite coffee and doughnut chain.

What’s new on the doughnut shelf?

Key Lime Doughnut!

The “Roll Up The Rim To Win” contest is coming to an end. In the city of Fredericton, there is no more Tim Hortons’ rims to be rolled up! *Sigh*Each chain restaurant is given a limited number of “Roll Up” cups. The contest goes on until all the cups are gone.

What have I gotten so far? One free coffee, three free doughnuts, and lots of “Please Play Again” messages.

Three winners’ cups and one loser’s cup.

Some fun facts about the contest? Customers of Tim Hortons have been RRRolling up the Rim for 23 years. Over 88% of the major prizes were redeemed in 2008. On average, each Canadian adult would have rolled up 10 cups at the end of the contest each year. It’s a contest that everyone would enjoy! It’s more than just sipping on a cup of hot beverage; rolling up the cup as you take the very last sip of drink is a lot of fun!

Without fail, there’s always a long lineup at the Tim Hortons drive-thru every morning. What are some specialties on the Tim Hortons menu?

The famous Timbits from Tim Hortons are bite-size doughnuts that entice your taste buds!

Timbits come in a box of 10, 20, or 40.

Assorted Timbits.

Strawberry-filled Timbit, dusted with icing sugar.

Yummy strawberry jam…

Apple Fritter Timbit.

Chocolate Glazed Timbit.

Sour Cream Glazed Timbit.

Old Fashion Plain Timbit.

Old Fashion Timbit coated with sugar.

Of course, Tim Hortons’ doughtnuts are always a great hit!!

From top left (clockwise): Honey Cruller, Sour Cream Glazed, Chocolate Dip, Honey Dip, Cherry Chocolate Bloom, and Blueberry Fritter.

Tasty chicken salad, on store-baked and toasted wholewheat bun.

What’s new in Tim Hortons? Check these out:

Chicken Wrap Snacker. Pick your favourite: ranch, BBQ, or chicken salad.

Cherry Cheese Danish. Delicious cherry jam and crispy pastry.

Snooty Fox Pub is strategically located in the heart of downtown Fredericton. It’s my favourite pub in town!

Their comprehensive and innovative food menu offers food items such as salads, sandwiches, soups, steaks, fish & chips, pot pies, maple curry pasta, Thai coconut shrimp, Thai green curry etc. I was very surprised with the new Thai dishes on menu! I didn’t try them and therefore, won’t be able to tell if they tasted authentic :P I’ll save that for my next visit.

Snooty Fox is one of the very few places where I’d go back and try the same food items, because they are so good! A nice meal with my roomies on a breezy winter evening ;)

Poutine… the best in Fredericton!

Guinness Steak Pie with green salad and Italian dressing that I ordered. Yumm…

Bruschetta, nicely toasted and topped with fresh tomatoes and melted cheese. Think you’ve tasted the best bruschetta? Not until you try this!

Sweet potato fries with tangy Cajun sauce.

Caesar salad with bacon bits and croutons.

Fish & chips with tartar sauce and coleslaw. A big serving of fries!

Here are some other food items I tried during previous visits:

Cheesy and flavourful French onion soup. Delicious!

BBQ chicken nacho, with salsa sauce and sour cream on the side.

This is one of the best items on menu! Creamy artichoke and spinach dip with pita bread and tortilla chips.

Looking for some healthy fast food options? The sub sandwich at Subway restaurant could be one of them! Established in 1965, the Subway chain has expanded over the years. Currently, there are 30,711 locations in 88 countries around the globe, including Malaysia. The first restaurant was opened in Connecticut, U.S.A. by 17-year-old Fred DeLuca and his family friend, Dr. Peter Buck. It was called the Pete’s Super Submarines.

The wide variety of sandwiches offered at the Subway is amazing! The friendly Subway staff put together your favourite bread, filling, toppings, and dressing, to make a hearty sub sandwich! There are different breads to choose from: honey oat, Italian herb & cheese, Parmesan oregano, wheat, white, hearty Italian etc. Toasted bread is available too.

Here are some amazing facts about Subway. This chain restaurant serves approximately 2,800 sandwiches and salads in the United States every minute! If all the sandwiches made by Subway in one year were to line up end to end, they would go around the globe at least 6 times!! “The Subway Guy” Jared Fogle, lost 245 lbs from his one-year Subway diet program, with lots of walking involved. His Subway diet comprised of a 6-inch turkey sub for lunch and a veggie footlong for supper. He is now the spokesman of Subway for its advertising campaigns. What an incredible story!

Subway sandwiches are freshly prepared on the spot. The price is comparable to other fast food restaurants. For a hearty and healthy meal option, try Subway! “Subway. Think fresh. Eat fresh.”

Hmm…. what should I have?

Here are some of the sandwiches on menu:

Classic: Cold Cut Combo, Meatball Marinara, Ham, Pizza Sub, and Veggie Delite.

Select: Spicy Italian, Italian B.M.T. (Biggest, Meatiest, and Tastiest), Roast Beef, Turkey Breast, Turkey Breast & Ham, and Tuna.

Signature: Oven Roasted Chicken Breast, Steak & Cheese, Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki, Subway Melt, and Subway Club.

Gourmet: Chicken & Bacon Ranch and Chicken Pizziola.

Choosing my toppings and dressing…

Two footlong Subway sandwiches. One 6-inch sandwich would suffice for a meal ;)

Chicken Pizziola on Italian herb & cheese bread, with tangy Chipotle Southwest sauce and plenty of toppings.

Chicken Bacon & Ranch on honey oat bread, with tangy Chipotle Southwest sauce and hot peppers. Deliciously spicy!

Spicy Italian on honey oat bread, with a generous serving of toppings.

You’re in Canada and have no idea where to go for a quick coffee break/breakfast/lunch/brunch? Try Tim Hortons! This is where I had my first meal in Canada several years ago. The uptown Tim Hortons in Fredericton opens 24/7, the so-called “mamak” for Malaysians here :) I remembered those good old days where we sat and chatted while sipping on hot coffee till wee hours in the midst of everyone’s busy class schedule, in the cold winter nights.

Tim Hortons is Canada’s largest quick-serve coffee and doughnut chain. The first store was opened in Hamilton, Ontario, back in 1964. Currently, there are more than 2,800 store locations across Canada, and more than 400 in the United States.

Why can Tim Hortons be so successful? This has a lot to do with its location, marketing strategy, and unbeatable price (compared to Starbucks, Second Cup etc.). $0.80 for a doughnut and $1.01 for a small, or $1.14 for a medium cup of hot beverage. Beat that! Not to forget, the lineup at the drive-thru can be rather crazy in the morning and lunch hour. The lineup is so long that it often results in congested traffic on the main street! I don’t understand why drivers don’t just park their cars and walk into the store instead. Wouldn’t it be quicker than waiting in line?

Recently, Tim Hortons is working towards joining forces with Cold Stone Creamery (U.S.-based), to create up to 100 co-branded stores at various locations in the United States (Ohio, Michigan, New York, and Rhode Island). The idea is to offer some cold treats (ice-cream, smoothie, shakes) at Tim Hortons to attract more customers in the evenings as well; since it is busy mainly in the morning and lunch hour. On the other hand, Cold Stone Creamery which has a steady business in the late afternoon and evening, will be able to draw in a larger crowd during the day by serving Tim’s products (coffee, doughnuts, sandwiches and soups etc.). Apparently, this is not a brand new idea. More than a decade ago, co-branding agreement was established between Dunkin’ Donut (world’s largest coffee and doughnut chain) and Baskin-Robbins in the United States.

The doughnut shelf at Tim Hortons. Timbits (on the bottom shelf), Tim’s signature doughnut holes.

Freshly baked muffins, bagels, danishes, croissants, cookies etc.

The “Roll Up The Rim To Win” contest started since 1986. It usually runs during the late winter months, into early spring. Cups for hot beverages (medium, large, and extra large) have special rims that contain messages printed on the inside. When rolled up, messages indicate if someone is a winner or not. 35 Toyota Venza, 100 $10,000 cash prizes, 1,000 Toshiba laptops, 25,000 $100 Tim Card, and over 31 million food prizes are among the prizes to be won this year!! With 1:9 odds of winning, many has at least won some food prizes. The contest runs while cup supplies last.

Oops… try again :(

I find the marketing strategy of Tim Hortons is amusing. In order to sustain a steady flow of customers, special treats are offered during special occasions, for a limited period. In the early summer last year (in conjuction with strawberry picking season), Strawberry Blossom doughnut was offered.

Strawberry Blossom doughnut. Hard candy sprinkles with strawberry jam in the middle.

Candy Cane doughnut during Christmas season. Chocolate doughnut with colourful hard candy sprinkles.

My favourite Boston Cream doughnut. It’s filled with custard and topped with chocolate glaze. *Highly recommended*

The new Cherry Chocolate Bloom doughnut. Chocolate and cherry sprinkles with delightful cherry jam in the middle.

Doughnuts in a box (clockwise, from top left): Sour Cream Glazed, Vanilla Dip, Cherry Chocolate Bloom, Boston Cream, Blueberry Fritter, and Honey Cruller.

Trail mix cookie was offered with a cup of hot green tea for $1.99.

The newly introduced Whole Grain Rasberry muffin.

Pumpkin Spice muffin was offered in the fall of 2008.

Cheese tea biscuit with Pumpkin Spice doughnut and Pumpkin Spice tea.

Maple Pecan danish.

Hot breakfast sandwich (on Tim’s Homestyle Biscuit) with egg, sausage, and cheese.

Breakfast bagel, B.E.L.T. (bacon/sausage, egg, lettuce, and tomatoes). Yumm…

A bowl of chili with garlic toast.

Creamy Field Mushroom soup (contains portobello, white, and shiitake mushrooms) with tea biscuit.

Freshly baked crisp and flaky croissant with butter.

Montana’s Cookhouse is one of the few restaurants opened in Fredericton last summer, besides East Side Mario’s which I visited previously. Montana’s is famous for its award-winning Smokehouse Ribs and AAA Steaks. Its “All-You-Can-Eat Ribs” on every Wednesday is also a hit. The swarming crowd in both Montana’s and East Side Mario’s, for the first few months after their openings was unbelievable. People in Fredericton got excited about the fact that they can now enjoy themselves at their favourite restaurants, which can only be found at big cities in the past! You might be laughing at this, but I do understand how it feels like when you missed something great that’s not easily available…

I’ve been wanting to visit Montana’s a while ago, to check out this new restaurant that I’ve never been. The opportunity came a few days ago, when a friend from Saint John came to Fredericton for a visit. Four of us had our late supper on a Friday evening.

During our meal, I came out with a question: is Montana’s originated from Montana, U.S.A.; Boston Pizza originated from Boston, Massachusetts in U.S.A.?! The answer is “no”! Both of them are Canadian restaurants. Montana was first opened in 1995, and there are now more than 80 locations across Canada and Northern U.S.A. (Michigan and New York). Boston Pizza, on the other hand, has over 315 locations in all provinces and territories of Canada. Impressive!

The rustic Cookhouse setting. They even had the “Outhouse” sign for washrooms. Haha…

The famous Montana’s Smokehouse Ribs. The full rack pork back ribs came with steamed vegetables and coleslaw. It was a huge serving that’s good for two meals!

I had the Prime Rib Sandwich (slow-roasted prime rib topped with sautéed onions, peppers and Colby cheese, served on a crusty loaf with a pickle spear and au jus dip). Green salad with balsamic vinaigrette on the side. It was good, but wasn’t superb. The beef was too salty…

I’d recommend the Smokehouse Ribs at Montana’s. They were flavourful and delicious, came with sauce of your choice (Texas bold, honey garlic, or apple butter). I’ve yet to try the steaks. Overall, the ribs and steaks were quite pricey. It’s probably not a restaurant you’d visit very often. Nevertheless, no harm giving it a try yourself!