Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Walking in the snow with 19 km/hr of wind, at the cold temperature of -28 °C… Where else would you go, if not somewhere for food? Here we are, sitting comfortably at The Grill On York in downtown Fredericton, for our brunch. Special breakfast comes with a choice of meat (ham/bacon/sausage), toasts, eggs, and home fries. All these for a special price of $3.95!

From bottom left (clockwise): Special breakfast with ham, special breakfast with sausages & melted cheese, special breakfast with sausages; and last but not least,  the all-time favourite onion rings!

It was a good meal! Alright, we were fueled up and ready to walk in the cold, again…

Great pizzas at the Boston Pizza! A previous post about the restaurant can be found here. To celebrate my co-worker’s birthday that falls in January, we had a hearty meal at the Boston Pizza for lunch.

Some of us ordered the spinach salad (fresh spinach leaves tossed in Boston’s vinaigrette, topped with sliced mushrooms, chopped egg, smoky bacon, diced tomato and mozzarella) & Boston’s pizza bread (fresh pizza dough baked golden brown with garlic and herbs, sprinkled with parmesan), lunch combos (6″ pizza with toppings of your preference and a choice of daily soup, fries, Caesar salad or garden greens with their signature sun-dried tomato balsamic vinaigrette.salad); I had what was on the special lunch menu, Caesar salad and an individual 8″ Szechuan pizza for $10!! The regular price of Szechuan pizza was $10.90 and a starter size of Caesar salad would have cost $5.45… Lunch specials are always awesome, loved it ;)

The Caesar salad. Romaine lettuce tossed with Boston Pizza’s signature creamy
garlic dressing, crunchy croutons, sprinkled with
freshly grated parmesan.

The individual 8″ Szechuan pizza. Szechuan sauce, mozzarella, tender
chicken breast, bacon, green and
red peppers. Finished with sesame
seeds and green onions.

I was in shock when the big plate of Caesar salad was served. The salad itself was sufficient for a meal! As usual, I wanted to try something new, something exotic… Szechuan pizza was delicious, with its flavourful spices. Nonetheless, I won’t mind it to be a bit spicier! Oh yea, I should have added some crushed dried chilies on top of it, shouldn’t I? In the end, two out of eight slices of the pizza were saved for my lunch the next day!

I’ve been having good food and great time in Calgary thus far. Wondering what I had on my last day in Calgary? Julian & Annie almost ran out of idea where to bring me. Finally, we visited the Crave bakery shop in Kensington Road. The moist and delicious cupcakes are offered in large or mini size, in either vanilla or chocolate, and topped with a variety of butter cream icing as toppings (e.g. blue vanilla, green lime, chocolate etc.). These cupcakes were heavenly!!

Having said that, the cupcakes were too sweet for me. Perhaps one third of the amount of icing would suffice. I’ve to admit that the cupcakes are moist and tasty nonetheless. Apparently, the bakery employees work from 5 a.m. till 12 p.m. There’s no guarantee that there’s any cupcake left after noon time. Please be sure to be there early to avoid disappointment!

A dozen of assorted mini cupcakes nicely packed in a plastic container with a brown ribbon.

Next, we had some Southeast Asian food at the Sungate Cafe nearby. They offered some Thai and Malaysian/Singaporean dishes. The food wasn’t the best but it was good enough to satisfy my cravings for Malaysian food.

From left: Spicy Chicken Sub, Hot & Sour Seafood Tom Yum Soup, and Chicken Rendang Rice.

Hmm….what was next? For my farewell supper, we had steamboat (or less commonly Chinese fondue) buffet in a group of seven at a Chinese restaurant. For $22.95 per adult, we ordered food ranging from sliced lamb, beef, chicken, fish, pork, shrimps, squids, tofu, vegetables, etc. We then cooked the food in the hot pot on the gas stoves available right in front of our eyes. It was a big meal and everyone was stuffed at the end… I can easily skip my breakfast & lunch the next day…

Cooking the food in the hot pot containing boiling water. Spices were added for a flavourful soup base.

The largest “fresh” oyster I’ve ever had! Nonetheless, it tasted quite bad compared to those delicious fresh oysters I prepared with the shells still on!

My very first experience dining in a fine Brazilian restaurant. The experience was splendid, the food was delightful, and the service was excellent. The key to it though, is to make an early reservation for the best selection. We were there at Bolero Restaurant for a 5:30 p.m. reservation.

Free flow of appetizers.

Appetizers from the fresco bar and hot bar.

A chef cut the meat skillfully and served us.

The BBQ pineapple was a hit!

A bountiful selection of food was served and cut fresh in front of our eyes. I took pleasure in savouring the good food. It was indeed a great eye-opener to a non-ordinary dining experience! Love it :)

Dim Sum is known as the southern Chinese delicacies. The closest restaurant from Fredericton that offers Dim Sum would probably be in Saint John. Yes, you got it. There’s no Dim Sum in Fredericton…

Hence, I seized the opportunity to enjoy Dim Sum during my trip to Calgary. Well, I had it twice actually ;D My first Dim Sum meal at the T&T Supermarket (a Chinese supermarket), West Edmonton Mall.

Congee, shrimp dumplings, beef tripes, and phoenix claws (a.k.a. chicken feet), hot soya milk, and cold tea. Delicious!

From left: glutinous chicken rice, beef tripes, phoenix claws, pork steamed buns, pork dumplings, and pork spare ribs.

Eggs tarts (my favourite) and fried shrimp on sugar cane sticks, a Vietnamese delicacy.

Congee with century eggs and pork. Yummy!

Each dish priced around $4. It’s best to savour Dim Sum with family or a group of friends. You get to enjoy a wide array of dishes in small amount, because they do fill up your stomach rather quick!

It was my first visit to the Keg Steakhouse & Bar. After a long day of traveling from Calgary to Banff, joining the dog sled tour in Canmore, soaking in the hot spring in Banff, we were exhausted and hungry… We’ve decided to go to the Keg for a big meal.

Appetizers: dinner roll with butter, scallops & bacon (bacon-wrapped scallops with a zesty martini cocktail sauce) for $9.95, as well as ahi tuna (a.k.a. yellowfin tuna, grilled rare, served with a mushroom reduction drizzled with cucumber-wasabi sauce and crostini) for $10.95.

From left: Honey BBQ Chicken & Ribs (grilled and basted with house honey BBQ sauce) for Annie, 8oz Prime Rib Classic (hand-carved with horseradish and au jus) for Julian, and 7oz Fillet Mignon (tenderloin wrapped in applewood smoked bacon) for me!

Julian, Annie and I had supper at the Shikiji Japanese Restaurant in Calgary. This restaurant offers specialty sushi dishes that are both presentable and delicious. Besides, their Japanese green tea, genmaicha (brown-rice tea) is the best I’ve ever had thus far!

The Spider Roll ($13.80). Crispy crab legs are used to make into the form of a spider.

The Una Una Roll (Eel Roll) for $16.90. Yumm…

The Salmon Mango Roll ($11.80), topped with colourful tobiko (flying fish caviar). Very appetizing!

This dish reminded me of something similar I had in Toronto a few months ago.

Very neat presentation of sushi at the Dazzling Restaurant in downtown Toronto.

Back to Shikiji Restaurant. Besides sushi, we also ordered a bowl of Japanese noodles.

The Chili Goma Ramen (hot & spicy Japanese noodles with sesame) for $13.50. Grind the sesame seeds yourself!

The day after we visited Shikiji Restaurant, we had Japanese/Korean buffet at the Sushi BBQ Inn. Two dishes of sashimi (fresh raw seafood) per person. We were given the choice of salmon, tuna, and spicy seafood. They tasted great, except for the tuna which turned out to be partially frozen. Hmm…previously frozen? Isn’t it supposed to be fresh??

Sashimi, maki (roll), and temaki (cone/hand roll).

Our second order.

From left: Rainbow Roll, California Roll, and BC Roll (grilled salmon skin with sweet sauce and cucumber, named after British Columbia for its famous wild Pacific salmon).

Tempura, a classic Japanese dish of deepfried battered vegetables or seafood.

Raw meat for BBQ: chicken, beef, spicy pork, lamb chop, salmon, short ribs etc.

Meat slices on the BBQ stove, right in front of us on the dining table.

Overall, the amount of food was plenty. We certainly had a lot since we skipped our lunch due to busy schedule. I was in Banff all day skiing with Julian, while Annie was working all day without her lunch box.

Having said that, I wished the sashimi was fresher and the order was unlimited. It turned out to be slightly under $30 per person on the final bill. Good food, great time!

My friendship story continues… I met up with my ex-classmate from UNB who is now studying at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. We went to a Chinese Restaurant in Edmonton in a group of five. Here are some of the dishes we had:

Loh Hon Zai, the mixed vegetable dish.

The so-called Sze Chuan beef, with onions, green and red peppers. It has the texture of the typical Gu Lou meat (fried pork) dish.

The waiver we signed before indulging into the world of insanity :P Everyone should take a close look at it.

It was worth a try but just wasn’t the kind of hot & spiciness I’d enjoy. Furthermore, it wasn’t fun at all to suffer from the stomach pain.

French onion soup with garlic baguette for $4.99.

The Crocodile Skins for $8.99. Seasoned potato skins topped with melted mixed cheese, bacon, and green onions. Served with sour cream.

Chicken Taquitos for $6.99. BBQ-style tortillas rolled around Mes-seasoned chicken and mixed cheese. Served with sour cream.

 

“The Festive Special. Savour the season. Your holiday favourite is back! Enjoy our tender Rotisserie Quarter Chicken with tangy cranberry sauce, our famous stuffing, and your choice of side. For dessert, you’ll enjoy a Festive Chalet filled with 5 Lindor chocolate truffles.” I was abosultely carried away by the Festive Special offered by Swiss Chalet Restaurant. This was my second time savouring the Festive Special that offered annually around Christmas time.

It has become a practice at work that we go out for lunch together on someone’s birthday. Swiss Chalet is one of my co-workers’ favourite restaurant and without exception, she has chosen this restaurant for her birthday lunch.

The Swiss Chalet special chicken noodle soup, served with salted top crackers. A special offer by using the SPC card ;)

Make room for desserts! Lindor chocolate truffles, they’re to die for :D

My last visit was in the spring with Mom & Dad, on my graduation day. More food pictures:

A quarter chicken meal with a crusty roll, and french fries on the side.

After living in Fredericton for more than five years now, there’s a Chinese restaurant in town that I’ve yet to visit. The Mandarin Palace Restaurant on Lincoln Road! It’s accessible via the bus route, which is rather convenient for those who don’t own a car (a.k.a. myself).

Four of us went there for supper and ordered four different dishes to share.

The Cantonese stir-fry noodles.

Steamed sea bass fillet with ginger and green onions.

The famous spicy Szechuan dish, Ma Po Tofu.

Stir-fry Yu Choy (green choy sum) with beef.

We enjoyed our meal, but found it a bit pricey (ranging from $12 to $17 per dish). The final bill turned out to be $20 each person. I started missing those dishes that I could get from home, again. A seafood meal will be awesome! Lobsters, crabs, giant shrimps, and my ultimate favourite, taro pot with sauteed mixed vegetables. Yummm….

Having said that, these Chinese dishes are well prepared and I’d certainly recommend Mandarin Palace to those who appreciate authentic Chinese cuisine!

Fiona ordered the Chicken Burger.

Stephanie had the Philly Steak Sandwich.

Renée had the Beef Wrap.

Tracy had the Cordon Bleu Sandwich that was new on the menu. “Cordon Bleu” is a French term, literally translated as “blue ribbon,” that originally referred to an award for culinary excellence given to women cooks! The term can now apply to any superior cook (yes, men too), and also to this dish (chicken, ham and Swiss cheese slices, breaded and sauteed).

The Cordon Bleu Sandwich.

This is the best Indian buffet restaurant I’ve ever been! Buffet Maharaja is acknowledged as the largest Indian cuisine buffet in North America. With over a hundred food items on its buffet menu, it attracts many Indian cuisine lovers, from within and outside the Montreal city. The buffet section is divided into a few divisions and just to mention some of my favourite dishes:

(A) Appetizers: vegetable samosa, yellow lentil soup, pakora etc.
(B) Meats: Butter chicken, Tandoori chicken, beef curry, chicken curry, chicken korma, lamb sag (spinach), egg kofta etc.
(C) Vegetarian dishes: Chick peas, aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), begun bhortha (spiced roasted eggplants), lentil curry, sag panir (spinach and cheese) etc.
(D) Rice dishes: Briyani etc.
(E) Breads: Nan bread, papor etc.
(F) Desserts: Golab jamun, carrot halwa, jelabi etc.

Isn’t that overwhelming?! At least I was overwhelmed! If they’re offering such a great variety of food, how much do they charge?? Well, you’ll be really surprised…

Monday – Wednesday: $10.99 for lunch and $14.99 for supper.
Friday – Sunday: $11.99 for lunch and $16.99 for supper.

Where else can you find authentic Indian cuisine that beats the price?? Not even close! It’s a must go in Montreal for sure!!

Address: 1481, René-Lévesque Bld. West, Montréal, Québec H3G 1T8
Tel: (514) 934-0655

Here are pictures taken from this past June during my second visit to Buffet Maharaja. Mom and Dad enjoyed the food a lot too!

What kind of restaurant catches your attention? Restaurant shopping is a term I’d use for myself. I enjoy visiting different restaurants and even if I’m back to the same restaurant, I’d prefer trying a different dish! Why? It simply because I love varieties! You never know what you really like until you’ve tried enough to figure that out. What if you made a bad choice? Well, learn from the lesson never to do it again, just like what we ought to do in life, isn’t it?

Frank’s Finer Diner is one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been in Fredericton. It’s unique with its 50′s dining settings and even some waitresses on their roller skates. A homey ambiance, friendly staff, reasonable pricing, and comfortable settings have made this restaurant a success! We had to line up for seats on a Sunday afternoon.

A nicely setup miniature electrical train and tracks.

Dave had this Ham Dinner which offered as the daily special.

Paul had wings, veggie sticks, and a generous serving of onion rings and poutine!

Betty had Chicken Sandwich with salad. A big serving!

Dorrie ordered a Crispy Chicken Wrap with mashed potatoes.

We had a great meal together after the church service. Frank’s Finer Diner is located at the Two Nation’s Crossing, north of Fredericton. It’s opposite of the new Wal-Mart. This is my second visit in one and a half years. The reason for having a Hot Turkey Sandwich? I missed my turkey for Thanksgiving! The house fries were very crispy and delicious. The gravy on sandwich was great too, although I should have asked for whole wheat bread instead of the white bread served by default. The turkey though, could have been better, since it’s mainly dark meat. With an extra cost of $1, you could get all white meat. Nevertheless, nothing could beat the real, whole home-baked stuffed turkey!

Paul, Eric and myself decided to visit the Jubilee restaurant for their super Chinese buffet! The supper buffet was $14.99. The price has gone up quite a bit over the years. It was around 5:45 p.m. when we arrived. The restaurant was crowded. Oh well, it’s buffet, so we helped ourselves with these:

My first plate.

My second plate.

My third plate.

My fourth plate shared with Eric.

Last but not least, desserts!

Food I enjoyed at this restaurant? I voted for the seafood! Fresh mussels, steamed haddock fillets, stir-fry shrimps, yumm…. and of course, I liked the Singapore-style noodles too! We were stuffed at the end of the meal. It was great, but it won’t be a place where I’d visit often, because I lose control of what I eat for buffet, and that’s bad! It’d be a nice treat though, once in a blue moon ;)