Curb Your Appetite With Sunseeker: May 2015

Stories Behind the Chopsticks - YEG Food Crawl

Our Guide was Great!

This was a great event! We had some great food and met some great new people and visited with people we've met before. I think I'll let the pictures do the talking for most of this blog post:

13:00 - 13:45 1st stop Lee House (10704 97 Street)

Lee House has been in Edmonton for 22 years. Mrs. Lee's original location is on Whyte Avenue. This is their second location on 97th Street. She still has family send her some ingredients right from Korea.

From the bottom left: Daikon Squares, Sweet Potato Noodles, Mung Bean Sprout Sesame Salad, Kimchi and Bulgogi. It was all very good but I really liked the Sweet Potato Noodles and the Bulgogi.

Lee House's Legendary Chicken Balls. This has long been rated their #1 dish.

13:50 - 14:35 2nd stop Zen Sushi (10518 101 Street)

This place was excellent and so much food!

Started our meal with cool green tea.

Then came the sushi:

Salmon

Beef

Crab Stick

Shrimp

He makes the sushi:

Miso Soup:

Chicken Teriyaki:

Yam Tempura - this was amazing!

Edamame:

Shrimp Tempura:

Salad:

Beef Terriyaki - yum! (we had two of these plates!)

Oh yes, here's the second one:

Now onto the Maki:

Crispy Salmon Skin. This was amazing! Kat was scared to try it but we all loved it.

Avocado:

Chop Chop - not sure what it was but it was good:

California Roll:

That's what our table of four shared. Plus four salads. The food was great and really plentiful for the price paid for the ticket. This place is awesome! They have all you can eat sushi for lunch and dinner. Will definitely be bringing our boys that can eat a lot of sushi back here!

14:40 - 15:25 3rd stop Golden Szechuan (10508 101 Street)

Next we headed right next door to the Golden Szechuan. While our meals were ordered mild, it was a little to spicy for many of our group (but really I think we were just all so full from Zen Sushi!)

Sliced beef tendon dipped in spicy sauce;

Shredded pork with Szechuan sauce;

Boiled sliced fish in hot sauce;

Steamed rice;

Close up of the boiled fish in spicy sauce

Golden Szechuan Restaurant on Urbanspoon

15:30 - 16:00 4th stop Tea Bar Cafe (10640 98 Street)

Next we were off to the Tea Bar for Bubble Tea. Phil had tried it once but I had never had it. I tried the Taro Bubble Milk and Phil had the Lychee Bubble Tea. I really liked my Taro Bubble Milk. Phil's wasn't as good. I'm not sure about the tapico "bubbles". Not sure I'd ever have to specifically go for a bubble tea again but I really liked getting to try and experience it.

And, as an added treat, we also got to stop at Ruby's Bakery who provided us with a gift of a coconut tart and tulip cake. Delicious. This is Ruby!

It was a really great day. Thanks so much to the organizers for all their hard work and to the other people in our group that provided such great company!

Delux Burger Bar

It's Friday night so that means takeout! Tonight we chose Delux Burger Bar.

I picked the Delux Burger with blue cheese, carmelized onions, button mushrooms, crispy bacon and chipotle mayo. We also shared the full order of the breakfast poutine with thick smoked double cut bacon, sunny side up egg, cheese curds and gravy and it was enough for three of us.

It was pretty good. The poutine was very good but the egg really didn't add anything. The burger wasn't bad but the flavours just kind of melded without anything sticking out and the blue cheese was only found in the middle of the burger so many bites had no blue cheese flavor at all.

Okay, I will start dieting soon - but that will mean a boring blog!!

Browns Socialhouse - For $20 Bottles of Wine on the Patio!

So, as noted in my blog, we have been here twice for brunch and their excellent Eggs Benedict. I wasn't sure that I'd be drawn here for dinner but their $20 bottles of wine are quite compelling and alluring! So we came here for girls night out. Seriously. Where can you get bottles of wine for $20 these days? This is a great deal and they have a great patio.

So Thursday night Girls' Night it was! We had a great time. The wine was delicious - it was Naked Grape. The red was a Merlot that usually isn't my favorite wine but it was great - especially for $20 a bottle. Awesome! The food was okay, nothing outstanding. The service was okay, some critical mistakes but they made it right. Honestly though, it's in my neighbourhood and did I mention they have $20 bottles of wine??!! I'll be back!

China Town Food Crawl

Tomorrow we are going on a food crawl in China Town. The restaurants and menus have just been released. Here's where and what we'll be eating:

13:00 - 13:45 1st stop Lee House (10704 97 Street)Kimchi (fermented cabbage roles) Daikon Squares (fermented picked radish roots) - Mung Bean Sprout Sesame Salad Sweet Potato Noodles Lee House Legendary Chicken Balls Bulgogi (Korean beef strips)

13:50 - 14:35 2nd stop Zen Sushi (10518 101 Street) choose one piece of sushi (avacado, crab stick, salmon, tuna, misago or tomago);choose one from: cali maki, beef maki, or soft shell crab;choose one from: seaweed salad or green salad with Zen Sushi's special sesame sauce;choose one type of tempura: yam, veggie, or shrimp;choose one from: teriyaki chicken or beef or salmon;Miso soup;Hot green tea, or cold iced green tea will be served.

14:40 - 15:25 3rd stop Golden Szechuan (10508 101 Street)

Sliced beef tendon dipped in spicy sauce;

Shredded pork with Szechuan sauce;

Boiled sliced fish in hot sauce;

Steamed rice;

Tea or water will be served.

15:30 - 16:00

4th stop Tea Bar Cafe (10640 98 Street)

Choose one from the following:

Mango bubble milk,

Taro bubble milk,

Lychee bubble tea, or

Green apple bubble tea

When we arrive at Tea Bar Cafe, you will also receive a dessert box (coconut tart and tulip cake) provide by Ruby's Bakery (10642 98 St) next door to Tea Bar Cafe.

Check back after tomorrow when I'll let you know how everything was!

Black Pearl Seafood Bar

Our "Edmonton Foodie Group" met here mid-week to try this much anticipated new seafood restaurant in Edmonton. I was very excited to try out this new spot and it did not disappoint. The seafood was amazing!

The ambiance was great. Loved the space! When we first arrived I found the music too loud and thought we'd have a hard time talking as a group but they must have turned it down (or I got used to it) cuz it wasn't a problem at all. It is a small space but our table of 7 was placed upstairs which allows for a larger group.

The service was excellent and our server was very sweet and efficient (her husband is the Chef).

We ordered a variety of items and shared. My husband didn't come with me so I don't have good quality pictures but I did take a few with my blackberry that I will try and post. I tried to take pictures of the menu but that never works. We started by sharing the shrimp and scallops tacos. They were great. We then had the two different types of baked oysters. I loved both of them. Then we shared the cold seafood platter with lobster, king crab, snow crab, scallops and two types of oysters with a variety of sauces. It was delicious!

A few of our group finished with a rum/caramel bread pudding type of dessert which they seemed to enjoy although one of our party would have liked more rum flavor. I had a taste and loved the caramel sauce.

I will definitely be returning to this great new spot again in the future.

Joey's Seafood Terra Lossa

I don't know if it was because it was a beautiful day and we sat on the patio. I don't know if it was the great lunch companion I had. I don't know if it was because I really wanted fish and found a place close by work that served fish. But this lunch was GREAT! It was absolutely excellent. I know it's a chain restaurant - but it really was good.

As said, I was craving fish and the fish was perfectly cooked, flaky and moist, with a great batter - and the two piece serving was very generous. It came with TWO sides so I chose the Caesar Salad and the Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes. The potatoes came with gravy. All was incredibly delicious. I was going to order halibut (which is quite pricey) but went with the Joey's fish and it really was excellent. Exactly what I wanted! The service was quick, pleasant and efficient. Our lunches came out really fast which was appreciated for lunch. My friend had the fish tacos, which looked just excellent, with onion rings and salad. And when the bill came there was a discounted price for lunch ($3.00 off the tacos and $1.50 off the fish) making it a very reasonable lunch.

It was nice to sit out on the deck but they could really pay attention to this important space and spruce it up so it's nicer and more comfortable (update the furniture, get some umbrellas, maybe add a few plants). It clearly is a under utilized area as we weren't even offered a seat out there but as my friends and I are always looking for a patio this could be a more utilized space.

Tasty Noodle

Pork Dumplings and Pan Fried Pork and Shrimp Cake

Went for some Sunday afternoon Dim Sum today. Arrived at about 1:30 pm and the food carts were still going around with plenty of food. They stopped at around 2:00 pm but some trays were still being brought out and then you could order off the menu (with pictures!)

We have only ever been to Jumbo Dim Sum which we love so this was new for us. The food was good but it was VERY pricey and considerably more than Jumbo. Glad we got to try it though.

Plate of treats