Madhatters Liquid Lounge

Had an invitation from one of the vendors for an after work appie party at Madhatter's. I remember this place fondly, as this was the 1st place I had really good food in GP. This was when we had the engineering group lunch to celebrate my 1st week at work :) (time sure flies...) Too bad I didn't get to take pictures last time, as I didn't want to break the decorum on my 1st day out.

The party room was at the back of the bar, and it was pretty packed when I arrived. Here are some of the finger foods served...

The veggies...normal stuff


Next comes the salt & pepper wings, honey garlic ribs, sweet sour pork on fried noodles, and spring rolls...



The spring rolls, wings, and ribs were so-so, nothing special. However, the sweet sour pork was delicious. They were really thin strips, so came out really cripsy. With just enough sauce to go on top with the noodles and spring onions...good mix! Reminds of the Szechuan Ginger Beef in Richmond :)~

3.25/5

Next is the gyozas...



The gyozas are regular, and the sauce is a tad too sweet. I prefer to have gyozas with soy sauce. Nice presentation though!

3/5

Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3.5/5

Madhatters Liquid Lounge
10508 100 Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0V9
780-532-9080

Madhatter's

Got invited to another gathering at Madhatter's. Finger foods all the way...



Tasty dipping sauce - honey mustard.



Most of these were average, but the spring rolls...they're good (maybe because they are just out of the fryers).

Madhatter's
10508 100 Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0V9
(780) 532-9080

Tokyo Ichiban Japanese Restaurant

Got a treat from our work friend today...to Tokyo Ichiban! Been a long time since I had Japanese, so I was really excited when I got invited to lunch :)

Apparently, Tokyo Ichiban is pretty big here (not a surprise considering there are only 2 sushi outfits here)...and a lot of my lunch mates were taken aback when I told them it's one of lower rated sushi restaurant in Vancouver. Well, this will be my 1st time here, and let's hope I'll have a different experience than the one back home.

With a party of 7, we decided to order to share. First came the rolls...


The crunchy/rainbow rolls were quite good with really crispy shrimp tempura. The sashimi atop was really refreshing...must be my sushi craving kicking in.

3.5/5

Next are the spicy tuna and california rolls...crowd favourites

They were regular, nothing to shout about, but definitely better than those offered in Co-Op. I guess for 1.5x the price, you would at least expect that.

3.25/5

Next up is the dish of the day...Mixed Sashimi Platter!


How I love sashimi. This was quite pricey actually (~$30). For that price, you can go AYCE in Vancouver :) However, the sashimi were awesome! Everything tasted clean and fresh. I especially liked the wild salmon, and the tai, ever so crisp, like eating a leaf.

4/5

One friend specially ordered this as this was his favourite...spicy scallop nigiri.


These were good...but a tad too much mayo imo. Nevertheless, every single bite was a bliss as the scallop were tender, sweet and juicy...Yum Yum Yum~

3.75/5

Finally came the ahi tuna...


I was really looking foward to this, but was let down the moment I saw it served on the table. Taste wise, it was really bland; I had to dip it in the sauce several times just to get some taste out of it. The paleness of it pretty much sums up the texture.

3/5

Overeall, this was a really good meal, better than the branch in Vancouver. In speaking with the manager, I was told that it used to be under the same owner, but has now been operating independently. Definitely worth coming back in the future to satisfy my cravings until Vancouver comes along.

Service: 3.75/5
Ambience: 4/5

Tokyo Ichiban Japanese Restaurant
10902 105 Avenue
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 7Y5
(780) 882-0098

Diurnal Pabulum: DQ Ice Cream Cone

For your laughter, peace and joy. Here's what a colleague made for a customer. Not quite the DQ signature ice cream cone, something even more unique!



A skill to be desired, I'd say :)

Dairy Queen
10004 105 Avenue,
Grande Prairie
(780) 532-2007

Diurnal Pabulum: DQ Cheeseburger

It's been almost a month since I started at DQ now. Apart from the ice cream, this is the 1st time I've had their burger.

Greasy buns, dry patties, and soggy veggies. Let's just say...try another joint for a burger :) (or maybe it's just not my day for a burger). Try it and I'll let you be the judge.

Dairy Queen
10004 105 Avenue,
Grande Prairie
(780) 532-2007

Boston Pizza

Went to the field today to wrap up a busy week, and get more experience out there. Knowing I'll probably get home by 7 pm earliest, decided to drop by Boston Pizza on the way home for some dinner.

Ordered their Chicken Fajita and the Tropical Chicken Pizza for take out...



Chicken Fajita was good, the melted cheese, topped with some sour cream and salsa, Yummy :)

3.5/5



The pizzas...what can go wrong with Boston Pizza's pizza. Delicious as expected...moist, sufficient toppings, perfect amount of sauce, and just the right proportion of cheese for that melt-in-your-mouth sensation. For some reason, a few people in the office find it offensive to have any other meat (other than pork-based) on their pizzas. Personally, I like to have chicken or even seafood on mine, kinda unique taste to it. Of course, I wouldn't mind the meat lovers as well :)

3.75/5

Boston Pizza
12113 100 Street
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 4H1
(780) 532-0310

Shark's Club

Got invited for lunch today by Mr. B, my wonderful foreman...to the Shark's Club. It's close to the office, and a good place to eat and make it back in time for an afternoon meeting.

Ordered the Ahi Tuna Wrap, hoping it was as good as they had described it in the menu. The menu is like most bar & lounges, offering anything from burgers, salads, and sandwiches. However, they also steaks, stirfry, and pasta for those big eaters.

Here's what came for me...





The wrap is quite well done, with just enough sauce in it, maybe albeit too much noodles, and light on the meat. It's filling though, given the amount of carbs in it. The tuna also has a nice tinge of spice to it.

3.25/5

Given the extensive menu, I'll definitely visit this place again to try other stuff. A google on Shark's club yield surprising results...apparently they have branches in Vancouver too (never seen or heard of it though).

Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3.5/5

Shark's Club Bar & Grill
9898 99 Ave
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0R5
(780) 513-5450

Milos Steak House & Pizza

Went on an unthordox engineering meeting today. First we went to tour the Cutbank/Musreau plant, followed by white-water rafting! How I wished every meeting was like this :) It was fun and great for viewing the inner personalities of people you work with.

After the exhausting exercise, we decided to go for dinner at a local diner. A few of us started with the soup to warm the stomach...

Minestrone soup was what they had on that day...

It was so so, tasted like it's out of the can with mushy pasta (or maybe it is...)

2.5/5

Next came the entrees...a colleague decided to go Greek and ordered the beef kebab (everything's got to do with beef in Alberta!).



The portion's pretty big, and the salad looks awesome (I love feta...), but the kebab looks a tad dry...being hungry as we were, no one's complaining.

For myself, I got the steak with the fixings...


Baked potato just won't do without these lovely companions...



A close-up of the medium rare beef...



Steak was medium rare as ordered (good stuff), but it seems small (or maybe I was too hungry...). The garlic toast was a bit too toasty (hard in a sense), but the baked potato was definitely a win for a starving man.

3.25/5

Good "meeting" overall, a really enjoyable day. Thanks for the ride home Mr. H!

Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3/5

Milos Steak House & Pizza
9901 100 St Grande Cache, AB
T0E 0Y0
(780) 827-2585

Diurnal Pabulum: Bison BBQ

Had a taste of my 1st bison meat today...in sausage form!

It was really meaty, crumbly, and leaner than the leanest beef you can find...perfect for sausage I find. Nicely BBQ-ed for a perfect lunch.



Be sure to try it out at Centre 2000 when they offer their summer bison smokies.

Centre 2000 Tourism & Trade Centre
11330 106 Street
Grande Prairie, AB
T8V 7X9
(780) 513-0240

Grande Prairie 50th Anniversary @ Centre 2000

Into my 1st month in this new windy city of GP. Apparently, GP is celebrating their 50th B'day, Congratz! Went to their exhibition today, and looking at the old pictures...this place sure changed a lot, like a complete facial restructuring. But it's great to see there are still some folks who have been here since forever, and they got lots of stories to spare. Along with those stories, appetizers were just around the corner...

There were plenty of variety of canapes, fruit sticks, and tarts up for grabs...and I just can't shy away from these can I :)


Started my rounds with a plate of canapes...and the Devil's Eggs (wonder why they are called that...)


There is the cream cheese, smoked oyster on herbed mashed potato and the salmon pate, along with the egg. They were as delicious as they can be...all I can say I grabbed more than a couple of these darlings :)

3.75/5

Next up are the fruit sticks and the irresitable Prosciutto Wrapped Melon...


These were real good, almost to the point of ISG (I see God)...the fruits were really fresh too.

4/5

Like any other meal, gotta end it with a sweet present in the form of strawberry jello topped with a dollop of whip cream...


Nothing special aside from the extra marshmallow at the bottom, but good wrap up to snacking meal.

3/5

One final note: Happy 50th Bday!!

Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5

Centre 2000 Tourism & Trade Centre
11330 106 Street
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 7X9
(780) 513-0240