Safeway Bakery

Whenever I go grocery shopping, I always spend the time to visit the bakery section. The aroma of bread I just couldn't resist...

Went to Safeway the other day, and came across this neat little pastry...the Donut Crossiant! What ingenuity, combining 2 of the western hemisphere's delicious dessert into 1 single treat...I just had to try :) Basically, it's Croissant, glazed, and drizzled with chocolate (guess that's where the donut part comes in).



Up close and personal..


I guess I kinda know what to expect texture and taste wise, and of course it didn't disappoint! I am lucky to have grabbed a warm one too...mmm..mmm..mmm Deliciousness! It's simple and yet so good, you gotta try it for yourself.

3.75/5

Service: N/A
Ambience: N/A

Safeway Bakery

Harvey's Burger

This is the 1st time I ever had Harvey's Burger and I was pleasantly surprised. One of very few fast food joint that make their food fresh and in an open kitchen.

Ordered the chicken burger combo with salad...




The chicken patty was nicely grilled - juicy and moist. The salad dressing was very unique and tasty - black sesame.

Harvey's
Edmonton International Airport

Day 2 of the course. Lunch on the set again. It was warm lunch time.

On the menu was grilled chicken topped with cheese, tortellini in marinara, sauteed veggies.

The chicken was perfectly grilled...juicy, soft and tender (melted cheese over the top...always a good thing). Taste was good, complemented by the seasoned sauteed veggies.

On the other hand, the pasta was so-so, slightly overcooked I think.

Dessert was just heavenly...


The wonderful creme horn with golden berry.

And the hi-lite of the meal to down everything...Berry Zabaione. Yummy!!


Marriott Hotel
110 9th Avenue, SE
Calgary, Alberta T2G 5A6
Phone: 1 403 266 7331

Diurnal Pabulum: Fairmont Palliser Breakfast

Followed by the wonderful evening snack, the next morning came the buffet breakfast, complementary one being a President's Club member ;)

Something light to start...Yoghurt granola parfait


A dab of cottage cheese, dried fruits and nuts, and some blackberries...


On to meat and cheese next...and god those smoked salmon and capers were good!


The warm and comfy food to fill me up...


And a close up of the wonderful cheesy omelette....


And to wrap things up, some fresh fruits and dessert.




I liked how the waffle are cut up into quarter chunks, sure minimize a lot of food wastage for those who can't eat a whole.


To smooth things off, a glass of Zabaione/custard.


Delight-full breakfast it is!

Fairmont Palliser
133 - 9th Avenue Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 2M3
(403) 262-1234

Diurnal Pabulum: Don Day Korean Restaurant

Visited Mr R. at his ghetto downtown today for dinner. He went with his usual donair meal, while I decided to go with Korean. There's a small Korean joint downstairs, and it was not ready for business yet when I was living at the ghetto, but now it is. I figure I'd give it a shot.

Pretty decent prices I'd say, and here's what I got.

Sashimi (forgot what fish it was) Salad...


The red pepper sauce was awesome...what I like about Korean food! the sashimi was really good...fresh and crisp.

The next dish is a spicy stir fry mix of seafood and veggies (forgot the name)...


Spice level was perfect, and lots of ingredients...very good for the price.

So there, a combo of hot and cold dinner. The place might look shabby, but the food sure ain't!

Don Day Korean Restaurant
101-909 7 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2P 1A6
(403) 718-0358

Avenue Diner

Since Nellie's went down due to construction in downtown Calgary, it's been hard to find a good, hearty spot for breakfast. Decided to ask around and do some research on my own, and voila! A new place for breakfast - Avenue Diner.

Good reviews, delicious menu. What else but to try.

Due to me waking up late, didn't have a chance to try some of the big breakfasts they served in house, so had to settle for the yoghurt parfait.



A simple dish, yet so delicately laid out. It came out extra fast too! Fresh fruits, crunchy granolas, and layered with berry compote (perfect sweetness)...it was excellent! Definitely worth another visit :)

Avenue Diner
105 8 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2P 1B4
(403) 263-2673

Diurmal Pabulum: Swharma

Donair, swharma...anyone knows the difference. O well, heck care, they are both delicious comfort food :)

Here's the Platter Combo from Great Canadian Shwarma...


Really large portion for the price. Chicken wasn't too dry considering they had used the breast. The rice need some work though (way too dry)...but it was well seasoned nevertheless.

Great Canadian Shawarma
921 7 Ave Sw,
Calgary, AB

Marriott Hotel Calgary

Went for a 2-day course in Calgary, with lunch served. How convenient :)

First round of wraps...


Special honour goes to the chicken caesar wrap. I usually don't pick the chicken caesar, just because it's smothered with dressing, which completely drowns the grilled chicken taste and texture, but this one was good. The beef and ham wrap were ok, and the sauteed Nightshade veggies were nicely done.

More sandwiches over the break period.




These were awesome! The spicy cajun chicken and shrimp salad (with bits of crunchy celery and spring onions)...delicious.

Finally some dessert....warm apple crumble.


No complains here :)

Marriott Hotel
110 9th Avenue, SE
Calgary, Alberta T2G 5A6
Phone: 1 403 266 7331

Diurnal Pabulum: Farimont Palliser

Got very lucky this time. Checking in to the Fairmont Palliser, the attendant realized all the regular rooms were fully booked, and I ended up in the President's Club room. O boy, what a treat! There's a butler attending to your every needs any time :)

Got invited to their club-member-only evening snacks. They were delicious. Here are some of the food.



Roasted veggies, steak skewers



More steak for me! And the sesame-coated skewered salmon beside it...lovely!



This is a delicate glass of goodness, filled with chopped ham, veggies and drizzled in thousand-island-ish sauce.

That's what President's Club is all about I guess!

The Fairmont Palliser
133 - 9th Avenue Southwest Calgary,
AB T2P 2M3
(403) 262-1234

Diurnal Pabulum: Cedar Plank Salmon

Stayed at Radisson Hotel for a night before heading out into town due to fully booked hotels. In house restaurant has a really nice name to it - Botanica. Hungry I am...Food Salmon is!





Botanica
2120 - 16th Ave. N.
Calgary, AB
T2E 1L4
(403) 291-3287

Costco Wholesale Pizzas

Costco had a sales promotion the other day at the office, trying to get more people to sign up for their club membership. They promised pizzas but came with candies instead...imagine how disappointed the hungry pack were. However, they made good of their promise to bring pizzas today!

I was expecting some microwavable pizzas to be brought in, considering the large number of frozen pizzas Costco carries on their shelves. To my surprise, they were freshly baked Costco pizzas. Wonder since when they started to do pizzas as well. It's been a while since I last visited Costco. I still remember they used to have brown sugar coated mini donuts stands in their stores...my favourites...but they took them out! Why o Why...

The pizzas came...a total of 10 boxes at least. As I had already eaten a bit of snack an hour ago, didn't have much on my plate



Went with the veggie and the meat lover's, the best of both worlds. Taste, texture, and presentation just isn't up to the standards of other pizza chains here. Veggies were too dry (overbaked), ingredients sparse, and dough tough....just like frozen pizzas. Very disappointed. I guess that's why we leave everything to the experts (nudge nudge Boston).

2.5/5

Service: 3/5
Ambience: N/A

Costco Wholesale
9901 116 Street
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6H6
(780) 538-2788

Madhatters Liquid Lounge

Went out for lunch with my team today, and we were off to Madhatters. Seems like this is a really popular place with everyone. I personally feel their food is better than most bar and lounge out here, so no surprise I guess.

They offer quite an extensive menu for lunch and they all sound appetizing. Some dishes have pretty unique names as well, such as their Seizure Salad. Anyways, ended up ordering the Tandoori Chicken. Been a while since I had Indian, and my craving kicked in...



Another colleague ordered the same thing, but with frites instead of salad.



Up close...



The chicken itself was really tender and moist, and the mango chutney was delicious (too bad they didn't give enough for the 2 breasts that were served). However, the tandoori taste was missing big time! Not enough spice and not well marinated, and just a slight taste of spiciness, not good by any Indian standards.

3.5/5


Service: 3.75/5
Ambience: 3.5/5

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

Bear Creek Golf Club

Finally, my first golfing experience! To Bear Creek Golf Club we went, and I was paired up with 2 Mr. Bs from the office, along with another member.

It was nice outside, sunny, slightly windy, and no signs of rain :)


My first time on a cart...


This is really nice golf course...I wished my lawn back home is like this. To date, I've only been on a driving range once, and this sure is a fun and exciting experience. After a few (bad) shots, I finally got the "clink" (the pleasant sound you hear as the club hits the ball on the sweet spot).



So close and yet so far. I ended up with my first bogey of the day! Yes, I am happy with a bogey :) (no judging my skills here...!)

After the golf game ended, there was dinner...Steak dinner! What a pleasant end to the day. It was a buffet-style dinner for the veggies, sadly not for the steak.



Nevertheless, the steak was nicely done. Just enough seasonings and the right amount of grilling.


3.75/5

Desserts followed after, and the offerings include marbled cheesecake, chocolate mocha cake, and a tray with a mix of mini desserts (those you'd find in regular grocery stores). The mini cream puffs were like usual...pure DECADENCE!





3/5

Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3.5/5

Bear Creek Golf Club
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6X2
(780) 538-3393

Diurnal Pabulum: BBQ Chicken Feast Pizza

Does all pizzas taste the same? Domino's Pizza is one of the pizza franchise that I frequent less often, not sure why.

One reason or another, we ordered from Domino's...their BBQ Chicken Feast Pizza.



It was really good. Melted cheese on anything is delicious :) The sauce was nicely portion, enough taste to excite the tongue, but not too mushy. I like the crust, it's doughy, just like cream puffs.

Definitely worth a thought for my next pizza order.

Domino's Pizza
10501 100 Ave
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0V8
(780) 814-7500

Diurnal Pabulum: DQ Ice Cream Cake

If you haven't tried DQ ice cream cake ever (which seems likely impossible), here's a preview of what it looks like inside.




Crunchy, buttery chocolate cookie crumbs sandwiched in between layers of soft serve chocolate/vanilla ice cream...pure decadence!

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