babettesfeast's Profile
Kompeito Japanese candy from Spirited Away?
I love Spirited Away! have you tried the online japanese candy dealers like napajapan.com and such?
Aebleskiver pan
found mine (Nordicware) on clearance at HomeOutfitters, Royal Oak, Calgary for $9.00 early this year : ) I was so pleased with the purchase I scouted for another one for an aunt and found it (still on clearance) at HomeOutfitters, Northland Mall. My main purpose in getting it was really for takoyaki not ebelskivers.
Looking for inexpensive duck fat in Calgary
Second to None Meats carry Brome Lake duck fat in 300gm tubs. I bought some for around $6.
Mexican in Calgary
here's their website with phone, address and menu
http://www.mitierra.ca/index.html
whole hog cost/supplier?
try Spragg's meat shop at the CFM, their phone# is 403-378-3800; www.spraggsmeatshop.com
Authentic Greek Yogurt
The honey variant of Greek Gods was really good, i don't think I can deal with the fat content on a regular basis though. Too bad they only have the regular and honey flavored products in Canada (BC produced). Their US website has other yogurt flavors like fig, pomegranate and honey strawberry as well as Baklava, Chocolate Fig and Honey Pomegranate flavored ice krema and lebni.
Street Food in Vancouver
there's also this http://bakudanyaki.com/ in Richmond along with the ramen truck.
Taco Del Mar - no fish tacos in Calgary
was at TDM in Kamloops over the weekend and they had fish tacos available...tried it but won't be ordering it again...ever.
in a pinch the fish tacos at Moxies work....quoting from their online menu "crispy chipotle-lime marinated cod, grilled whole wheat tortillas, shredded greens, guacamole and salsa fresca served with side spring mix salad with feta and dried cranberries"
Korean short ribs - Calgary
the NW Korean butcher is Goginara Meat Shop at Unit #33 3616 52 Ave NW, phone# 403-282-8033 (found an old business card). They do bulk sales as they supply to restaurants, you can even buy the short ribs pre-marinated. They also have marinated bulgogi meat (beef and spicy pork), sukiyaki meat and the galbi.
Baconaise
i've seen it at the Brentwood London Drug a couple of months ago, then again there's no stocking consistency in LD items....
North Calgary Delhi Darbar?
thanks for the information alley. next time i'm in the area i'll observe more carefully and hopefully it really is the new home of Delhi Darbar.
North Calgary Delhi Darbar?
Passing through 16th Ave and Centre St (headed east) last week i thought I saw a (small) sign for Delhi Darbar on the north side of the road. i've seen some good reviews on the board about the Glenmore Trail location and am wondering whether anyone else has news about this (unconfirmed) north location?
filipino at t and t in the yyc
howlin what you probably had is called kare-kare which is oxtail stew thickened with ground roasted peanuts and ground roasted glutinous rice. the usual vegetables in the stew are eggplants, sliced banana flower hearts, snake beans and chinese cabbage. colouring comes from annatto seeds and the stew is usually served with a spicy shrimp paste.
need good hot and sour soup and wonton in yyc
my go to place for wonton soup is Gee Gong (206 Centre St SE, across from U&Me), great place for chinese bbq as well (roast pork, bbq pork, roast duck etc). caveat - haven't been there in a while though so would appreciate it if anyone can give some current feedback.
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Gee Gong Restaurant
206 Centre St S, Calgary, AB T2G 2B6, CA
filipino at t and t in the yyc
I shouldn't let this out of the bag but peek into Lolit's small deep freeze in the corner and if they have inventory in, their ice cream selection is great. They carry the Fruits in Ice Cream brand - i've tried their ube (purple yam) and avocado flavors and both were excellent.
Manila trip report
just a quick addition to the Saturday morning Salcedo Market find, there's a similar Sunday morning market in Legaspi Village. same concept but handy if you find yourself in Makati on a Sunday morning rather than a Saturday. parking is much better too.
Rice and Wheat Chex in Calgary?
just found Chex Mix (chocolate!!!) at the Royal Oak Walmart today!
Savour - Calgary
tried out Stonewall Kitchen's Bellini Jam from Savour this weekend. was nice but i was looking for a stronger Bellini flavour....
Foodie deals at Winners/Homesense
my best buys so far have been royal doulton cookware - stockpot ($29), steamer ($12) and pasta insert ($12); schulte ufer cookware - 3 liter pot ($29) and 2 liter pot ($16); Gehring knives (forgot how much as this was awhile back but the quality of the knives are impressive) and 2 large white tagines ($9 each -serving not cooking grade); a seasonal favourite are Gran Valor chocolates
Hard to find ingredients help (Calgary)
hi there, hope this helps....
quail eggs - some oriental markets like T&T (Harvest Hills & Pacific Place stores), Shun Fat (17th ave SE), Lucky Family (Forest Lawn)
squid ink - Italian Supermarket on Edmonton Tr. look for it in the case behind the cashier's spot its about $13 for a small bottle, ask for Nero Al Seppia. personally I like using the ones in single use packets from Spain but I haven't seen those locally so I have to ask friends flying in from the US to buy for me (these come in boxes of 50's)
foie gras - sunterra (Elbow Dr store) & lina's italian market (centre st) for smaller but more expensive retail packs or go to bonton meat market or second to none meats for whole lobes (comes out more reasonable) i buy the whole lobe, pre-slice this for pan searing, wrap the slices in foil and stock in my freezer. I bring out a couple of slices as needed. you can buy the lobe for between $50-90 (depending on the size) for a grade B from Hudson Valley Farms in the US. (vs buying a vacuum packed slice for around $35 at Lina's)
sorry, haven't been buying the other items you were looking for. i've bought some good truffle cheese though from Springbank Cheese co on 14th St NW. there's also a good selection of truffle infused oils at Lina's Italian Market (look for these in the secured case right by the cashier)
Cheap eats in Calgary?
ooops! my apologies, too late when I realized that I didn't give out the address in my original post (perhaps a subliminal move to keep this gem a secret?). their phone number is 238-1749.
Cheap eats in Calgary?
Mi Tierra Tu Taqueria in Oakridge is off the beaten track but fabulous. It also offers a glimmer of hope that good Mexican food can be had in Calgary after all. Seriously, they'd make a killing if they were somewhere more central. We just had a late lunch there today and will definitely be back.
to report on the cheap eats....(i took off with one of their take-away menus)
$3 will get you a taco (served on 2 corn tortillas with rice) impressive taco selection
Rajas con Queso (roasted poblano peppers with cheese & onions)
Chorizo con papa (mexican sausage with pototoes)
Picadillo (ground beef with veggies)
Tinga del Pollo (beef with chipotle & tomato sauce)
Cochinita Pibil (shredded pork in an orange based sauce)
Chicharron en salsa verde (pork chicharron in green tomato sauce)
$4 will get you a Tostada (de pollo-shredded chicken, de res-shredded beef or de picadillo-ground beef)
$8.50 will get you an Enchilada or Burrito combo, nice hefty serving which comes with rice and refried beans (for the enchiladas) or sour cream, pico de gallo & guacamole (for the burrito)
enchilada selection: Enchiladas Verdes; Enchiladas Rancheras, Entomatadas & Enchilada de Mole
burrito selection: De Chile Verde; De Pollo; De Res; De Chorizo con Huevo
We had the cochinita pibil taco, enchiladas verdes and a burro de res - all amazing. They were also preparing some lamb barbacoa that day (not on the menu) and we were offered (comp) a huge serving of it (fork tender lamb chunks with rice in a rich broth flavoured with the drippings of the barbacoa - serious comfort food factor here).
Beside the taqueria is a small store offering a good selection of latin american food ingredients (think dried/canned chiles, bottled salsas, chili pastes (i.e. Aji amarillo - a Peruvian yellow pepper paste - a bottle of which I had just lugged from our trip to DC last summer thinking I couldn't find this in Calgary), Aji rocoto, canned zucchini flowers, mexican hot chocolate.
Seating was a bit limited, they seemed to be inclined for take-away orders but there are two long counters (stand-up) and two tables available if you do decide to eat in.
Two outstanding things you have bought recently in Calgary!
(1) fig jam from Scarpone's
(2) Pure Indulgent Food's Flats (star anise, apricot & pepper pecan) from Amaranth Whole Foods Market
nice combination, even better with some Sylvan Star gouda but that would be #3 as well : )
Portuguese Markets in Calgary?
not really a market, more like a small store of about 4 aisles but the owner's wife does some baking. its at the back of the Little Saigon market along 17th ave, SE, beside Mimos.
Mexican withdrawal in Calgary
mexican food in calgary? hopeless. just pick up the Sept 2007 issue of Gourmet (not specifically on mexican food though), source the ingredients when you're in the US and make your own.
just spent 2 weeks in Washington DC and Chicago and i still have guilt pangs from not stocking up enough on the myriad selection of dried chiles available most everywhere there.
Gourmet food stores in Calgary??
For a global gourmet hunt, i go to the small ethnic stores along the stretch of 17th ave NE.
- the small Portuguese store in the Little Saigon mall (the brioche-like sweet bread baked by the owner's wife)
- La Tiendona for Latin American finds (dulce de leche in squeeze bottles)
- Lucky and Shun Fat for oriental goods (good selection of servingware at Lucky and cookware at Shunfat such as rice steaming baskets)
- Mayfair Foods for Caribbean ingreadients (frozen patties and goat curry mon)
- Green Cedar
- a middle eastern bakery (forgot the name) with a small selection of grocery items for rosewater, orangewater and tahini
outside of the 17th ave NE area i go to the following:
Italian - Scarpones, Italian Supermarket and Lina's
Asian -T&T, Arirang + another Korean market in the Dalbrent area in the NW
German - Edelweis Imports
Middle Eastern - Atlas and Jimmy's A&A
Mexican - Boca Loca
Indian - Dalbrent Spice Rack, Naga Traders and another one in the Heritage/Acadia area (apologies - i'm hopeless with names)
I also go to Janice Beatons (for Cunningham's smoked fish pates) as well as Second to None Meats (for Pure Indulgent food's Flats which I like much better than Leslie Stowe's crisps)
New Korean in Calgary
hi alley. the korean seafood pancake is called Pajeon. nice to know there's more korean joints around Calgary. We too just discovered a place on 17th St in the SE with a Bibimbap buffet for $9. Came with 3 meat selections (beef bulgogi, chicken and pork), soup and salad and fruit for dessert. it was ok, but I did miss the stone bowls as they only had the metal bowls for the buffet. good value though as a bowl of bibimbap would be around $9-$12 on the regular menu of other Korean restos. they also served a very refreshing sweetish cold Korean tea at the end of the meal.
Private rooms for a large party in Calgary?
an off the beaten path suggestion - Willow Park Wines and Spirits main store on Macleod Trail has a mezzanine area that you can book for private functions. they have a roster of chefs that they can contract to cater your event and you're assured of great wine pairings. The space is flexible - you can do a sit down meal, a cooking party - wonderful open kitchen, or a multi-station wine tasting event. Just organized a dinner party for 30 recently and was very pleased with the turn out.
