Prime rib and Yorkshire.
Being a foodie is not all it’s cracked up to be. Although it means being disproportionately happy with eating good food, the opposite also holds true—I am difficult to please. It pains me to give a bad review to an independent restaurant. It’s hard out there for independent restauranteurs. People like me make it harder.
Friends had mentioned liking Jacqueline Suzanne’s Bistro in Inglewood. March 4 to 14th is The Big Taste (formerly called Dine Out), an 11-day dining event where restaurants create set menus at reasonable prices in order to draw people in. Three courses are $15 or $25 for lunch, $35 for dinner, $85 for a gourmet dinner. It’s an affordable way to try out new restaurants, and an event I look forward to every year, not least because it’s perfectly timed with birthday madness in my life. Read More
Mmm. Breast milk.
At the risk of sounding crass and alienating some of you, truth is, my friends and I came up with the idea for “boob juice” months ago. It was an idea which was never meant to see the light of day unless my writing career died and I really needed the money, which this boob juice empire would generate a copious amount of, obviously.
Unbelievably, someone has actually gone to the lengths to make ice cream using, you guessed it, breast milk! Being sold in London’s trendy Covent Garden, this gimmicky dessert is called the “Baby Gaga.” Creator Matt O’Connor calls the 14 pound sterling (23 dollars!) treat “organic, free-range and totally natural.” Read More
Chili squid with sweet sauce.
We came to Wagamama in the same way that one does when meeting a friend’s friend or someone they “have heard so much about!” that is to say, we came with much anticipation.
Wagamama is a pan-asian, higher-end, quick service restaurant that started in Bloomsbury, London in 1992. It has now grown to 66 restaurants in the UK and 38 internationally. The franchise has won accolades like Zagat readers’ “official superbrand” in 2007 and 2008, along with the Retailer’s Retail Awards as one of London’s most popular restaurants for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. Read More
Follow I Came for the Food on Twitter! twitter.com/icameforthefood
File this under the fail blog.
With Calgary’s wintery weather of late, I decided a hot chocolate from Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters would warm me up nicely.
Phil & Sebastian is one of Calgary’s most exalted coffee houses. P & S were two University of Calgary students who became obsessed with coffee and started a stand at the Calgary Farmers’ Market. They were the first to procure the coveted Clover, an $11,000 coffee machine that has precise controls for brewing time, temperature and water, ensuring a consistent cuppa every time. Recently, they opened a second location in trendy Marda Loop.
Too bad their hot chocolate sucks. I had phoned beforehand and was told their hot chocolate is made with ground Verona dark chocolate, dulce de leche (Spanish caramel) and whole milk so you can imagine my anticipation. What I get is a bland and lukewarm mess with a gritty aftertaste. It looked pretty with its foamy latte art and the initial thickness was good, but overall, this was likely the worst $3.85 I’ve spent all year on a drink. Hot chocolate is not P & S’s specialty, but I expected much more from them given their shiny reputation.
I thought hot chocolate was supposed to be both hot and tasty. Guess not.
It’s up to you to decide for yourself (maybe I got a barista on an “off” day), but should you try it after all, don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Happy drinking,
-Anh
Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters
Marda Loop, 2043 33rd Ave SW, Calgary. 403-686-1221, Weekdays 6:30 am to 9 pm, Weekends 7:30 am to 9 pm.
Calgary Farmers Market, H6, 4421 Quesnay Wood SW, Calgary. Fri & Sat 8:30 am to 5 pm, Sunday 8:30 am to 4 pm, Mon – Thurs closed.
