I know that this post will bore some of those who aren’t in Calgary. I just feel a certain duty to blog about places I’ve eaten to benefit those who might stumble across this post some day. Feel free to skip this if you want. Follow on to read all about it.

Murrieta’s
As part of a family of three related restaurants around Canada, Murrieta’s, located in the city centre of Calgary offers white table-clothed dining in a unique way. Calgary’s Murrieta’s hosts its main dining area in an unexpected indoor brick courtyard, complete with a roof-sized skylight ensuring a memorable dining experience.

Their menu is substantial without being overwhelming, offering a wide variety of dishes heavily influenced by seafood and a number of quality cuts of meat. Vegetarians will also find a few more interesting options on the menu as well. Its breadth of flavours and combinations should appease every member in your dining party.

None of us got around to dessert after having a bowl of soup followed by an entrée. I started with the Creamy Westcoast Clam Chowder who’s drizzle of Spicy Red Pepper Oil lifted the flavours and adding to its gentle warmth. My main dish, a piece of Rockfish had been perfectly cooked although the Spicy Maple Ginger Dressing didn’t have as much impact as it sounded. I didn’t feel any kick from what chilli they might have added and I couldn’t get any hint of maple with a more gentle ginger taste dominating instead.
It’s not a cheap dining experience although it’s a great experience nevertheless.

Found on: 200 – 808 First Street SW, Calgary, Alberta
Contactable on: + 1-403-269-7707

Chili Club Thai House
I’d heard great things about the Chilli Club Thai House and I ended up being slightly disappointed with it. It’s a cosy little restaurant seating about forty people in a fairly dark appropriately themed room. The tables are fairly close together without being too close to each other.

Their food is reasonably priced with most of their main dishes hovering around $12. I have to say that it’s the weirdest Pad Thai dish I’d ever had, looking like it had the right ingredients with the exception of the sauce that tasted like sweet and sour mixed with chilli. Not cool at all.

They do offer complimentary coconut ice cream to round off the meal though I couldn’t get the confusion from the main dish out of my head.

Found at: #125, 555 11th Ave Southwest, Calgary, AB T2R1P6 Canada

Silver Dragon
After having spent plenty of time in London indulging in many authentic Chinese restaurants, Silver Dragon surprised me at its quality when I ate there.

For a mid week dining experience and for a place that’s as large as it is, Silver Dragon attracts a fair number of diners. Admittedly it’s not like the majority of diners are Chinese and in some ways, I could tell many of the people there are fairly regular customers. Many tables fill the brightly lit dining area, arranged in a way that would easily welcome the dim sum cart on weekends (though I don’t know if it’s any good yet).

I found the menu offering almost overwhelming, split in classic Chinese-restaurant way of different types of meat dish, noodle dishes, rice dishes and others. One of my favourite dishes is Fookien Fried Rice and although it wasn’t on the menu, the waiter happily fulfilled my request for one of these to be whipped up. For those that don’t know what it is, imagine egg fried rice covered in a saucy stir fry mixture including a couple of different meats, mushrooms, and vegetables.

When it arrived, the serving size really impressed me and I have to say it was pretty darn tasty. I went away extremely satisfied and full.