Nellie’s on 17th
Nellie’s appears to be one of those Calgarian institutes for that time between breakfast and lunch. We ate at one of the two found on 17th and felt instantly transported into a very bohemian feeling atmosphere – old rickety floorboards under our feet, a painting of a cow standing in a field split across three separate canvasses and a framed picture of Kramer (from Seinfeld) staring down at us from above our table.

Paying $9 gives you a large plate filled with a 3 egg omelet choc-a-block with a couple of ingredients and accompanied by a generous serving of hash browns and a couple of pieces of toast. Their hash browns are those made out of chunks of potato, heavily spiced and seemingly baked although more likely and perhaps less surprisingly fried. Delicious nevertheless.

I’ve read that Nellie’s gets very busy from seeing the lines firsthand, it’s definitely a popular joint. With other brunch items like pancakes, heuvos rancheros, and a huge breakfast platter with all options, this café offers the diner a pretty unique dining experience.

Don’t expect modern stylish food – this café doesn’t mess about, instead offering down to earth, no fuss homestyle cuisine.

Found at: 801 17th Ave SW, Calgary, AB
Contactable on: +1 (403) 244-4616

Thai Sa-On
Is a Hong Kong movie star like Jackie Chan anyone to judge how good a Thai restaurant is? I don’t know and I can’t really say I care considering how good the food is at Thai Sa-On. If it helps, apparently the Thai government approves this restaurant’s food.

Located on 10th Street, right next to the club Tantra, Thai Sa-On is a popular place, as indicated by the large queues that form on Friday and Saturday evenings. Its interior is decorated with many Thai-looking artifacts although I can’t really say how authentic they are. Regardless there is enough of an atmosphere to feel like you’re not just smack bang in the middle of Calgary.

Their wine list is impressive as the owner is an avid wine collector and all of them reasonably priced. Like most Thai restaurants, this one offers the wide range from salads, soups, curries, noodle and rice dishes in addition to a handful of appetisers admittedly nothing super special. Regardless, the main dishes all over reasonable value and great taste bursting in fresh flavours in complex layers.

Don’t be mislead by their dated website with several of the prices way out of date – one appetiser I ordered being almost $4 over its, now out of date, advertised price.

Found at: 351-10th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta, T2R 0A5
Contactable on: +1 (403) 264-3526

Pho Viet
Calgary has a surprisingly large number of Vietnamese restaurants to support its growing population of around one million people. I’ve been to some really great ones, and this was unfortunately my first disappointing one. Pho Viet was open in a place downtown when everything else around it was shut. I should have taken the hint and gone somewhere else.

Only one or two other patrons sat inside when I entered, and the quiet was almost unnerving. Feeling particularly hungry, I ordered an appetiser of grilled pork skewers and a bun (rice noodle) dish that came with a couple of spring rolls and other grilled meat. My main dish fortunately arrived before I had time to finish my appetiser. I say fortunate in this case because the bun had a disproportionately large amount of noodle and only fractional portions of pickled carrots, cucumber and the meat. The two tiny spring rolls that came with it, though winning on the crispiness factor, totally lost out on the flavour part.

Disappointingly, even the bowl of flavoured sauce you traditionally pour all over the dish couldn’t lift the blandness that permeated all parts of the dish and I only ate what I could with what leftover skewer meat I had from the appetiser.

Admittedly service was prompt and friendly though and even though I’ll admit prices are low, this time the dish was certainly less than the price I paid for it.

Found at: 834 5th Ave SW, Calgary
Contactable on: +1 (403) 263 1984

The Heartland Cafe
What’s better than a heritage house converted into a warm café just outside the centre of Kensington? With large shop front windows filtering the warmth of the Calgary sun, the Heartland Café welcomes a constant stream of locals into its abode.

I found the coffee a bit average – I’ve definitely had better elsewhere although they make up for it with a broader selection of pastries, cakes and muffins. At least on this Sunday past, they had a small selection of other meals like a quiche and panini. Other cafes offer a much more extensive menu. I decided to indulge in a hearty Ham and Egg Breakfast panini, made up of thick whole grain bread and even as tasty as it was, deceptively is not really a true panini.

Offering magazines and papers for sale, the Heartland offers a nice spot to catch up with a small number of friends – their tables not quite comfortable for groups above five. On great weather days it’s even worthwhile sitting on their benches outside indulging in what sun you can catch.

Found at: 940 2nd Ave NW, Calgary, AB T2N0E6
Contactable on: +1 (403) 270-4541

Offering a warm wooden retreat from all the drizzle outside, only to be disappointed by untimely service and mediocre food, Sandbar missed its mark with me on my trip to Vancouver. Looking back, I should have stuck to pillaging the wealth of smaller, and more likely, tastier options in the public market nearby.

Don’t get me wrong. At first thought, Sandbar looked to promise a lot. I could hear the orders resonate through the kitchen from where I was, indicating a relatively efficient one at least. Unfortunately it just took a long time for the waitress to take my order and bring the bill.

On the upside, they did serve complementary bread. Better yet, they had warmed it through and, surprisingly, accompanied by softened butter, made the normal ordeal of combining the two a breeze.

My only dish, the plank salmon arrived and true to form looked good, yet it still disappointed as the fish was slightly overcooked, lacking in the luscious moistness I’d expected out of a place like this. At least, the skin, none too fatty indicating it wasn’t a farmed fish, was crisp and the fresh … taste of the caramalesied sugar/maple left permeated through its flesh.

I’ll also admit, even though I waited for some time, their comfy brown leather seaters I sat in made it pretty worthwhile.

TheKua.com Rating: 6 out of 10

More restaurants around Calgary. Read more “Eating out in Calgary (Part 3)”

Sushi Man
I went to this place on a Saturday where a party had booked the private dining room. I had no idea how big it was as traditional Japanese blue curtains blocked any views although I did see quite a few people enter to the point where they almost ran out of seating. It’s quite nice they have this area in addition to the six or seven other tables I noticed around. Other than the large dinner group, I didn’t notice that many other people around.

I have to give this place bonus points being staffed with a number of real Japanese people, instead of the many other Chinese staffed ‘Japanese’ places I’ve seen. After overhearing a bit of their conversation I can at least attest to the waitress and the sushi chef being Japanese. At least it feels being one more step closer to being considered authentic.

I ordered one of my most favourite dishes, the unagi don (eel on rice). They presented it beautifully in a small enclosed lacquered container and even for the $18 price, they definitely didn’t skimp on any eel. Its flesh, perfectly devoid of any small bones, had been warmed through brushed with a luscious dark sauce, went down a treat.

Found at: 1004 1 Street SW, Calgary, AB T2R 1M2
Contactable on: (403) 205-3232

King & I
The King & I offers Thai cuisine in what is best described as the most modern dining atmosphere in Calgary, at least compared to the other Thai restaurants in town. It’s a large restaurant split into several dining areas adding to an intimate atmosphere adorned with a number of bamboo hangings.

Their prices also reflect this modern take, easily considered on the higher end of restaurants with main dishes (unaccompanied by rice) easily averaging over $20 each. This price definitely contributes to overall presentation with many of the dishes beautifully presented (looking around at other diners) otherwise wasted on the curries dished out in a very plain looking white bowl.

I didn’t know what to make of their menu as it lacked the chilli symbols indicating how spicy to expect each dish, instead a simple description. A little bit skeptical, I ordered their duck in green curry, labeled as very spicy and disappointed I was not. It’s the hottest dish I’ve had since getting to Calgary, making me quickly break out into a small sweat and thankful for the prompt refills of water from the waitress. I definitely found it extremely flavourful although I still question whether or not it was worth the one a half times the price you could get something similar at Thai Sa-On.

I still enjoyed my meal and though it’s not a place I’ll be returning to every week, I would reserve it for some special occasion.

Found on: 822 11th Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0E5
Contactable on: (403) 264-7241

The Palomino Smokehouse
It’s a little bit hard to go wrong for BBQ if you own a smoker big enough that it apparently weighs a tonne and cost about $25 000. Although I don’t claim to be a BBQ expert, I can tell when meat is dry and flavourless that, fortunately, The Palomino does not serve. The atmosphere in this place is best described as a pub more than a restaurant, complete with a number of TVs showing different types of sports. It seems to attract quite a local crowd simply for the being a fairly decent pub although the friendliness of the waitresses probably has something to do with it as well.

Their menu had plenty of things I’d want to try of different things but since I’d come to try any of the items subjected to their smoker, I ended up with the two meat platter including the Alberta beef brisket and the St Louis style ribs. Served with two choices of sides, this huge plate of food should appease all audiences. I succumbed to the temptation of the garlic fries and I’m pleased to report that their extraordinarily wicked flavour and crispiness did not disappoint. I tried to make the meal just that tinier bit healthier with the grilled seasonal vegetables.

II can’t say that I was disappointed with the beef brisket and the ribs either – both extremely tender and succulent. The brisket came in strips and though it didn’t have any saucy component didn’t really need it with the flavour that it carried. The ribs, on the other hand, came already covered in a decent amount of sauce and with the meat easily removed from the bone went down very quickly.

I ate at The Palomino too early to see any of the live music that apparently goes on, though I’d definitely return to check out the downstairs area that hosts the bands. Best described as a pub that serves a great selection of down to earth food, The Palomino meets its own description of itself perfectly.

Found at: 109 7 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2P 0W5, Canada
Contactable on: (403) 532-1911