Elsie Hui

Recently, it seems like everyone around me has been raving about Saskatoon Farm which I thought was in Saskatoon, so I always said I wasn’t going to go. It turns out, it’s kind of between De Winton and Okotoks, in Alberta! So, I ventured my way to Saskatoon Farm for some famour Saskatoon Berries. The drive going there, you do go on relatively rural roads but it’s actually kind of hard to get lost! Once you get there, you’re greeted by a huge Saskatoon Farm sign and tons of parking. We just walked around the gardens and ventured through the area to see what there was to offer. We then found ourselves sitting at the patio of the Cafe!

We were greeted by super friendly staff and a little bit of wait, but it’s well worth it! We sat down and ordered some drinks! I settled for something hot as it was a little breezy, so I got the Hot Chocolate which tasted great! Even the whipped cream on top was light and delicious!

Of course, my other half was completely opposite and he wanted something cold and I guess kind of refreshing. He ordered the iced latte which was really good! The coffee was perfectly brewed with the right amount of cream and sugar! We don’t expect much as it’s just a iced latte, but we got something just extraordinary!

As we were here during in between times, not lunch, not dinner, we just opted for snacks, and by snacks, I mean dessert! I ordered their famous Saskatoon Pie made with a home made crust and delicious Saskatoon berry filling. This pie wasn’t too sweet at all, in fact it wasn’t sweet! Then, I ordered it with their Saskatoon ice cream which they make and this dessert is to die for! I highly recommend this if you’re here visiting!

Lastly, we ordered their Saskatoon Butter Tart which again wasn’t too sweet. We didn’t like it as much as the pie but it was still divine! Made with the homemade crust and the newly fruit – Saskatoon berries, then in a butter tart, there’s really nothing to complain about!

Overall, we enjoyed our first visit out here so much we have already planned our next trip here to experience the “U-Pick” fruits that are available from late July! So, we decided we will come have lunch and the pick some berries and then head back! It will be a great afternoon for sure!

Giddy Up Cafe
3338 Ave SW (Saskatoon Farm)
Okotoks, AB
(403) 938-6245

I’ve been to Las Vegas many times, and I always walk the shops at Caesars Palace. I always find myself looking at this restaurant Max Brenner as it’s also called “Chocolate by the Bald Man” which always seems a bit odd to me. I wanted to go there for sure this one trip and so we went in for a lunch!

During this visit, it was in the winter, so it was actually pouring rain. I knew I wanted something hot, and my favourite go to drink is a hot chocolate. I ended up ordering their Choco-Pops Hot Chocolate which was amazing! It’s a delicious milk hot chocolate with little chocolate wafer balls that floated on top and added a phenomenal crunchy texture while enjoying the hot chocolate!

We also ordered a cold drink, just to add some variety! So, we ordered the Hazelnut Cream Chocolate Milkshake which was very tasty and not overly sweet as you may want to expect. It’s a hazelnut chocolate milkshake with vanilla ice cream, chocolate truffle, and topped with whipped cream! This drink was excellent and it was something full of flavour!

As this was a lunch, we ordered their Illegal Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Pancakes which was a huge stack of giant chocolate pancakes, topped with chocolate truffle cream, chocolate shavings and caramelized bananas! This is the breakfast for those who need sugar to start your day – and the great thing about it was the fact it wasn’t overly sweet at all! In fact, you know it’s chocolate but it’s not overwhelming at all! I absolutely loved the caramelized bananas with these pancakes and I think this is one of their signature meals, so I would recommend it too!

The last thing we ordered to share was the Chocolate Hazelnut Crepe which as the name implies was a beautiful and delicate crepe filled with chocolate hazelnut spread then topped with strawberries. It also comes with a little flask of milk chocolate ganache!

At the end, we were extremely stuffed! We would never had imagined the chocolate pancakes would be such a large portion. We ate as much as we could but we definitely finished the drinks! Afterwards, we wandered the gift shop and made a few delectable purchase too! I’m sure we will return as this was an experience I’ve been recommending everyone – and I want more!

Max Brenner

3500 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 462-8790

I truly love all sweet foods, and I have a special spot for cold sweet foods/snacks… so, this is something I crave all the time – which is kind of a bad thing! But, I’ve learned to just enjoy in small amounts, but lots of days! This Tutti Frutti location is the South Trail location just off 130th Ave SE and I think it’s a brilliant location with tons of young families, this will be the perfect place for everyone!

This Tutti Frutti location is rather spacious and bright – and it’s really quite nice. You start at the back of the store and begin by taking a cup, then filling it with your favourite frozen youghurt. From there, you can go to the toppings bar and then pay. You’ll find yourself near the door so you can easily take it to go or turn around and find a table to enjoy your newly created treat!

I took my treat to the nearest table I could find so I could dig in. On this visit, I opted for the Death by Chocolate Froyo and the Chai Tea flavours, topped with their mochi’s, cheesecake chunks and bobas!

My other half enjoyed a few flavours of his own too! He was in the fruit mood, so he picked Grape froyo and Mango Pineapple Sorbet, so both his flavours seemed lighter! He topped it similarly with mine with just the mochi and the bobas.

Overall, this is obviously a good place to be! On a cool night with rain in the forecast, the crowds just keep rolling in and out – constantly! You know on a bright sunny day, it will be packed! Since this is so addictive, I’m sure even during the heart of winter, you’ll find me and other froyo fans there!

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt

4307 130th Ave Unit 23 SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 460-2481

One of my co-workers told me Li Ao Sushi was a fantastic place to go to for sushi, and so I knew it was a must for me to try! Tucked away a little in the southwest (Bridlewood) strip plaza is this little restaurant! It’s not a huge place, but they do seem to change tables quickly. A lot of their customers were take out as well.

We sat down and was still looking at the menu, and the waiter gave us a plate of Deep Fried Tuna Gyozas which was compliments of the house! We looked at it funny at first, but when we bite into it, it was packed with flavour! It was no ordinary fried tuna gyoza, it was excellent!

We ordered a bowl of Miso Soup each, and it was standard – but at the same time, miso soup doesn’t get too fancy or different, so at least it was good!

For the sushi, of course I ordered a few sushi pieces which are my favourites, the Salmon and Tuna Sushi and those came together first on a plate with both of them. They were in huge pieces and the fish was very fresh!

After that, the next plate that came was my huge order of the Smoked Salmon Sushi as it’s a favourite of mine as well, and if it’s there, I’m ordering it!

We ordered some of their special rolls, and the first roll that came out was the Salmon Mango Roll which they didn’t really describe what it was – but it was a tempura shrimp with avocado roll topped with some cream cheese. Then piled high on top of that was salmon and mango. The mix was so delicious and almost refreshing! I did find there was a little too much cream cheese, but it didn’t stop me from finishing the roll!

The last roll we decided to order was the Female Dragon Roll and we really picked it because anything with the word “female” in the name has got to be awesome! In honesty, it wasn’t as good as the salmon mango roll for me, but this was still good! I actually don’t remember what was inside, besides the ingredients that you do see… the tempura shrimp, with salmon and spicy mayo! I guess it just wasn’t that memorable for me.

Overall, the portion sizes here are huge! It’s definitely worth your time, money and effort to give this place a try! At the end of your visit, the owner will give the ladies in the restaurant a box of Pocky sticks too!

Li-Ao Sushi

#231, 2335 162 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 719-9668

I really love desserts, and even Chinese desserts. I was brought to Golden Island Cafe in San Francisco and it has been memorable! I still think about this location and the desserts from here all the time! The hours are great as it could accommodate us even as an after dinner dessert.

We ordered a few desserts and they were all delicious! We love the look, taste and texture of Sesame Paste and Sweet Tofu which was basically Dau Fu Fa (tofu pudding dessert) with black sesame paste/soup.

We also had an order of Lychee with Sago as sago is my favourite Chinese dessert! This one is no exception as it’s delicous sago with lychee slush, topped with lychee fruit!

Lastly, we ordered the Sago with Mango, as the name says, it’s a bowl of sago, topped with mangos! It’s delicious, fresh and even refreshing!

Overall, I love this place and I know I will return next time I’m in the Bay Area!

Golden Island Cafe

1300 Noriega St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 759-9118

So we wandered off to the side streets just off of Main Street in Canmore, and found ourselves at a place our friends recommended to us called Beamers Coffee Bar. I wasn’t aware this was here, and yet they have another location right on Bow Valley Trail! 2 excellent locations and I’m glad I’ve now discovered this local favourite!

Once inside, there are tons of goodies in the fridge and the menu is quite extensive! We just settled for a little drink with no snacks even though there’s so much to choose from! We love this place and we love how their Beamers customers bring back pictures with their Beamers cups. It’s a fun thing and I remember we took an extra clean cup for us to add to their collection. However, we forget to bring it wherever we go…

We just settled for a flavoured latte and it was fantastic! It was perfectly roasted and the service was fantastic as well. The atmosphere added to our experience! I’ve had flavoured lattes before and it can get overly sweet too fast or under flavoured where you’d barely know you paid for a shot. Beamers gave us the perfect balance and I appreciate it!

Beamers is a great place for a quick bite or for catching up with family & friends! This will be a place I will return to for sure!

Beamers Coffee Bar

737 7 Ave
Canmore, AB
(403) 609-0111

I actually can’t believe I haven’t blogged about this little ice cream shop in Cochrane! It’s a place where I go once every few years as it’s a little out of the way – but I love! I recently was going through Cochrane, so we knew we would have to make a stop here at MacKay’s Cochrane Ice Cream. It’s located right in their old town on 1st Street, and it’s not really too hard to find, as there aren’t that many streets around!

This little ice cream store is always packed with customers, even in the winter – which really shows how amazing they truly are! There is a huge selection of flavours and you basically walk up to the counter and tell them what you want. They will then tally it up on a sheet, and you will use that sheet to pay with. While in line to pay, they prepare your order for you. It’s quite organized actually!

On this particular visit, I enjoyed their Chocolate Fudge Chunk in Waffle Cone which was truly a delight! A perfect treat any weekend!

Needless to say, I will be back, as it’s not my first time returning already! Sure, it’s not often, but I do make the effort when I’m out that way! Time after time, I’ve been impressed and left very satisfied. That’s how I know it’s money well spent!

MacKay’s Cochrane Ice Cream

220 1st Street W
Cochrane, AB
(403) 932-2455

Honestly, I never thought I’d find myself at Bolsa Vietnamese Restaurant after the 2009 shooting for some reason. But, with all the great reviews from here, I knew I would have to! So, I pulled up my brave pants and ventured off! We were greeted at the door by really friendly staff and tons of fish tanks! They’re just their pets/decoration, but they sure had a lot of them! I ordered the Bolsa Special Salad Rolls and they were different than any other salad rolls I’ve ever had! It was soft with tons of filling and packed with flavour!

While we were deciding to order, all the staff kept mentioning to try “spicy”… so, we asked them how spicy it was, and they said “quite spicy!” So, we ordered a bowl of Pho Bo Kho – medium spicy which really means we got a bowl of satay beef rice noodles. It was the perfect amount of heat (I can’t imagine the spice with it at full spicy!) even though I know we will be back just to try it!

We also ordered something a little lighter option and opted for Bolsas Special Rice Vermicelli which was the regular warm rice noodle without soup, but with nuoc cham and goodies. The goodies in this special was pork and beef sausages and I think there were some ground shrimp cake as well! Regardless, all the individual items tasted wonderful alone and even better together in the bun style!

Overall, we’ve been comparing all our Vietnamese experiences to this one. This one has just set a high benchmark for us – so for sure we’ll become a regular customer here!

Bolsa Vietnamese

180 94 Ave SE
Calgary, AB
(403) 255-3777

I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about BeaverTails in Banff. Weirdly, every time I’ve made it to Banff, something happens – one thing or another, and I haven’t tried BeaverTails… until now! This little store front is located right on Banff Avenue and it’s easy to find as it’s often the one with a huge line up!

This little place offers tons of options that all sound good – from ice cream/gelato/sorbets to french fries/poutines and much much more! Of course, with the name being BeaverTails, I knew that was what I wanted! I decided to try an Apple Cinnamon BeaverTail which was a deep fried dough with butter brushed on it… dipped in their cinnamon sugar mixture then topped with Apples and their apple sauce (kind of like a warm jam).

If you love apple pie and cinnamon bread… then, this is your snack! It’s like a fast food apple pie kicked up a few notches and it’s fresh! There’s nothing you wouldn’t like about this! It’s not over sweet, it’s not too messy (if you keep it horizontal like a pizza). If you’re not into treats like this, then I think you will enjoy their frozen treats (it’s the next thing I’m going to try!)

As mentioned, I really love this place. I think it’s perfect for any season. When it’s cold out, you can enjoy a BeaverTail and when it’s hot out, you can enjoy a frozen treat… and everything in between! So, believe me, I will be back every time I go to Banff!

BeaverTails

120 Banff Avenue
Banff, AB
(403) 760-0606

I’m not sure why or even how I even ended up at Bumpy’s Cafe but it’s like it’s hidden gem! Parking wasn’t too bad as we arrived early on a Sunday morning so there was street parking! It’s not too hard to find as there are 2 entrances to the cafe.

Once we got inside, it’s a cute little place with lots of people coming and going – and a lot less customers sitting down and enjoying their morning. We sat down as it was going to be a slow paced Sunday for me.

I ordered to start, a cup of Hot Chocolate and it comes in a large cup – which I loved! It’s really creamy but it doesn’t feel thick and heavy. Plus, it’s not overly sweet, so it was just right for me!

We also figured they’d do latte art, so we also ordered a latte, and we were right – there was beautiful latte art!!

When I use to work at the hotel, one of my favourite breakfasts was their Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon so, that’s what I decided to order from here.

We also ordered their Ham and Cheese Quiche which was in a pretty big slice, melty and ooey gooey making the cheese and egg really delicious!

Overall, the drinks were really delicious and the food wasn’t bad either. It’s simple foods and a tad greasy – but it tasted really good! I eat anywhere that offers good food and this place is no exception! If I was in the area again for breakfast, I’m sure I will be back!

Bumpy’s Cafe

1004 8 St SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 265-0244