Recent take-out

Just a sampling of some recent eating.

Globefish

: One of our favourite Sushi places in Calgary. Not only is the food excellent, but the presentation is quite artistic. Ofcourse, during take-out the presentation is not an option but still it is good to know one can enjoy their delicious sushi at home.

Mirchi

: In the last few years, plenty of good Indian/Pakistani take-outs have opened in the city and Mirchi is a welcome addition. It opened in 2007 in a location which used to formally house another Indian take-out.

The Afghani tikka was excellent

as was the rest of the food (nihari, shish kabab, daal and eggplant curry).

Shawarma Knights

: This new Shawarma place opened in the former location of Shawarma King on 14th street and 15th Ave. Kavita got the falafel wrap and I opted for the chicken shawarma plate.

But during my journey home, I managed to accidentally invert my bag. As a result, the shawarma plate was jumbled up, mixing the rice, chicken, garlic sauce on top of the potato and the salad.

Amazingly, the combination was delicious as I felt I was eating a saucy chicken rice.


I did manage to isolate some pieces of chicken and sampled them as they were meant to be eaten. Overall, easily one of the best shawarma's I have had in the city.

Vogglio D' Pizza

: Next door to Shawarma Knights is Vogglio D' Pizza. The pizza menu is one of the most unique ones I have seen in the city, including a fruit pizza and a pizza with guava paste.

But I kept things simple with a Bella Napoli which had mushrooms, oregano and olives.


And then we also got a chorizo sausage pizza. Talk about fresh, the owner cooked the chorizo in front of me and lovingly topped it on the pizza.

Delicious and heavenly.

Nick's Steakhouse & Pizza

: Even though a few friends have mentioned this place for years, I had not tried it. So I finally decided to set things straight and give it a go.

Kavita got the steak sandwich

and I got the peppercorn steak.


Both of us enjoyed our meal and the prices are quite reasonable considering steak prices in the city have climbed upwards of $50 in some locations. All the steaks at Nick's are under $30.

A touch of the exotic

The Sweetgrass market is finally open and although currently there are only 6 vendors open, they are all quality options. Plus a few more are slated to open in the fall.

One of the vendors is More than Mangos, a place I had wanted to try for a while. All the fruits are imported from South America and there are some enticing choices.

With the exception of mango, I had not tried anything else. So it was all a new experience.

First up, a Granadillas or Orange Passion Fruit.

Looks harmless from the outside...


But the inside is quite a surprize. The first taste was quite interesting as I had nothing to base it on but I was hooked by the end and loved it.


Quite tasty. Slurp...


Next up..a Feijoa or Pineapple Guava.

It took me a few scoops to get used to, but by the end, I found it very refreshing and with a nice aftertaste.


A Mamey is a melon, with a soft exterior.


Just beautiful from the inside and has a very wholesome taste.



And finally, I couldn't leave without getting a mango. But not just any mango. Le Grande mango, about 3-4 times the size of any mango I have seen.



The taste was amazing & reminded me of a variety I had in India a long time ago. The mango disappeared quite fast because it was that good.


Still plenty more fruits to try, so I have a few more trips planned.

A panini and a sandwich

A few months ago, I had visited The Holy Grill and loved their burger. This time I tried their Italian panini which was quite nice. Since there are very few places in Calgary that serve a good panini, I might have to make a few more stops to The Holy Grill in the future.


A while ago, I had noticed a new sandwich place in downtown Calgary -- Chachi's. I finally got around to trying it but kept it simple with a veggie sandwich. And it was a real treat -- fresh, light and very tasty.



Considering how many old buildings and their subsequent restaurants are being torn down in and around downtown to make space for more condos and office towers, new food joints opening up in downtown are a welcome sight.

A visit to the local bakery

It was a bit disappointing to find out recently that Eiffel Tower Bakery had closed their three Calgary locations. But thankfully a few weeks ago, a new bakery, Rise Bakery & Cafe, opened its doors in downtown Calgary.

On Friday, I decided to head down and try their chocolate bread. But unfortunately, they were sold out of not only their chocolate bread but even their chocolate loaf. Even though the bakery opens at 9 am, by 10:30 am they were sold out. Instead I tried their tuscan bread, which was quite good.


Also, their apple cinnamon muffin and peach scone were quite delicious. Perfectly balanced, and not too sweet. Plus, you could easily taste the fresh fruit.



Previously, I have sampled the delicious chocolate bread from Urban Baker, but my quest for the chocolate bread from Rise Bakery will have to wait a bit longer.

Calgary could certainly use more bakeries, but for now Rise is a welcome edition.