9655 - 62 Ave.
Edmonton, AB
*Have no idea if it even has a phone number!
This place is totally off the beaten path! It's in the industrial area close to Argyle in Edmonton. You would never think to have a restaurant built into an autobody mechanic shop. It was converted to a restaurant by a Korean family about two years ago. I think they just put up a sign recently. It is ghetto! If you want good Chinese style Korean food, this is the place to go. It's definitely mama papa.
The decor...absolutely repulsive with fake flowers, tacky Chinese decorations, and art placed in weird places and paintings and such that has no theme what so ever. But it's definitely all about the food. I ordered the #2 (jam bong - spicy seafood noodle soup) and my company ordered their own bowl of noodles or rice. We ordered #38 (chicken with red pepper and garlic sauce) to share, that was delicious. It's a recommendation from my Korean friends, usually people would order the sweet n' sour chicken, but this was a better option. The seats were not comfortable at all; service was terrible; 3 of us got our dishes before the last person did and they didn't bother to figure out something was wrong or ask or anything. Tea took forever as well as our water. The Korean side dishes that you usually get at a Korean restaurant was fine, minimal, but that's what they usually serve. I've been here a few times.
But...food was great! The jam bong can honestly be a "last meal" for me. The quantities I wish was a bit bigger for the price I pay. Not sure if there's MSG in it, haven't really figured that one out yet. I normally react to MSG, but haven't once been affected by this restaurant. The chicken was also pricey for the amount we had, but the sauce was light, flavourful and refreshing to offset the spiciness of my noodles. I definitely recommend this Korean restaurant over most, if not all, if you're looking for noodles.
Peas - O
Carrots - IIII
Monday, March 16, 2009
Wasabi
5714 111 Street
Edmonton, AB T6H 3G1
(780) 433-0533
It was my birthday recently and I decided to go for Japanese. I heard great things about Wasabi and wanted to try it out. It's situated in the Lendrum area, quite remote and a stinking Petro Canada blocks it from plain sight from the main road. The decor was 90s looking but comfortable to the eye. It has the typical mini sushi bar, but the Japanese drapes didn't match. They had one server on staff and was pretty swamped. At first we didn't have a table, but he let us take the last one or else we would've left.
This restaurant is owned and operated by Japanese which is always a bonus. The restaurant was a bit more pricey than most Japanese restaurants in the city. We ordered a wakame salad (seaweed salad) and beef sashimi to start. The salad was so small, but delicious. The beef sashimi was the best I've ever had. The richness of the beef was offset with shaved turnip, green onions. The sauce was delicate; the ponzu matched well.
We also ordered the assorted tempura, assorted sashimi and a combo #6. It's not typical of how I order, but I was with people that were not as experimental and that fond of Japanese as I was. First off the tempura. It was light and not soggy and greasy. The batter was crisp and fluffy. It was great! The portion size was normal in relation to all the other restaurants I've been to. The sashimi were sliced perfectly, large pieces and the octopus wasn't chewy! A good indication of a good Japanese restaurant is the condition of the Tako. The Nigiri in the combo had a little too much wasabi I thought, but that's personal preference. At the end of the meal, I ordered something that I love and that's Uni. Two Uni Nigiris and it was one of the best I've ever had. The Uni was rich, not fishy, very fresh. It sat on a bed of rice, wrapped by some nori. That combination was to die for.
Overall the service was slow, we ran out of water and tea pretty quickly and it took a while for them to clear our plates and refill our tea and water. The food didn't come out in any regimen, just when they did they did. The beef sashimi came out first then another 20 minutes came the rest. Not sure if that's how they work, but it would've nicer to time the dishes so we wouldn't sit around playing with our chopsticks. The food was simple, authentic, fresh and delicious. Most Japanese restaurants now have tons of different kinds of Maki rolls. It was nice to just taste the fish! Compliments to this restaurant, I thought it was a lovely meal.
Peas - OOO
Carrots - IIIII
Edmonton, AB T6H 3G1
(780) 433-0533
It was my birthday recently and I decided to go for Japanese. I heard great things about Wasabi and wanted to try it out. It's situated in the Lendrum area, quite remote and a stinking Petro Canada blocks it from plain sight from the main road. The decor was 90s looking but comfortable to the eye. It has the typical mini sushi bar, but the Japanese drapes didn't match. They had one server on staff and was pretty swamped. At first we didn't have a table, but he let us take the last one or else we would've left.
This restaurant is owned and operated by Japanese which is always a bonus. The restaurant was a bit more pricey than most Japanese restaurants in the city. We ordered a wakame salad (seaweed salad) and beef sashimi to start. The salad was so small, but delicious. The beef sashimi was the best I've ever had. The richness of the beef was offset with shaved turnip, green onions. The sauce was delicate; the ponzu matched well.
We also ordered the assorted tempura, assorted sashimi and a combo #6. It's not typical of how I order, but I was with people that were not as experimental and that fond of Japanese as I was. First off the tempura. It was light and not soggy and greasy. The batter was crisp and fluffy. It was great! The portion size was normal in relation to all the other restaurants I've been to. The sashimi were sliced perfectly, large pieces and the octopus wasn't chewy! A good indication of a good Japanese restaurant is the condition of the Tako. The Nigiri in the combo had a little too much wasabi I thought, but that's personal preference. At the end of the meal, I ordered something that I love and that's Uni. Two Uni Nigiris and it was one of the best I've ever had. The Uni was rich, not fishy, very fresh. It sat on a bed of rice, wrapped by some nori. That combination was to die for.
Overall the service was slow, we ran out of water and tea pretty quickly and it took a while for them to clear our plates and refill our tea and water. The food didn't come out in any regimen, just when they did they did. The beef sashimi came out first then another 20 minutes came the rest. Not sure if that's how they work, but it would've nicer to time the dishes so we wouldn't sit around playing with our chopsticks. The food was simple, authentic, fresh and delicious. Most Japanese restaurants now have tons of different kinds of Maki rolls. It was nice to just taste the fish! Compliments to this restaurant, I thought it was a lovely meal.
Peas - OOO
Carrots - IIIII
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Leva Cappuccino Bar
11053 - 86 Ave.
Edmonton, AB
(780) 433-5382
Oh my goodness! What a wonderful, quaint, and contemporary little heaven close to the University of Alberta. I love this place. The interior design is beautiful and the concept is great. The design is posh and clean. The food is delicious there. Speechless! Pizzas are amazing and homemade. Gelato to die for! Antipasti and the hot and cold paninis are innovative and excellent. This very modern cafe has great personality and offers something to everyone that walks in. Leva is very open and gives off a friendly vibe.
The food is amazing and affordable. Pizzas run 12-14 I believe and sandwiches are around 10-12 bucks. They have great deals, and daily specials...makes for great lunches and snacks. I do believe they close early, around 6-7pm, and cater only to the lunch crowd and the daily morning commuters. It's great!
The staff are friendly and they offer everything that you would want at a small diner or a coffee shop. I love it. The only thing that I was hesistant about was the method of payment. They only take cash, which I have no problem with...that's the true European style. I guess in North America you think about the different ways you can dish out your earnings; debit, credit card, cheque. Nonetheless, the place is awesome! In the summers they open up the "patio" so you can enjoy the sun and a nice scoop of gelato!
Not much of a view I think, considering it's smack dab in the middle of high rise residenses and old houses. Of course, that wasn't there intention. The University area is beautiful and the character homes do add to the ambience of Leva.
Leva even has flavoured water with fresh fruit. It is so refreshing. Honestly, one of the best cafes I have ever been to in the world.
Peas - OOOOO
Carrots - IIIII
Edmonton, AB
(780) 433-5382
Oh my goodness! What a wonderful, quaint, and contemporary little heaven close to the University of Alberta. I love this place. The interior design is beautiful and the concept is great. The design is posh and clean. The food is delicious there. Speechless! Pizzas are amazing and homemade. Gelato to die for! Antipasti and the hot and cold paninis are innovative and excellent. This very modern cafe has great personality and offers something to everyone that walks in. Leva is very open and gives off a friendly vibe.
The food is amazing and affordable. Pizzas run 12-14 I believe and sandwiches are around 10-12 bucks. They have great deals, and daily specials...makes for great lunches and snacks. I do believe they close early, around 6-7pm, and cater only to the lunch crowd and the daily morning commuters. It's great!
The staff are friendly and they offer everything that you would want at a small diner or a coffee shop. I love it. The only thing that I was hesistant about was the method of payment. They only take cash, which I have no problem with...that's the true European style. I guess in North America you think about the different ways you can dish out your earnings; debit, credit card, cheque. Nonetheless, the place is awesome! In the summers they open up the "patio" so you can enjoy the sun and a nice scoop of gelato!
Not much of a view I think, considering it's smack dab in the middle of high rise residenses and old houses. Of course, that wasn't there intention. The University area is beautiful and the character homes do add to the ambience of Leva.
Leva even has flavoured water with fresh fruit. It is so refreshing. Honestly, one of the best cafes I have ever been to in the world.
Peas - OOOOO
Carrots - IIIII
Monday, March 2, 2009
Ric's Grill
14229 - 23rd Ave.
Edmonton, AB
(780) 497-4297
The large wooden doors as you enter gives you a wine cellar feel; it's dark, intimate, and romantic as you walk in. I've frequented this restaurant a few times and decided to write a review on this trendy, swank place. On a busy night, it does get quite disorganized and waiters do look like they have their heads chopped off. The service does suffer if it is really busy. They are lacking support staff like an expo or food runners. When it's busy it can get a bit loud, depending on where you are seated. I've sat in the lounge area as well as the dining area. The dining area has high ceilings and very open. It does sound like a busy Chinese restaurant sometimes when there are large parties there. The lounge area, however, is a raised section of the restaurant away from the hustle and bustle. If you plan to reserve a table, sit in the lounge or in the middle of the restaurant. Conversation will be a lot easier. When the restaurant is slower, I think the service is immaculate, great, and they're all smiles and very friendly! Their selection of wine is immense and the servers are quite good at pairing your meal with the wine.
The steaks are cooked well and seasoned just right. I'm very picky about my steaks and will return a steak if it's not cooked to the right temperature. I haven't returned a steak yet. The King of Ribeye, which is the 16 oz. ribeye is one of the best steaks I have ever had. The great thing about Ric's Grill is that it comes with soup or salad to start. I normally get a Blue Cheese Salad, it's worth that extra 3 dollars that you have to pay. It's delicious and beats a typical house or caesar salad.
{Caesar salads are so overdone and boring. I haven't been to a restaurant that actually makes a real homemade caesar. If there is a restaurant that does make homemade caesar salads, please let me know. It's always made with the store bought dressing and you can just taste that crap!}
Although you mostly go to Ric's Grill for the steak and the seafood, if they had more sides I think would benefit them a lot more. The plate always has your protein, starch, and your vegetables. But I get 3 or 4 pieces of vegetables...I think they should have more vegetables, especially with the new trends of eating more healthy. The plate when it comes seems so empty! The stuffed potato is great, very filling, it complements the steaks so well and gives it another dimension. It is better than their chef's potatoes that always comes with an experimental sauce that the chef thinks of for that day. I'm not adventurous enough maybe. The sizes of their steaks and seafood are perfect; catering to all sizes, shapes, and appetites of individuals that might walk in. The lobster tail is a great add-on for your surf n' turf or just by itself. The pastas are a NO-NO. No one goes to a steak house to eat pasta! They have a few choices for pasta, but the sauces makes the pasta mushy and I hate terriyaki!
Their appetizers are great! The classic calamari with tzaziki is always a hit and their crab cakes are firm and moist. Everything else is meh!
Desserts...I think they're desserts are some of the best in the city at a reasonable price. Their Ginger Cake I think, is their flagship dessert...it's DELICIOUS! The Cappucino Pie is very refreshing in the summer months. All their cheesecakes are made fresh daily from what I know, they have a new flavour almost everyday.
Ric's Grill is certainly not a daily dining experience. The prices do add up, but for that special occasion, I think it's a great place to take your significant other. For table of 2, you can easily drop a couple Bordens not including tip.
{I'm not a fan of frachise restaurants at all...but this franchise works. They use fresh ingredients and take the time to look at the details. I love the fact that they make everything from scratch.}
Peas - OOO.5
Carrots - IIII
Edmonton, AB
(780) 497-4297
The large wooden doors as you enter gives you a wine cellar feel; it's dark, intimate, and romantic as you walk in. I've frequented this restaurant a few times and decided to write a review on this trendy, swank place. On a busy night, it does get quite disorganized and waiters do look like they have their heads chopped off. The service does suffer if it is really busy. They are lacking support staff like an expo or food runners. When it's busy it can get a bit loud, depending on where you are seated. I've sat in the lounge area as well as the dining area. The dining area has high ceilings and very open. It does sound like a busy Chinese restaurant sometimes when there are large parties there. The lounge area, however, is a raised section of the restaurant away from the hustle and bustle. If you plan to reserve a table, sit in the lounge or in the middle of the restaurant. Conversation will be a lot easier. When the restaurant is slower, I think the service is immaculate, great, and they're all smiles and very friendly! Their selection of wine is immense and the servers are quite good at pairing your meal with the wine.
The steaks are cooked well and seasoned just right. I'm very picky about my steaks and will return a steak if it's not cooked to the right temperature. I haven't returned a steak yet. The King of Ribeye, which is the 16 oz. ribeye is one of the best steaks I have ever had. The great thing about Ric's Grill is that it comes with soup or salad to start. I normally get a Blue Cheese Salad, it's worth that extra 3 dollars that you have to pay. It's delicious and beats a typical house or caesar salad.
{Caesar salads are so overdone and boring. I haven't been to a restaurant that actually makes a real homemade caesar. If there is a restaurant that does make homemade caesar salads, please let me know. It's always made with the store bought dressing and you can just taste that crap!}
Although you mostly go to Ric's Grill for the steak and the seafood, if they had more sides I think would benefit them a lot more. The plate always has your protein, starch, and your vegetables. But I get 3 or 4 pieces of vegetables...I think they should have more vegetables, especially with the new trends of eating more healthy. The plate when it comes seems so empty! The stuffed potato is great, very filling, it complements the steaks so well and gives it another dimension. It is better than their chef's potatoes that always comes with an experimental sauce that the chef thinks of for that day. I'm not adventurous enough maybe. The sizes of their steaks and seafood are perfect; catering to all sizes, shapes, and appetites of individuals that might walk in. The lobster tail is a great add-on for your surf n' turf or just by itself. The pastas are a NO-NO. No one goes to a steak house to eat pasta! They have a few choices for pasta, but the sauces makes the pasta mushy and I hate terriyaki!
Their appetizers are great! The classic calamari with tzaziki is always a hit and their crab cakes are firm and moist. Everything else is meh!
Desserts...I think they're desserts are some of the best in the city at a reasonable price. Their Ginger Cake I think, is their flagship dessert...it's DELICIOUS! The Cappucino Pie is very refreshing in the summer months. All their cheesecakes are made fresh daily from what I know, they have a new flavour almost everyday.
Ric's Grill is certainly not a daily dining experience. The prices do add up, but for that special occasion, I think it's a great place to take your significant other. For table of 2, you can easily drop a couple Bordens not including tip.
{I'm not a fan of frachise restaurants at all...but this franchise works. They use fresh ingredients and take the time to look at the details. I love the fact that they make everything from scratch.}
Peas - OOO.5
Carrots - IIII
Friday, February 27, 2009
Bua Thai Restaurant
10049 - 113 St
Edmonton, AB
(780) 482-2277
The small eatery is located across the street from St. Joseph's Basilica, the place where Wayne Gretzky got married; tucked behind a busy street, it could easily be missed. The place is packed and somewhat noisy. You can only get a table if you have reservations...luckily we had one. At first glance I thought that the decor was sub par. I was drawn to a mirror in the corner of the restaurant. It was more of a distraction then their attempt to make the restaurant larger. The lights hanging over the table were too bright. It was impossible to lean over to converse with my friends.
Thai cuisine is one of my favorites and I'm always out to look for a great Thai restaurant. The more authentic the better. Having been to Thailand, it makes it more grueling to find an eatery in North America that takes me back to my experiences in Thailand. The service was great! Very friendly and our server knew everything on the menu, even the item numbers to each dish. Very impressive. We ordered the Panang Chicken Curry; Chicken, Chillies, and Cashews; Spicy Seafood Combination (had squid, shrimp, mussels, mock crab w/ bamboo shoots); Mixed Vegetable Stirfry, accompanied with Coconut Rice. The wine we chose was a Isabel Sauvignon Blanc. I thought it was light and refreshing, but it didn't compliment the dishes. It did take the heat away and cooled the tongue.
The wine service I thought was terrible, unless they didn't do the typical wine service that most restaurants are accustomed to. The glasses were not polished and it was over poured. The dishes were delicious, great taste, good heat, bold flavours. Definitely Thai. The dishes were presented nicely and good portions. The shrimp was cooked perfectly. The sauces were thick and spicy. They actually had the basil and the lime leaves in the dishes. There are a lot of Thai restaurants that only have the essences or dried versions of the leaves. I found the Coconut Rice was the weak point in the whole experience. There was no coconut taste. It was creamy, but it almost seemed like they just used cow's milk.
Overall the restaurant was great. They had a packed house and did two seatings on a Friday night. They close really early....at 9:30pm. I would definitely go again. The prices were reasonable, between 10-20 dollars per plate.
Peas - OOOO
Carrots - IIII.5
Edmonton, AB
(780) 482-2277
The small eatery is located across the street from St. Joseph's Basilica, the place where Wayne Gretzky got married; tucked behind a busy street, it could easily be missed. The place is packed and somewhat noisy. You can only get a table if you have reservations...luckily we had one. At first glance I thought that the decor was sub par. I was drawn to a mirror in the corner of the restaurant. It was more of a distraction then their attempt to make the restaurant larger. The lights hanging over the table were too bright. It was impossible to lean over to converse with my friends.
Thai cuisine is one of my favorites and I'm always out to look for a great Thai restaurant. The more authentic the better. Having been to Thailand, it makes it more grueling to find an eatery in North America that takes me back to my experiences in Thailand. The service was great! Very friendly and our server knew everything on the menu, even the item numbers to each dish. Very impressive. We ordered the Panang Chicken Curry; Chicken, Chillies, and Cashews; Spicy Seafood Combination (had squid, shrimp, mussels, mock crab w/ bamboo shoots); Mixed Vegetable Stirfry, accompanied with Coconut Rice. The wine we chose was a Isabel Sauvignon Blanc. I thought it was light and refreshing, but it didn't compliment the dishes. It did take the heat away and cooled the tongue.
The wine service I thought was terrible, unless they didn't do the typical wine service that most restaurants are accustomed to. The glasses were not polished and it was over poured. The dishes were delicious, great taste, good heat, bold flavours. Definitely Thai. The dishes were presented nicely and good portions. The shrimp was cooked perfectly. The sauces were thick and spicy. They actually had the basil and the lime leaves in the dishes. There are a lot of Thai restaurants that only have the essences or dried versions of the leaves. I found the Coconut Rice was the weak point in the whole experience. There was no coconut taste. It was creamy, but it almost seemed like they just used cow's milk.
Overall the restaurant was great. They had a packed house and did two seatings on a Friday night. They close really early....at 9:30pm. I would definitely go again. The prices were reasonable, between 10-20 dollars per plate.
Peas - OOOO
Carrots - IIII.5
Monday, February 16, 2009
Who are we?
Peas and Carrots is a blog that reviews and rates restaurants. All the restaurant reviews are critiqued by the quality and taste of their dishes and front house service; the two main aspects to a great dining experience. Food is our passion and we would love to share that with you through this avenue. We feel that the people that serve us and cook for us at restaurants should have that same passion and love for food as well...we hope.
Most of the restaurants we go to are what we call "mama papa" places. Their food is "usually" made with real ingredients, with more care, and their dishes are unique to that restaurant alone. We do not like franchise restaurants, but we will discuss them in this blog should we happen to visit one. It's just hard to eat food that comes out of a plastic bag.
All ratings and reviews are based on our own experiences and if they get a bad review, it could just be a bad day of service or something was incorrectly seasoned; or we just don't like the restaurant period. I think it's reasonable to be critical and deserve an enjoyable meal, when I am spending a certain amount of my hard earned money on them. Should a restaurant get a good review, we will praise them and eat there constantly and probably get more reviews on the other dishes that we try.
We are unbiased, yet fair, but very blunt!
Our rating system will be symbolized by peas and carrots. The more peas and carrots, the better the restaurant. If we blacklist it..."take your chances".
Peas (out of 5) - Is our rating towards customer service. We will be looking into friendliness, efficiency and timing of food and drinks, recommendations, questions asked and answered, wine service if applicable, clearing of plates, and most importantly, the conversation and smiles!
Carrots (out of 5) - Is our rating towards the food. We will be looking into the flavours...THE TASTE. We could care less about the plating, unless it's crazy gorgeous that we feel like taking a picture of it.
Blacklist - DO NOT GO THERE
Let the reviews begin!
Most of the restaurants we go to are what we call "mama papa" places. Their food is "usually" made with real ingredients, with more care, and their dishes are unique to that restaurant alone. We do not like franchise restaurants, but we will discuss them in this blog should we happen to visit one. It's just hard to eat food that comes out of a plastic bag.
All ratings and reviews are based on our own experiences and if they get a bad review, it could just be a bad day of service or something was incorrectly seasoned; or we just don't like the restaurant period. I think it's reasonable to be critical and deserve an enjoyable meal, when I am spending a certain amount of my hard earned money on them. Should a restaurant get a good review, we will praise them and eat there constantly and probably get more reviews on the other dishes that we try.
We are unbiased, yet fair, but very blunt!
Our rating system will be symbolized by peas and carrots. The more peas and carrots, the better the restaurant. If we blacklist it..."take your chances".
Peas (out of 5) - Is our rating towards customer service. We will be looking into friendliness, efficiency and timing of food and drinks, recommendations, questions asked and answered, wine service if applicable, clearing of plates, and most importantly, the conversation and smiles!
Carrots (out of 5) - Is our rating towards the food. We will be looking into the flavours...THE TASTE. We could care less about the plating, unless it's crazy gorgeous that we feel like taking a picture of it.
Blacklist - DO NOT GO THERE
Let the reviews begin!
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