Dipa-eats

We had been meaning to try the Korean fried chicken at Buldak for a while, especially since we pass by the store so often. But what finally drew me in one day last December was actually their salads.

To start, we ordered the Chicken Mango Salad and we absolutely loved it. The chicken had a nice crispy and juicy texture, the mango was perfectly ripe, and the combination worked surprisingly well together.

For the fried chicken, we went with the Cream Onion flavor. While the chicken itself was flavorful, the sauce was a bit too sweet for my taste. To balance that out, we added a side of their Buldak (hot) sauce, which helped cut through the sweetness nicely. The chicken came with the sides of fried corn and rice cakes.

We also tried the iced mango smoothie, which was exactly what it promised, a thick, ice-cold mango drink that was both refreshing and satisfying.

📸 Items in frame:
🍗 Fried Chicken - Cream Onion 💸 CAD 23.5
🥗 Chicken Mango Salad 💸 CAD 19.50
🥭 Iced Mango Smoothie 💸 CAD 7
🥫 Buldak (hot) Sauce 💸 CAD 2

Some time (a few months) back, on a cold evening, we stumbled upon a cozy Japanese place called Kabuki. The place seemed like it saw some good days and had quite a few regulars.

We went with their Seafood Udon, which had various kinds of seafood along with fish cakes and fried tofu pockets. It was everything we needed to warm ourselves up.

We also got their Crazy Baby Roll which is deep fried salmon and avocado maki, topped with eel sauce, spicy mayo, and katsuobushi. The texture itself was interesting because of the chewy exterior and the flavor profile was creamy and slightly spicy.

For drinks, we got their pot of green tea which was earthy and yet very mild. It was more than enough for 2 people.

Their service was homely and felt very warm. Overall, I would definitely recommend giving them a visit.

📸 Items in frame:
🍜 Seafood Udon 💸 CAD 20.95
🍣 Crazy Baby Roll 💸 CAD 15.95
🍵 Pot of Green Tea 💸 CAD ~3.95

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Today we tried Beef Tataki for the first time. According to one google search, Beef tataki is a Japanese dish of high-quality beef that is quickly seared, thinly sliced, and typically served chilled with a citrus-soy dressing. The cooking method, called tataki, results in a lightly cooked exterior and a cool, rare center.

The meat was so soft it was melting in our mouth. The Ponzu sauce and chewy seaweed made the entire dish taste really refreshing.

We also got their ‘What the Pho’ which is their house special noodle soup with steak, tendon, tripe, beef ball, flank, and brisket. Tasted like a classic pho but two points I would’ve preferred different were, although many kinds, the portion of meat could be more and the soup cooled down too quickly (i prefer even my last sip to be warm) 🤷🏻‍♀️.

📸 Items in frame:
🥩 Small Beef Tataki 💸 CAD 13.00 (Happy hour special)
🍜 What the Pho 💸 CAD 17.95

Never knew the halwa puri breakfast was a thing up until the last time I was in Calgary. After staying up till 6:30 in the morning catching up on life, a proper desi breakfast seemed like a good way to start the day and also end the trip.

We tried their Halwa Puri combo which comes with three good size deep fried puries, Halwa, Chana and potato curry. Along with it we had their Beef Paya and Beef Nihari. The Paya was rich and had lots of tendons. But the Nihari had to be my favorite with its meaty gravy and tender meat.

There were probably 13 of us and we had multiples of each dishes to share among us.

📸 Items in frame:
🍛 Halwa Puri 💸 CAD 12.99
🥘 Beef Paya ( Cow Feet ) 💸 CAD 17.99
🍲 Beef Nihari 💸 CAD 19.99

After Abbu came back from Vietnam, we got to try a few Vietnamese dishes at home. However, one thing I really wanted to try was Pho alongside other authentic vietnamese food.

During the last week of August, in between moving houses, one evening on a very warm day, we ended up at Saigon Taste to get some Pho (because hot food compliments hot weather, right?).

To start off, we ordered their mini pancakes, which are basically shrimp pancakes made out of tapioca starch giving it a chewy texture and crunchy coating. These were served with lettuce and thai basil on the side to balance out the possible greasy feeling. The fish sauce it came with brought the entire dish together with its sweet flavor.

We got their house special beef noodle soup from the Pho section, which came with lots of beef slices and beef balls. But what sold us out was the broth. The broth was so deep in flavor and yet to light and clean. One bowl was more than enough for the two of us and might even be shareable by three people in our opinion. The meat to noodle to broth ratio was just perfect.

We also tried their iced Vietnamese coffee, which when just served, before the ice started melting, reminded me of Kopico (the coffee flavored chocolate?). It was pretty strong and sweet, perfectly cold for the hot weather we were trying to get away from.

Overall, I would definitely recommend them. Also, looking forward to trying more of Vietnamese cuisine.

📸 Items in frame:
🍤 Mini Pancakes 💸 CAD 16.95
🍲 House Special Beef Noodle Soup 💸 CAD 16.95
☕️ Vietnamese Iced Coffee 💸 CAD 5.95

With summer coming to an end, what’s better than a large serving of strawberry and mango bingsoo with a group of friends? 🍓🥭

🏡 Place: Flurrries Cafe (Snowy Village Dessert Cafe).

📸 Items in frame:
🍓Strawberry Bingsoo Regular 💸 CAD 14.45
🥭 Mango Bingsoo Regular 💸 CAD 14.45

Korean fried chicken >>>>>

Somehow, I never got around to posting these pictures from last November. Given the cold weather, we wanted something comforting and something spicy, and what better than spicy korean fried chicken to meet both the criteria?

I can recall how the chicken were perfectly coated with sauce yet crispy and not at all greasy. The sets came with options of fries or rice balls. It also came with salad and pop/water.

Pictures in frame 📸:
🍗 Spicy Chilli Fried Chicken 5pc 💸 CAD 13
🍗 Spicy Soy Garlic Fried Chicken 5pc 💸 CAD 13

So far, I have always given Matcha (flavored foods) the benefit of the doubt and kept on trying them whenever possible. However, I still haven’t found my calling 🌝.

Last winter, it was my first time in Calgary and after some spicy Korean fried chicken, we thought some dessert would be good and we ended up at Tsujiri Japanese Tea House at Crescent Heights, Calgary.

We got the Dessert parfait which had a few layers starting from red beans at the bottom, followed by crunchy cereals and matcha (cream ?). It was topped with whipped cream, a macaroon, and a couple of pieces of matcha cake. The toppings were average, however all the layers together was pretty decent. The sweetness of the red beans complimented the subtle earthy-bitterness of the matcha.

We also got the Kinako Daifuku which was a round mochi (glutinous rice cake) filled with a sweet custard filling topped with soy-bean powder. It was “not too sweet” and would definitely recommend.

📸 Items in frame:

🍨Dessert Parfait 💸 CAD 9.50
🍡 Kinako Daifuku 💸CAD 5.00

Having heard such good reviews of Fatima Karahi in Calgary, I had to give it a try when they opened their branch in Edmonton. And I must say, it lived up to its name.

My absolute favorite were the Chicken botis, both were very soft and flavorful. The masala seeped perfectly into the chicken and it was served on a bed of onions giving it the perfect contrasting texture.

We also tried their beef nehari which was beef shank cooked for a very long time making it super tender. Sadly, the palak paneer was a little disappointing as it didn’t seem fresh and the paneer almost dissolved into the palak. Everything came with two chutneys and salad.

The portion sizes were sufficient for the four of us. We ordered six naans to share among ourselves.

Overall would definitely recommend the Chicken items and looking forward to trying more of the menu in the future.

📸 Items in frame:

🍗 Chicken Tikka Boti 💸CAD 14.99
🍗 Chicken Malai Boti 💸 CAD 13.99
🥩 Beef Nehari (Shank) 💸 CAD 16.99
🥬 Palak Paneer 💸 CAD 11.99
🫓 Naan 💸 CAD 2.99 each

How much tea is enough tea when you have yummy desserts to chase it with?

A couple of weeks back we visited a cutesy and spacious Yemeni cafe called Mokha Coffee House located in the north side of Edmonton. We mainly wanted to try their milk cake and trust me when I say this, this was worth traveling all that distance. It was super moist and soft; not too sweet which was perfect with the caramel topping.

We also tried an Egyptian dessert named “Um Ali” which to me seemed like a cinnamon bun soaked in a concoction of milk, pistachios and some other spices. Again, this wasn’t too sweet and had different texture making it interesting.

Now, the Yemeni tea, had an essence of cardamom and paired well with the pastries. I think we had about 2.5 cups of tea each and still wasn’t tired of it. Overall, would definitely recommend!

Items in the frame:

☕️ Mofawar Pot Small CAD 10
🥧 Um Ali ~ CAD 8
🍰 Milk Cake ~ CAD 7

During my entire childhood, dining out was mostly eating “(Bangla) Chinese” food, which later turned out to be more so Thai cuisine than Chinese. Now, decades later, for the both of us, the idea of celebrating something and Thai food just goes hand in hand.

Last weekend, we ended up in the South part of Edmonton on a rainy and windy day for some good Thai food. Contrary to the exterior, they had a cozy and ambient interior. The beef pad thai was our absolute favorite and might even consider revisiting for this. Overall, they had good service and we enjoyed our time.

We tried the following:
🍲 Tom Yum Goong Soup 💸 CAD 10.95
🌯 Shrimp Salad Rolls 💸CAD 12.95
🥗 Cashew Chicken 💸 CAD 18.95
🍝 Beef Pad Thai 💸 CAD 18.95

I have always watched people have shaved ice or Bingsoo on YouTube wondering if it is actually as good as they portray it to be. Now that I tried my first ever Bingsoo I can definitely say that they weren’t exaggerating.

We tried the Mango coconut Bingsoo from the Flurries Cafe also known as the Snowy Village Dessert Cafe in Jasper Avenue.

The shaved ice in itself was fluffy, drenched with condensed milk to give it the perfect creamy sweetness. It had multiple layers of fresh mango mixed with dried coconut flakes and was topped with some whipped cream. It was refreshing and “not too sweet” for our Asian tastebuds.

Will definitely recommend! Can’t wait to try out other flavors.

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