Social Modern Pub Food is Polished

Brown Cow

I’d never heard of Social Modern Pub until Rishi Patel, asking yours truly to come try out their food gratis with a dinner companion. Naturally I asked @thepolishviking to join me and off we went one weekday evening.

The manager, Ian Carriere had arranged for us to identify ourselves to him when we arrived via a secret code word, “Snuffleupagus”. Ian was an excited, exuberant, passionate, and extremely enthusiastic person. He spent a considerable amount of time going through the menu with us to let us know what his favorites were, what items were new, and what items were carried over from the previous incarnation of Social Modern Pub.

Dependable Kyoto Japanese Cuisine

Bean sprouts and miso soup

Kyoto Japanese Cuisine Downtown is one of our default places to go whenever we want moolicious, quick meal at a reasonable price, particularly at lunch. It’s also open on days when a lot of other places are closed. Although they have an extensive sushi and sashimi menu, along with other items, we usually get bento boxes as they offer great value, giving you the opportunity to try a little bit of everything. At dinner, the bento boxes tend to be a bit more expensive, but instead of having a set bento box, you get to choose the items you want in it.

Not Terribly Tasty at Taste Calgary

Ancient Grain Salad

Taste is a restaurant that focuses on hot or cold small plates, urging people to share and allowing them to try several different items without committing to a larger plate of any one particularly item.  Although it was conveniently located right next door to the hotel, we were neither impressed with the food nor the service.

On the evening we went they suggested we order 3-4 plates to share, so we ordered the ancient grain salad, feeb tartare, rabbit tostada and pigs ear. The dishes came out in no particular order, and were presented to us as soon as they were prepared.

Sublimely Informative Summer Bubbles Tasting at deVine Wines

I attended deVine Wine’s annual Summer Bubbles champagne tasting night. As I’m still relatively new to drinking wine and know very little about what goes into making it, or what the differences between the different varietals are, attending wine tastings is a great way to learn more about wine, as well as try a variety of wines without committing to buying a whole bottle.
At this wine tasting, the focus was on sparkling wine and champagne, with seven different sparkling wines and champagnes to taste, I knew it was going to be an interesting night of Moo drinking my body weight in alcohol.

Dining at Diner Deluxe

The Best Oatmeal

We had heard good things about Diner Deluxe from friends who had visited Calgary, and had also seen it on Food Network’s show, You Gotta Eat Here and saw some interesting things including their oatmeal. So we decided that we had to give it a whirl while we were in town.

The interior is that of a funky, retro diner, with your classic 50’s diner tables, chairs and banquettes. We decided to order The Best Oatmeal that we’d seen on You Gotta Eat Here, along with the crispy potato pancakes and the classic breakfast. 

The fried oatmeal had a hint of maple taste to it, was very dense, and served in a small cast iron skillet. On it’s own, it tasted plain and heavy, but tasted delicious when combined with the thick and nicely tart lemon curd, and swimming in the vanilla bean cream.

Lovely Lebanese Food at La Shish Taouk

Feeb Schwarma

La Shish Taouk is the only Lebanese restaurant I’ve dined at to date and I’ve been there many, many times since, particularly when I’m itching for inexpensive take out that will last several days. On this particular visit, we went with the humans’ family so we could try a few different items.

The Mayfield location is large and spacious, with ample seating. Unlike their downtown location where it is mainly take out, this location offers take out, as well as sit down restaurant service.

Supposedly Local and Seasonal in Saskatoon at Weczeria

Nice interior

I’d never been to Saskatchewan before, although the female human was born and raised there, so I jumped at the chance to accompany them on a quick visit to her hometown of Saskatoon.

Not sure where to go to eat since it’d been over a decade since the female human had lived there, we got a few suggestions from @andrealauder, a fellow Saskatchewanian. She told us of a restaurant called Weczeria Food & Wine, that is located on Broadway Ave, the closest equivalent to Edmonton’s Whyte Ave that Saskatoon has, this street is filled with quirky, independent stores, cafés and restaurants.

Swift Lunch at Viphalay Laos and Thai Restaurant

Pad Thai

Viphalay Laos and Thai Restaurant took over the spot that was the once long standing La Tapas Spanish Restaurant, and most recently defunct Karma Indian Cuisine. Located in what looks like a converted house on 99 Ave, right across from Starbucks Omega, the store at which I’m Mooscot at, this is the second location for this particular venture, with their first located right across from Little Italy.