The Granary - Saskatoon, SK

The Granary Saskatoon, I always hear their radio ads when driving. Finally went about and tried it with a friend one night. 

Dined in the lounge, good ambiance. 

I might have made the mistake of ordering prime rib at 8 pm which ruined my meal. Ordering so late, I guess I was subjected to the last of the prime rib that has been under the heating lamp all day. It was dry, flavorless... sadly disappointing considering I was craving a nice melt-in-mouth piece of succulent meat.

Started with two appetizers since they had a wonderful deal of 2 for 1 appys.
Had the Neptune mushroom which was mushrooms baked with cream cheese that is mixed with crab. Not a bad dish for its price

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Neptune Mushroom

Neptune Mushroom

Service was average, nothing special.

Overall, I would go for appetizers with friends but wouldn't order a main.

 

Berry Barn - Saskatoon, SK

When I first moved to Saskatoon, I asked around for any good recommendations for restaurants.The Berry Barn was thrown out several times. I've always been curious, it seems like a great place to go for brunch with the family.

Wasn't sure what I was expecting but it was interesting that they had a little gift store before entering the restaurant. They really marketed the crap out of this place (berry barn bbq sauce etc). Behind the restaurant, there's a little farm/pond you can walk around, which added a nice touch.

But of course, the most important part is the food. Everything is homemade on the menu,

Honestly, its just a Saskatoon tourist hot spot, regards to the menu/taste wise - its nothing special. Pretty bland perogies, I would not have noticed a difference if it they were just frozen ones from the supermarket and passed as hand made.
Spring rolls were soggy and greasy. They only had vermicelli noodles in them and some strands of lettuce - no veg. They essentially exploded in the deep fryer but was still served.

Cheesecake wasn't as bad. You could tell it was homemade; but wasn't the best, not much flavor.

Service wasn't great. He seemed like he didn't want to be there / didn't know how to be a friendly server.

Overall, food wasn't worth the drive nor money. Atmosphere was ... alright; it wasn't really special. Nothing stood out for me or makes me want to go back.

Keo's Kitchen - Saskatoon, SK

Went here not too long ago, thought it was time to share my experience. I love thai food, the spice, the flavors, the culture... ahh.

Tried Keo's Kitchen after alot of people recommended it to me, all saying this place knows how to spice things up. And yes, yes they do. I was almost sweating eating the green curry and I loved every moment of it. Speaking of the green curry, it's my go to dish. Keo's does a well done job, i had medium spice and it had a nice balance in the curry. I do wish it had a little more coconut flavor but I guess the spice level may change that as well; hard to control.

I'm a sucker for iced coffee and Keo's did not disappoint with theirs. I didn't find it as sweet as vietnamese coffee, but Ive heard various differences between the two. Some say they're the same except different coffee beans, some tell me one doesn't use condensed milk (The horror!!) but i personally have no idea and didn't think to ask the server.

Back to the food, it all was pretty tasty. I would pass on the spring rolls next time, just growing up on them and especially having home made ones... its hard for me to like restaurant ones and their recipe for the meat. Nothing beats the food your parents make. And I also think spring rolls are ridiculously expensive.

Great plating, very modern and relaxing ambiance. Good service, she took the time to answer any questions 

The only thing i wish was that the veg in the curry was cut a little smaller. Mainly the cauliflower.... but that is of course, just my preference for my small mouth. The dessert was light and refreshing, probably won't get it again just because I find the others more appealing. It's essentially just a biscuit and vanilla ice cream, thats my go to at costco so sorry Keo's I'll try your custard or sticky rice next time ;)

Overall, I have no complaints and will be back to try the other menu items. Living up to all the recommendations I've been getting.

 

Seoul Korean Restaurant - Saskatoon, SK

Beef Ribs and Japchae

Alright, let me be honest first... back in the day I was never a big fan or Korean Cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Korean BBQ - who doesn't?! But I could not like Kimchi or spice ... and I was also ignorant back then as well. I traveled to Korea a year ago and along with discovering how much they loved spice, I got to experience alot of interesting dishes. The spice made sense considering it was so cold outside when I went, there was no snow like Canada but that wind just bites! 

Now, I'm a changed woman. I enjoy kimchi and love a kick in my food. I've been to this Seoul Korean Restaurant twice since I've moved here. Each time, I have walked out more then satisfied.

Having experienced these dishes first in Korea, Seoul Korean Restaurant is authentic and delicious. No offense to Saskatoon, but I'm surprised this Seoul Korean Restaurant has survived since 2011 (earliest evidence I can find about it).  Usually smaller cities don't appreciate authentic cuisine and crave more of a fusion... so when I thought about the size and the demographics I was... happy(? not sure if that's the right word) that Seoul Korean Restaurant looked like it was being recognized for it's authentic dishes.

I've had a couple of dishes here:

Bulgogi Jeongol - It had lots of veg but still a good amount of beef included. Good flavor. It's a great comfort food to warm up with in the winter!


Pork& Beef Ribs - Please show me a korean restaurant that does not serve good Korean BBQ? They also offer to cook it for you in the kitchen if it suits your needs. Delicious!

Japchae

Japchae - One of my all time favorite dishes in life. And they do a pretty good job here, can't go wrong with sesame oil.They actually give you a fairly large portion as well.

Bulgogi Jeongol

Patbingsu - The dessert. Honestly, I'd pass. Nothing special - just ice cream and shaved ice with fruit + fruit loops. I think they did add sort of a red bean paste with it but it didn't really add any flavor, hence why I'm unsure if it was red bean.... But yes, this dessert isn't really as good or special as the photos make it look. Better off just going to menchies or marble slab.

They do offer a believe... three side dishes? A Sweet mash, bean sprouts and ... KIMCHI!

Prices are fairly reasonable, service is alright - pretty average. The restaurant itself is pretty spacey and only have a limited amount of tables. The second time I went during the supper rush on a weekday, people that came after us did have a short wait.

Good to see they embraced ipad menus, very up to date. I was surprised they didn't take our orders with iphones.

I would definitely be back when I'm craving some delicious korean food and will be recommending it to whomever.

Rock Creek Tap and Grill - Saskatoon, SK

The Guacamole Brie-wich

I'm not a big beer fan... or alcohol in general. So I can't really comment on the beer selection.
Food wise... not impressed. We were seated promptly and I must say, when we walked into the dining area, I was impressed. It's very well decorated, modern and provided a very relaxing ambiance. Great atmosphere.

Nothing really crazy that stood out on the menu for me, pretty similar to Earls/Moxies I would say. They did have a feature menu, which I love when restaurants do that.

My friend ordered the "Guacamole Brie-wich" which sounded really tempting to me as well, but I opted for the "Organic Meatloaf".

The Guacamole Brie-wich was, I must say, a disappointment. Sounded great on the menu, but once you get it... it just wasn't what you expected. It was a more boring dish then expected. She also ordered a side of Salsa and we both found it to taste rather.. intense. And by that, I mean when you take a taste of it, its like you just sipped some rubbing alcohol.
One weird note was that there was less then a handful of fries.

Organic meatloaf sub mash potatoes

The "Organic Meatloaf" was alright, pretty generic. You can't really screw up a chunk of meat. It was under the "Comfort Food" Section, which is fitting. I love meatloaf, its a nice hearty dish. This dish was alright, smaller portion then I'm use to when ordering meatloaf at a restaurant... but I guess when I order Meatloaf it's usually at a dinner or a more casual family dining restaurant. It said on the menu that it has a sweet spicy chilli glaze... but I'm not sure if the glaze was that red ketchup heap on top of the meatloaf. The heap wasn't a glaze, it looked like ketchup and tasted like ketchup... so i'm going to say its ketchup. I'm use to more of a slightly ketchupy/brown sugar glaze on my meatloaf. I'm not the biggest fan of Ketchup, i mainly use it to mask the taste of items. There was a little too much of the sauce on the chunk of meat loaf for me. It also came with some pan fried zucchini and carrots... very greasy for my taste. You can see the oiliness of that side already spreading on the plate in the photo. I also subbed for Mash potato since I was craving a more comforting heavier starch. It was some weird cajun chive mashed potato. It was... okay. I prefer my mash to be creamy and garlicy. This was lumpy and a bit dry. I love spice, but it just didn't taste right in mash. I wish they offered a regular version.

Service was alright, average.

Overall, my first experience here wasn't anything really special. Great ambiance, very modern interior and well spaced. Boring/disappointing food. Personally, wouldn't be a place I'd be really voluntarily visiting nor recommending

The weird salsa

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Yip Hongs Dim Sum Restaurant - Saskatoon, SK

Ah, yum cha/dim sum. One of my favorite childhood memories and still one of my favorite things to do.
Yum Cha focuses more on the tea aspect - having high tea while eating dim sum. They never asked what tea I wanted - but I've heard from a large amount of people that I don't look chinese, and also lets not forget but we are in saskatoon. From the taste of it, I want to say the tea they offer to everyone is either Teet Goon Yum  or  Jasmine .
I've been to two dim sum restaurants in Saskatoon, the Mandarin and Yip Hongs! First note, I was super happy to find out that they have the push cart service. Last time I checked, only one restaurant in Calgary still uses the push cart system. Same with Hong Kong, very little restaurants use the push carts.

I really enjoyed the dim sum selection and quality offered by the Mandarin, but they lacked one very important dish: Feng Zhao - Chicken Feet. One of my favorite dishes and they didn't carry it. I found out Yip Hong's does and I had to make a trip there. They are smaller then the Mandarin and I find have a smaller selection of dim sum. Also the taste and quality, I feel, was not as high as the Mandarin. They really only had three people doing the push carts, and sometimes they would get chatting up with a regular and take forever to make their way to my hungry stomach. 

It's a more homey feel in this restaurant, hard to explain but there were alot of regulars... just the atmosphere there was very down to earth.

Overall, the quality and taste of the dim sum offered was subpar to my standards. I do like how they offer chicken feet, but it wasn't that outstanding. I'd come here mainly for that dish if I was craving it hardcore. If anyone knows any other restaurant that offers chicken feet, please let me know!

Duchess Bake Shop - Edmonton, AB

This is quite a popular spot in Edmonton, usually fairly busy and with a line. They offer a wide selection of pastries and do have a small selection of food.
One word: Overpriced. Lets add another word, ridiculously. Ridiculously overpriced.

They have delicious looking pastries and food. But the price they are asking for is too high. Granted there are a couple of items that are reasonably priced for a couple dollars. The taste of these pastries aren't outstanding. Subpar at best.

My friend had a Brioche Pepin, macaroons and meat quiche. While I had a Vegetarian Tartine with a side salad and pumpkin cream soup. I also purchased a Paris Brest.

First off, the Vegetarian Tartine has Roasted Pears with Brie. I found there were too many pears on there, and it offered too much of a sweet tartness to this dish. The pumpkin soup was delicious but cost an extra six dollars, which in my opinion is pretty ridiculous.

The Brioche Pepin was ... eh. It didn't really taste like anything, it was a very heavy pastry.

The Paris Brest, it was alright. Has a light praline mousse filling, was very light tasting. It was just nothing special. Just an average tasteless pastry.

The macaroons, this is a funny part. My friend bought the packaged one up because usually it's cheaper then buying them individually. While we were sitting there, she calculated the prices separately, if she had bought the same amount separately it would have been cheaper.

I like the interior and the looks of the dishes. They look classic and delicious. I dislike the price and the lack of flavor that accompany the prices. I would not recommend Duchess Bake Shop and would not be back.

The Rock, Wood Fired Kitchen - Red Deer, Alberta

"My My Hey Hey"

Ive tried it numerous times since it has opened and "rocked" Red Deer. Every time I am left unimpressed and unsatisfied.

I've had numerous dishes from this place since it's opened (Only one photo, the most recent one):
"Get Back Mac", I was expecting some good ol comfort food. It was bland, not cheesy enough
"Classic Rock" Pizza, the basic pepperoni pizza. This wasn't bad, not overly greasy but not overly special. I can get the same satisfaction from Delissio.
"Flirtin With Disaster" Actually not bad, had a nice balance with the sweetness from the onions and a nice minor kick to it.
"Bourban Chicken Wrap" Just a generic wrap to me, nothing stood out in this dish verse a wrap at other restaurants
"Beer Battered Fries" Now this I believe everyone just loves,
"Chicken in a Basket" The fries were the only good thing about this. Too much batter on the chicken.
"My My Hey Hey" This was my latest meal @ the rock. It was bland, tasteless and boring. I was super disappointing since i was craving a creamy and rich pasta dish that day. I would have been more satisfied with sidekicks.

Sorry The Rock but the only thing that I would go to the rock for are it's drink specials. I feel like almost every dish I have is boring, tasteless and just doesn't deliver.

Bamboo Hut - Sylvan Lake, Alberta

I may be a little biased in my Review, but i love almost every dish at this place. And if you don't, we can't associate.

"Mango & Pineapple Cream Cheese Stack" Cream Cheese stacked between deep fried rice patties topped with coconut. This is different, i like it but it's not what I usually salivate over. Its essentially a unstructured cheesecake with asian flare, its a must try but i find that not everyone loves it.

"Deep Fried Bananas with Mango Ice Cream" If you meet someone that doesn't like this dessert... run.

"Salad Rolls"I usually never order these at asian restaurants, most of the time they are paired off with hoisin sauce topped with peanuts. I personally find salad rolls to be pretty boring. But the peanut sauce that comes with these are amazing, especially when its nice and warm... mm. The peanut sauce is the star of this dish.

"Spicy Fried Squid" I liked this so much, I tried remaking it at home.... didn't turn out the same way. Its lightly battered, perfectly crispy with a nice hint of spice to it.

"Spicy Wonton Soup" The name says it all. Nicely seasoned wontons with a spicy broth and lots of veg.

The Curries I've had almost all the curries except the Red Chicken and Pork and Pineapple Red Curry. All these curries carry a creamy coconut base balanced out with numerous spices. I love the green curries, it has the perfect kick to it to blend with the coconut flavor.

Noodle Bowls You can't go wrong with vermicelli bowls. They're light yet filling with their beautifully charred meat.

"Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai" a classic thai dish with intense flavors. You get the balance of sweet, spice and sour. Its a tasty and savory dish that almost everyone loves.

Cashew Chicken

"Cashew Chicken Stir Fry" to me, this is a great comfort dish right behind the green curry. The bell peppers add a nice sweetness to this savory dish. This isn't one of my favorites but I love it non the less.

"Hot Thai Stir Fry" , this is one spicy ass dish. It really helped my heart pump, they were not kidding with the name. Personally, prefer my go to Green Curry dish for spice but when I want something more, I hit up Hot Thai Stir Fry.

"Coconut Pineapple Chicken" If you like pineapple on your pizza, your most likely going to fall in love with this dish. I love the sweetness the pineapple brings to such a savory dish.

"Sues Seafood Stew" "tangy coconut satay sauce" is the perfect way to describe it. It makes your tastebuds do a little dance and you may be tempted to lick the bowl. If you like seafood, this is a must try.

Hot Thai stir fry

Those are just a few quick notes on the dishes I've tried at Bamboo hut. I will one day, try everything on their menu... but it is hard. It's hard ordering a new dish when you just salivate over a favorite. Not saying you'll be disappointed but when you crave something...

I recommend anyone in the area to try Bamboo Hut or their other family owned restaurants Blue Dragon and Sophears in Red Deer. If you have a love for asian food, you will be left wanting more.