REVIEW | REDHEADS JAPA CAFE | CALGARY

Edmonton vs. Calgary. Good old battle of Alberta. While I will always stand behind my hometown, I will admit that Calgary beats us in one thing. And yes, that would be their brunch scene.

With so many good brunch places in Calgary, it was hard to narrow down a restaurant while we were in town for the long weekend. Wanting something different from the typical eggs and bacon (and also wanting to avoid hour long waits at the more popular spots), we decided to go to Redheads Japa Cafe.

Redheads is a cozy family-run cafe, offering homestyle Japanese food with a twist. You'll find comforting classics like Japanese curry alongside western fusion dishes like japaghetti, katsu sandwiches, and rice burgers.

When we arrived in Calgary, we got to the restaurant about 20 minutes before they opened. There wasn't much to do in the neighbourhood so we waited in the car around the corner until 11:00. Surprisingly we weren't the first diners! A few of their tables were already reserved, so I'd suggest making a reservation or coming early as the place is quite small. 

During dinner, they offer "japas" (Japanese + tapas), and during the weekends, a special brunch buffet. The brunch buffet consists of a selection of table buffet items (miso soup, salad, sushi) and a made-to-order menu of Japanese curry, sliders, eggs Benedict, french toast, rice burgers etc. For only $19.99 a person (which also includes a drink), it's a fantastic value considering that other brunch restaurants would often charge that much for a single dish. The only downside is that a lot of the dishes are quite filling since a lot of it is rice.

We already had our eyes set on items from their regular menu, so we opted to just order them à la carte as it was cheaper to do so and we walked out just as full.

Ever since having CoCo's in Japan last year, my sister has been craving Japanese curry a lot. She orders it whenever and wherever it's available, so it's no surprise she got the JAPA hamburg curry ($11.54) with an added soft egg (+$1.05). Because what's brunch without a picture of a broken egg yolk? (A sad breakfast basically.)

According to my sister, it was hearty and delicious! The curry already comes with beef brisket, potatoes, and carrots, so you can even order plain curry and have your protein all set. She loved it so much that she finished the entire thing. She said she would have licked the plate too, but couldn't, because, well, table manners.

My mom had a hard time deciding on what to order, but we steered her towards their bento boxes since it was a safe option that we knew she would like. Out of a choice of four mains, she got the miso katsu ($12.59), fried breaded pork with miso sauce. The bento also comes with rice, green salad with carrot dressing, and a small side that changes daily. Her box came with edamame and a couple pieces of tamago. It looks small, but the box is rather filling and a good value!

As for me, I tried a couple of their rice burgers! Although they have traditional onigiri as well, the rice burgers are basically a larger version of that (similar in size to a sandwich) with layers of seaweed and rice enveloping different fillings. One rice burger would probably be plenty for a person, and they offer up a combo which includes a rice burger, two pieces of karaage, and miso soup or green salad for under $10. (I was a glutton who ordered two rice burgers since I couldn't decide which one I wanted to get.)

On the left, their miso katsu rice burger ($5.25) comes with breaded pork and miso sauce. The miso katsu was good but the sauce was a bit light. I think I expected it to be more like a traditional tonkatsu sauce which is more tangy and flavourful. 

On the right, we have the spam and egg rice burger ($4.20). Everyone has that food that brings them back to childhood and mine is spam and eggs. Say what you want about spam, but it's delicious! Whenever my mom didn't know what to make for dinner, she would just fry up pieces of sliced spam with scrambled egg. Have that with rice and soy sauce and you have a quick and tasty (but maybe not the most nutritious) dinner. This rice burger definitely had the nostalgia factor for me. They also season the rice with a bit of fried onion which adds a little oomph with texture and flavour.



If you're in Calgary looking for a place that's laidback and a little quirky, definitely consider Redheads Japa Cafe! The food is simple and honest, but tasty and comforting. Our server was also super nice and attentive, and it just felt like we were dining in someone's home the entire time. If you make it for the brunch buffet, just remember to bring your stretchy pants.

Redheads Japa Cafe

www.redheadscafe.com 

638 11 Ave SW #105

Calgary, AB

(403) 532-0600

 

- CT

REVIEW | LOFT THAI EATERY | EDMONTON

When you think of Thai food, mac n' cheese, duck confit, and arancini are probably not what comes to mind. But at LOFT Thai Eatery, you can order these dishes. And then some. 

Like its name suggests, LOFT provides an elevated, modern take on traditional Thai cuisine. You'll still find Thai staples like pad Thai and tom yum goong on the menu, but under the helm of Chef Chon, he brings his years of experience working in world class kitchens to give Edmontonians an appreciation of what Thai cuisine could be.

The restaurant is located just off of 75th street and Roper Rd. Its neighbours are mostly industrial businesses. Considering the work crowd, the lunch menu is simplified to appies, soup and salads, and à la carte dishes. For dinner, that's when things get a little more interesting with an added selection of chef-driven entrees.

The dining space of LOFT is smaller than what the outside appears, so I'd suggest making a reservation to avoid disappointment. However, on the Friday evening that we were there, things really didn't start to pick up until after 7:00.

Starting off our meal, we both ordered a Thai iced tea ($2.50). As explained by our waitress, Thai iced tea is made from steeped Thai tea and milk. Similar to milk tea in that sense. It was light and refreshing, and pretty much a steal at $2.50. I'm pretty sure canned pop costs more at other restaurants.

For an appetizer, we decided on the crabmeat rangoon ($13.00). Fried wonton wrappers filled with real crab meat, cream cheese, garlic, onion, and spices. It also comes with an sweet apple chili sauce for dipping. These were tasty little morsels. Nice and crunchy. The sweet chili sauce was only sweet and could have used a bit more heat.

The seafood drunken bucatini ($19.00) is a dish also available during lunch, but it does a good job of showcasing the chef's creativity with fusion flavours. Bucatini pasta (a hollow spaghetti) is stir-fried with a medley of mussels, clams, shrimp, mushrooms, carrots, and bell peppers in an aromatic Thai basil pesto. For a vegetarian option, you can also order it with tofu instead.

Listed with three chili peppers on the menu, it's deceptively hot, as the spice creeps up on you. It ended up being a bit too spicy for a wimp like me, but anyone else would probably be able to handle it.

For our final entree, we decided on the braised duck confit curry ($25.00). The presentation was beautiful; it definitely wouldn't look out of place at any other fine dining restaurant in town. A braised and roasted duck leg sits on top of a smear of pureed yam, and an aromatic red curry with pineapple, lychee, and longans. The sauteed seasonal vegetables ended up being a duo of carrots and broccoli.

Although I'm eyeing the oven-roasted lamb chops for my next visit, I think it'd be hard to pass up ordering this dish again! The duck was delicious and tender, and the curry sauce was fragrant and flavourful. A bit of heat in there but nothing that will blow your socks off. The longan was also a nice bit of sweetness to break up the curry spice.

All entrees come with a side item, your choice of LOFT mix green salad, steamed jasmine rice, or coconut rice. It seems like an obvious choice -- get the coconut rice with fried shallots. 

Although we were quite full at this point, we thought the next best thing to do was tackle a dessert. I mean, that's what your second stomach is for right? The mango sticky rice ($8.50) came with half a cubed mango, and a jar of warm coconut-scented sticky rice. It was probably not a wise decision to end off with this dessert since it's a bit starchy and stick-to-your-ribs. The mango helps balance that out a bit though.


Seeing all the good reviews out there, I certainly had LOFT-y expectations (sorry, bad joke), but I have to say, LOFT definitely impressed me. Give them a chance to impress you.

LOFT Thai Eatery

www.loftthaieatery.com

5324 75 Street NW
Edmonton, AB

(780) 466-5638

- CT

SNAPSHOTS | SAN FRANCISCO 2018 | DAY 5

Saving the best itinerary for last on this San Francisco trip, we made our way over to the Ferry Building Thursday morning.

The Ferry Building is located along the Embarcadero, north of the Financial District, with views of the Bay Bridge in the distance.

Aside from being a ferry terminal, the building is home to possibly one of the best food halls ever. Inside the marketplace, you'll find artisan merchants selling ceramics, cheese, baked goods, coffee, etc.

They also have a farmer's market, open three days a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays). Saturdays is definitely the time to visit, as the farmer's market takes up a large stretch around the building. On Thursdays specifically, the day we went, the farmer's market mostly consists of street food vendors and food trucks. 

The first food stop we hit up was Roli Roti. This had been a long time coming. I've heard and read about Roli Roti for years and years and years and finally I was going to try it out for myself!
 
They opened quite early at 10:00 but surprisingly, we weren't the first ones in line. There was a regular who they were on a first name basis with and a few other tourists like ourselves, eager to film the spinning rotisserie.

We got their famous porchetta sandwich ($10.50). Their crispy porchetta consists of heritage breed, free-range, naturally raised pork, seasoned and rolled the traditional Italian way. They build the sandwich on Acme Bakery bread, and layer on a good amount of pork, housemade onion marmalade, and fresh arugula. Believe the hype, people. This was a glorious sandwich. My parents likened the porchetta to Chinese roast pork, since they also add in some cracklings for a bit of crunch. A must try!

Inside the marketplace.

So many varieties of mushrooms at Far West Fungi (left), and pretty cupcakes and desserts from Miette (right).

California totes. Save the environment, one plastic bag at a time!

Left: Cheese please! Apparently one should grab a grilled cheese sandwich at Cowgirl's Creamery cafe. I guess there's always next time!

Right: This must be where all the rich people in SF shop. A whopping $155 a pound for imported Miyazaki Japanese A5 wagyu beef.

Quick coffee break at Blue Bottle, an Oakland-based coffee company with locations across the US and even in Japan. We got the New Orleans cold brew iced coffee ($4.00). The coffee is pre-blended with milk, cane sugar, and organic chicory. They even sell these in cute milk cartons. I'm not a big coffee drinker but this wasn't as sweet as I was expecting it to be. I prefer black coffee anyways so that was a plus. 



Next food stop: Dandelion Chocolate! They are a San Francisco-based bean-to-bar chocolate factory located in the Mission District. They source high quality cocoa beans and carefully craft small batches of chocolate bars by hand.

You can buy their chocolate at their Ferry Building outpost, but they also double as a coffee stand with a small selection of baked goods available.

I got their s'mores ($4.00), toasted to order! Homemade graham cracker, marshmallow, dark chocolate from Papua New Guinea beans, and a pinch of sea salt. I left it to sit until after lunch which was probably a mistake. Didn't have that satisfying gooeyness (is that a word?) that you come to expect from a s'more.

Well, after sharing that porchetta sandwich a mere hour earlier, it was time for some real lunch.

Hog Island Oyster Co. is a full-service oyster bar and restaurant, named after the Tomales Bay oyster farm where they source their seafood from. 

Everybody starts off with a small baguette loaf from Acme Bakery.

First up, pink scallop crudo ($15.00) with radish, micro cilantro, and calabrian chili vinaigrette. Really pretty presentation with the scallop served in-shell but I found the vinaigrette to be quite overpowering.

Grilled oysters. $15.00 for four. We got the chili butter, with cayenne, chili flake, sriracha, dijon mustard, butter, lemon juice, garlic and anchovies. On the right, oyster Rockefeller with spinach, Pernod, and heavy cream. These were okay for the most part. I'm not the biggest oyster fan though.

We also ordered a bowl of mussels ($16.00, add Old Bay fries +$3.00), steamed with white onion, garlic, mustard, ginger, and white wine. Aside from one or two closed shells, the mussels were plump and fresh. You also can't visit Hog Island Oyster Co. without getting their chowder ($14.00). Manila clams, aromatic vegetables, bacon, potatoes, and cream. Best clam chowder. I'm indifferent to the thick, gloopy and starchy type of chowder, but this was more of a broth with leeks and fresh clams. A refreshing change of pace.

Since seafood doesn't really fill you up, you have to supplement with some Humphry Slocombe ice cream. Artisan ice cream is huge in SF, and Humphry Slocombe is one of the big players. They've scooped up some pretty unusual flavours over the past years -- bacon, peanut butter curry, or salt and pepper ice cream anyone?

I got a scoop of one of their best sellers, the Harvey Milk + honey graham. Raw blackberry honey with housemade graham cracker cookies. Creamy and rich. I really liked the crunchy bits of graham cracker in there.

A few hours at the Ferry Building later, my parents wanted to go back to Chinatown to pick up some last minute souvenirs. After that trip was done, my dad went to visit his uncle who lives in town while my mom and I stuck around Union Square to do some last-minute shopping.

A shame that we didn't have a chance to ride the cable car while in San Francisco but at $7.00 a trip for each person, it was more economical to just take an Uber to the places we visited.

For dinner, my mom and I chose Sanraku, a Japanese chain restaurant. The location we visited was located inside the Metreon Mall, just across the street from our hotel.

Our first dish was soft shell crab tempura ($13.00), one of my mom's favourites. We were confused at first when the waitress dropped off the plate because the soft shell crab was buried underneath a pile of stir-fried peppers. It was quite good though, with a bit of spice from togarashi powder.  

Our family also loves grilled squid so poppo yaki ($10.00) was also ordered. Whole grilled squid with a light basting of chili ginger soy sauce and Japanese mayonaisse for dipping.

We also got the sashimi appetizer ($16.00), 7 pieces of salmon, tuna, and yellowtail. Clean cuts, quite fresh.

If that wasn't enough food, we also tackled two rolls, the Giants roll ($15.00) with seared spicy salmon, shrimp tempura, cucumber, tobiko, spicy mayo, and eel sauce, and the Golden Gate roll ($13.00) with seared salmon, scallion, tobiko, crab stick, avocado and miso sauce. I appreciated the bite-sized nature of the rolls. They were well-constructed and the ingredients as a whole were tasty.

We chose Sanraku out of convenience but it definitely surprised us.

And that was our last day -- done! We had an early night in, as we had our alarms set for 3:00 the next morning. Yes, 3:00 AM. We had a layover in Vancouver but our flight to Edmonton ended up being delayed due to snow in Richmond (like when does that ever happen?!). We spent two hours just waiting in line on the tarmac before waiting another half hour to "de-ice" the plane. So happy to know that Edmonton now has daily non-stop flights to San Francisco! Take advantage people!

SF, I'll be back!

- CT