Category Archives: Uncategorized

Happy Hour Tacos in Calgary at Native Tongues

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That’s me ordering $1 food-truck tacos near Walla Walla, Washington

In my early days of road-trip dining in the southwest U.S., I’d occasionally stop at a rusty Mexican food truck for a paper plate full of tacos at a picnic table. Little envelopes of goodness, such as grilled pork pastor, often for as little as $1. Four bucks was a big feed, even in U.S. dollars.

Times have certainly changed, with upscale offerings often commanding prices of $5 or more. But I’ve found a way to partly turn back the clock, at Native Tongues Taqueria in Calgary’s Britannia neighbourhood.

It’s called happy hour. Between 2 and 4 pm weekdays, the Mexican restaurant offers its delightful tacos for 25 per cent off. And I must confess, they’re considerably better than any of my bargain tacos of yore.

Fabulous happy-hour tacos at Native Tongues

So on a quiet midday Thursday, I ordered a small meal of three tacos. One was a barria: braised beef in adobo sauce. Two a cochinita pibil: braised pork with achiote and pickled onions. Three, deep-fried haddock with chipotle mayo.

Fabulous, messy stuff, with a cloth napkin to wipe up the spillage. All for the happy-hour price of $12.67.

Native Tongues Taqueria
829 49 Avenue SW and two other Calgary locations
Daiy 11:30 am-10 pm
403-454-8976

Best Vegan Indonesian in Calgary

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Padmanadi co-owner Maya: it’s a family business

Want a unique Calgary dining experience? How about a vegan take on Indonesian cuisine?

That’s what Padmanadi delivers at its immaculate restaurant, in a busy Macleod Trail mall. All its “meats”—chicken, beef, mutton— are plant based. There’s lots of veggies to round out savoury curries, stir fries and stews.

I go for a lunch special ($18), choosing a mildly spicy curry chicken that comes with two spring rolls and a large mounding of rice. While the plant-based “chicken” pieces taste great, it’s the yellow coconut curry that’s the real star, soaked up by all that jasmine rice; for $1, it’s probably worth upgrading to coconut or brown rice.

Vegan “chicken curry lunch special

Co-owner Maya explains that Indonesian food is distinct in, for example, typically not using any onion or garlic. The vegan focus at Padmanadi is not integral to the cuisine but reflects how her family eats.

A spotless place in a busy Macleod Trail mall

And this is certainly a family business, stretching back several generations to Jakarta (her grandmother’s name translates into English as Padmanadi). Maya’s parents opened their first Canadian restaurant, in Edmonton, more than two decades ago, eventually turning it over to her sister and brother-in-law. About a year ago, Maya and her husband traveled south to open the Calgary location.

In a largely carnivorous city, it’s nice to see a fine vegan addition, let alone something this unique.

Padmanadi Vegan Eatery
100, 8835 Macleod Trail SW, Calgary
Daily 11:30 am-9 pm
403-300-2270

Calgary’s Best Sourdough: Butter Bakes

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Butter Bakes owner Chelsea Kolke and all her sourdough creations

A boast I’ve often heard: “The best bread is what you bake at home.” Which is true only if it’s the home of Chelsea Kolke.

A Red Seal certified chef, Chelsea is the owner of Butter Bakes, producing exceptional, handcrafted sourdough breads and treats in her home micro bakery in southeast Calgary.

An eminently chewable sourdough focaccia

Here’s how it works. Every week, after online orders have closed, she brings her small-batch sourdough starter to life, mixing it with organic, locally grown and milled grains. A day later, she bakes the resulting sourdough breads, cookies and scones in a large, specialized oven in her kitchen. The cooled baked goods are then packaged and displayed out front, awaiting pickup from a parade of dedicated customers (delivery is also available).

Almost overwhelmed by the choices, I start with a rosemary, sea salt and olive oil focaccia ($12), ripping off big chunks and chewing happily for several minutes. Second, how can I resist an oversized loaf featuring caramelized honey, brown butter and Scottish oats ($10)? Or a pain de campagne ($10), perfect for sandwiches.

Packaged breads and treats awaiting pick up.

All the sourdough loaves are wonderfully tangy and chewy, chewy but with a tender crust. Truly some of the best sourdoughs I’ve sunk my teeth into.

Butter Bakes Micro Bakery
7408 24 Street SE, Calgary
Order online by 5 pm Wednesday, pickup Friday post 2 pm
403-827-7711

Calgary’s Best Balkan Bakery: Erina

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Erina Bakery owners Melihate (l) and Milahim

I’ve driven past Erina Bakery countless times without noticing its presence, next to a bottle depot on busy 37 Street in southwest Calgary. I finally pushed open its colourful doors and discovered a world of Balkan baking I didn’t know existed.

How about you? Have you heard of pitalka, Nordic rye or Albanian breads? Didn’t think so. Or burek, a cigar-shaped phyllo pastry filled with your choice of potato, cheese, meat or spinach. It makes a delightful appetizer, with or without a dip.

Burek: a stuffed phyllo pastry

The prices are low, such as $2 for a chewy little pitalka loaf. Slather on a red pepper spread called avjar and you might be transported to Kosovo.

This pitalka loaf would make a huge sandwich

The quality and distinctness of Erina’s baked goods is more than matched by the charming couple, Milahim and Melihate, who opened the bakery some four years ago. Meeting lovely owners like these is the reason I do this blog.

The full Balkan bakery experience

Okay, on with the quiz. Kifle? Gjervrek? Like me, you’ll have to visit to find out.

Erina Bakery
Unit 28, 2835 37 Street SW, Calgary
Daily 9 am-7 pm, except 5 pm closing Sundays
403-686-2900

Best Calgary Ramen: Shiki Menya

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The chili goma ramen at Shiki Menya is as flavourful as it is gorgeous

I hate waiting in line at restaurants. But I’d been warned that if I wanted a celebrated bowl of ramen at Shiki Menya, in Calgary’s Bridgeland neighbourhood, I’d better join the line before the doors opened. Or risk them running out of liquid gold.

So to my surprise, when I showed up in parka at 11 a.m. sharp on a winter weekday, I was the first in the door, with no one behind me. Let me tell you, it was well worth the (non) wait, with the day’s first cauldron of chili goma ramen sliding onto my little table.

To my surprise, the wildly popular restaurant is empty when I arrive

Now, you might consider $22 a tad steep for a bowl of soup. But here’s why you should splurge. The bowl is humongous and gorgeous, brimming with house-made ramen noodles and an artful topping of ground pork wrapped in scallions. The real secret is the sesame, pork-bone (tonkotsu) broth that’s been simmering for 24 hours. It yields a complex, rich broth that rivals just about any soup I’ve had.

Here’s where the magic happens

Shiki Menya can be challenging to get into… and out of. That’s because it’s dine in only, with no takeout containers offered. In a world awash in takeout and delivery, it’s refreshing to read: “For quality reasons, ramen is designed to be enjoyed immediately upon serving.”

These doors can be hard to get in and out of

But lest you think they’re a pretentious lot, the website offers a few reviews, including this: “Food wasn’t what I expected, choice of music is horrible, poor service, can’t split the bill, bathroom music was even worse.”

Shiki Menya
824 1 Avenue NE, Calgary
Monday to Saturday 11 am-3 pm. Closed Sunday
403-454-2722

Best Calgary Coffee Roaster: Devil’s Head Coffee

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Devil’s Head Coffee has a wee coffee bar in front and roasting gear in the back

Devil’s Head Coffee had me (a former mountaineer) as soon as I walked in the door of their little Calgary roastery and saw photos of owners Chris and Tanis climbing rock and ice routes in the Ghost Valley.

But then they checked all the boxes of what I’m looking for in a roaster. First and foremost is the excellent quality of the coffee, featuring a dozen single-origin and custom-blended beans from farms and co-ops around the world. Those beans are small-batch roasted several days a week.

And Devil’s Head does what every coffee roaster should do but usually doesn’t: print the roast date right on the bags. That way you know the coffee is fresh.

The sign of freshness: the roasting date right on the package

So far, I’ve been to the roastery and little coffee bar only twice; they’re located way down in industrial southeast Calgary. No matter. They regularly deliver to every part of the city, and it’s free if your order is $40 or more.

Several times, I’ve ordered in the morning and had a parcel on my doorstep that afternoon. Beat that Amazon!

Devil’s Head Coffee
Bay 5, 5700 Barlow Trail SE, Calgary
Monday to Thursday 9 am-5 pm, Friday 9 am-4 pm. Closed weekends.
403-561-8274