The Keg Steakhouse & Bar (Niagara Falls, CANADA) ★★★★☆

Growing up in Canada, I celebrated many memorable occasions at the Keg Steakhouses over the years but this one has been a totally different experience on its own. The Keg Steakhouse & Bar at Niagara Falls boasts a view that is second to none.



Located on the ninth floor of the Embassy Suites, the Keg Steakhouse & Bar offers a view of the Niagara Falls that is nothing short of spectacular.



We haven't had much to eat all morning so this piece of freshly made bread tasted like the most delicious bread we have ever had!



After a 15-minute wait, first up for us was a nice dish of Keg Caesar with crispy romaine and aged Parmesan cheese mixed in a creamy dressing (5/10).



This used to be my personal favorite back in my high school days - The Keg's escargot stuffed in mushroom caps with garlic and herbs. The garlic and herbs were very strong giving the escargot very complex flavors (7/10).



The bacon-wrapped scallops with a zesty martini cocktail sauce used to be my other favorite back then but this time, I thought the scallops were a little bland (4/10).



But neither one of the previous dishes could compare to the crab cakes which were hand-formed using Atlantic Dungeness crab meat. They were perfectly complemented by a dill caper mayo (8.5/10).



Of course, we won't miss the Keg's signature sirloin for the world! Charcoal grilled to medium with a pink centre and served with mashed potatoes and asparagus (6/10).



This trip to Niagara Falls really brought back a lot of memories. I was still a young kid when I was here with my family 22 years ago. Time really flies..... 

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: 9/F Embassy Suites Hotel, 6700 Fallsview Boulevard, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Tel: +1 905 374-5170
Website: fallsviewrestaurant.com




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Tim Hortons (Toronto, CANADA) ★★★★☆

After arriving late in Toronto, we toured around the downtown area a little.....



Wait, there's a Maple Leafs' game tonight obviously.....



I was supposed to crash early tonight after our long flight (delayed one too) from Calgary but I guess some caffeine at Tim Hortons won't hurt.



Leafs Donut, the official donut of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club! Too bad I'm not a Leafs fan.



But I'm a Toronto Blue Jays fan! I assume it's their official donut too. WOW~



I thought I better got myself some extra donut and muffin for tomorrow's breakfast. The caramel donut I had in Vancouver a few days ago was worth an encore.

Price: $$
Address: 55 York Street, BC, Canada
Closest Metro Station: St Andrew / Union 
Tel: +1 416-363-1055
Website: www.timhortons.com/ca/en/index.php

Daishō (Toronto, CANADA) ★★☆☆☆

After arriving at the Pearson International Airport, we were pretty exhausted already but we still had to fight our way to downtown Toronto where it would be a little crowded tonight with the Toronto Maple Leafs playing host to the Ottawa Senators. We had two unfinished business tonight, (1) find our hotel near the Air Canada Centre and (2) we have a date with Daishō, Momofuku's modern interpretation of an Asian steakhouse on University Avenue.

We parked our car at the hotel and started walking to University Avenue. Finding the restaurant was easy enough for us to handle (next to Shangri-La Hotel Toronto) but despite having a reservation, we had to wait for our table to be available.

It's a little too much to ask for four tired souls to hang around here for 30 minutes after a long long day which included flying over from Calgary but that was the plan right now. I decided to check out the Momofuku noodle bar here while we waited for them to call our name.




They actually have the floor plan of this place engraved to the walls right next to the elevator. How cool is that!?



Finally our table was ready, time to rest our feet now.



This table wasn't bad at all, had a nice view of University Avenue from up top.



We haven't had much to eat all day so weren't too picky in deciding what to eat at this point (around 8pm). Thankfully, they have a small amuse bouche for us - pickled cucumber. Simple but very nice (or perhaps we were too hungry?).



About 20 minutes or so has elapsed and our first starter was there waiting to be served - dungeness crab salad with kimchi apple, shrimp chip and cilantro. This was very clever serving a dungeness crab salad with shrimp chips and we were supposed to eat it like a lettuce wrap. Very good start.




Another simple dish - torn pasta with pine nuts, matsutake and chicken. The "torn" pasta has a very lovely bite and simply love the way the pine nuts and matsutake worked with the pasta. Small but very delish.

But at this point, it's at least 45 minutes since we placed our orders. 



At the hour mark, our first main course finally showed up but we haven't finished all of our starters, have we? Where's our foie gras, pickled cherries, cashew and riesling? We called our server over and he said he's on top of it. OK.

Muscovy duck with turnip and currants. This was beautiful and the portion was huge, perfect for sharing. The duck breast was meaty, juicy and super tender. Really enjoy the acidity from the different currants which was subtle yet not overpowering.



Another server dropped off a Tuscan kale with cured ham, sweet onion and maple syrup for us. Isn't this supposed to be served with the meat but that was almost done by now. I tried to grab her to help chasing the outstanding dishes but again no luck.



Another hour, yes 60 minutes has gone by and our second main dish finally appeared in front of our very eyes - whole speckled trout from Kolapore Ontario with shrimp, tomato and smoked milk. This looked amazing but with the 2 hours which have gone by, this sea trout could have swum to the Atlantic Ocean and back by now.

But I had to admit, this was very nice. The meat was firm and flavorful with the smoked milk providing the trout a delicately milky texture.



There would be no dessert for us tonight as two of us were already napping on the table. It's almost 11pm, a whopping 3 hours were spent here on this meal with the vast majority of it waiting for the next dish to arrive. Pacing was absolutely horrible and despite the regular complaints to various servers, nothing has improved since the first dish (and what happened to the missing dish?). 

In summary, the food was very very good but make sure that you've got enough time (and sleep) for it.



Food Rating: 7.2/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Third floor, 190 University Avenue, Toronto, Canada

Tel: +1 647 253-8000 
Website: momofuku.com/toronto/daisho

The Strathcona Hotel (Toronto, CANADA)

We will be staying at The Strathcona Hotel in Downtown Toronto during our 48 hours in the city. To be brutally honest, it wasn't our first choice (nor second) but we like the centralized location near Union Station. The Hockey Hall of Fame is just a couple of blocks away.

The hotel lobby which we never got to use, was a pretty spacious one. It's just a short walk to the financial centre from the entrance, making it a fairly decent choice for business travelers.

Our room was a very small one. They could barely fit two single beds in and we had to work really hard to get our luggage into the room. It almost felt like we're in one of those micro hotels in Japan. 

To give you an idea how little space there was in the room - They had no place for a television that the only way to fit it in was to mount it onto the wall (the TV was almost touching the door of the cabinet!). And see how tiny the bench was (underneath the window)!

The bathroom was a pretty standard one. Not much to report there.

Despite all the bad things I had to say about the hotel, I thought its location was nearly perfect. It's in the heart of a very busy part of Downtown Toronto.



It is just walking distance away from a lot of different places including Roger's Place (and by the way, there's a hockey game tonite I think). 

If not for our decision to stay here, I probably won't have the chance to check out the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is really a must for all hockey fans.

Rating: ❤❤

Price: $$$

Address: 60 York Street, Toronto, ON M5J 1S8, Canada

Tel: +1 416-363-3321

Website: www.thestrathconahotel.com

Best Western Premier Freeport Inn Calgary Airport (Calgary, CANADA)

Our original plan was to stay in Downtown Calgary; even Fairmont Lake Louise received some consideration (but we didn't have the budget) but at the end, we decided to stay close to Calgary International Airport. Good thing we did cuz we have a very early morning flight to catch to Toronto.

Best Western Premier Freeport Inn Calgary Airport wasn't directly connected to the airport but we could literally see the airport runway from our room. Yeah, it's that close.

I like the size of our room. Even with two double size beds, there were still enough space for a couch and more.

The bathroom was a fairly decent one.

I was kidding when I said we could see the airport runway. But no time for us to admire the view cuz we needed to pack our bags and get ready for our morning flight.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time for an in-depth view of Jasper and Calgary. Until next time!

Best Western Premier Freeport Inn Calgary Airport is a pretty nice airport hotel considering its proximity to the airport and car rental company. It was exactly what we needed to get us ready for Toronto.

Rating: ❤❤❤

Price: $$$

Address: 86 Freeport Boulevard NE, Calgary, AB T3J 5J9, Canada

Tel: +1 403-264-9650

Website: www.bestwesterncalgary.com

Red Water Rustic Grille (Calgary, CANADA) ★★★☆☆

After a full day of activities in Banff and Lake Louise, we really did not have the time nor appetite for a night of fine dining so a casual dinner at Red Water Rustic Grille sounded like exactly what the doctor would order.

Attached to a huge commercial building on the 6th Avenue NW, Red Water Rustic Grille has an extensive bar area to the right side of its main entrance while to the left, there is a comfortable main dining room with dim lighting.



There's also a glass wine room near the entrance, providing a perfect spot for a private wine tasting event.

Tuna tartare, 3/10
We have never made up our mind as quickly as we had tonight. A few minutes gone and we had already decided on what to order.

Things got rolling with a small tuna tartare that was served with the usual suspects - avocado, cucumber and radish. The fried wonton provided an interesting Asian twist to the dish.

I thought the presentation was a bit off and the tuna did not taste fresh and flavorful. 



Crab cakes, 7/10
Despite the horrid start, things began to look up for us. The crab cakes with chipotle orange aioli, pickled vegetable and arugula were surprisingly good and the four of us had to fight for a fair share! 



Side stripe prawn garganelli, 6/10
Another "plus" dish for us was the garganelli with prawns. The sauce was very creamy, yet not too overpowering.



Pizza, prosciutto and calabrese, 4/10
Finally a wood fire pizza to wrap up this meal. We picked this one largely because of the interesting combination of toppings - parmesan cream, artichoke, roasted red pepper, onion, kalamata olive, green onion and shaved grana padano.

It was fine but nothing to write home about.





Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$

Address: #181, 250 6th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta
Tel: +1 403 265-3837

Website: http://bowvalley.redwatergrille.com/



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Walter's Dining Room (Jasper, CANADA) ★★☆☆☆

Walter's Dining Room at the 4-star Sawridge Inn prides itself as a rare First Nation owned hotel restaurant in the heart of Jasper. The award winning team puts strong emphasis on the use of regional and environmental friendly ingredients in preparing a wide selection of Canadian inspired dishes highlighted by First Nation nuances.

We drove in from Edmonton and by the time we arrived at Sawridge Inn, it was almost 8:30pm. Tired and starved, we quickly checked in and looked for a place to fill our belly.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the hotel's fine dining restaurant, Walter's Dining Room was still open. Apart from the extensive food menu, we were also attracted by the unique ambiance that features a sky-lit atrium setting and giant 3-storey fireplace.



The lush atrium of greenery provided a very cozy environment for casual dining.

The restaurant offers a good selection of wine from different regions in the country.



We decided to start things off with something inspired by the native heritage - the Three Sisters' soup. The Three Sisters often refers to the combination of corn, green beans and squash (here they used butternut squash) which were traditionally harvested by many American Indian tribes.

They also added some potatoes, pork hock and bannock to enrich this stew-like soup (3.5/10).



Next was a bowl of PEI mussels cooked with lemongrass coconut curry. We found the seasoning to be a little on the light side (3/10).



Our last appetizer featured the "Dialogue of salmon" that comprised of salmons done in three different ways - hot smoked, gravlax and candied.

This was a slightly more sophisticated dish comparing to the previous two starters but unfortunately we found the interpretation to be rather underwhelming (1/10).



For my main course, I had the black truffle sacchetti pasta. Stuffed sacchetti pasta was nicely cooked with some roasted garlic, black truffle, white wine crème, parmesan and chili oil.

I really came to enjoy the sauce and their work with the seasoning but perhaps the sacchetti pasta was a bit overcooked leaving a slightly unpleasant texture. The presentation also could have been a lot better (3.5/10).



We finally came down to our last main course - Maple whiskey prawns. Fresh prawns were
flambéed with Canadian maple whiskey and then served with crème and assorted vegetables (4/10).



Jasper National Park is home to a large population of wildlife including caribou seen here in the picture below.



It also possesses some of the most breathtaking scenery of mountains, lakes and glaciers in the Canadian Rockies. This memorable journey will definitely be remembered forever. 


       Scenic drive through the Canadian Rockies


       Bow Lake, Jasper



Food Rating: 3.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Sawridge Inn Jasper, 76 Connaught Drive, Jasper, Alberta
Tel: +1 780 852-5111
Website: www.sawridgejasper.com/dine-lounge/walters-dining-room.aspx

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