What I Thought of It

The Dessert House
101-111 2 Ave SE
Calgary AB  T2G 0B3
Phone: 403 263 7789

The Dessert House is easy to spot in Chinatown. If you go south on Centre Street, cross the bridge, and take the first left, then Dessert House is on your right. (It’s a new location; they used to be across the street.)

The ambiance suffered when Dessert House moved premises. The new location is just one large room with plain-looking tables and chairs and bare white walls. A couple of wall decorations would certainly make it a more pleasant hangout.

The staff were civil and showed us to our seats, then appeared to want us to order right away. This was unsettling, since the menu was extensive and I wanted time to mull over my options.

Most of the menu listed Asian sweet treats, such as bubble tea and shakes. A couple of pages were dedicated to savory snacks like wings. There was also a mini-menu showcasing Italian ice cream.

It was ironic that they were rushing us to order, because once we ordered it was a long wait for our treats. A fellow online reviewer said it best: this is a nice place to meet friends you haven’t seen in a while, because the waiting will give you plenty of time to catch up on each other’s lives.

My shake did taste pretty good.

Last thoughts: The Dessert House serves good desserts in a bland setting. As such, I would think twice before going back.

Food ++++
Service ++
Ambiance ++
Washrooms +++

A Touch of Ginger Delight
318 10 St NW
Calgary AB  T2N 1V8
Phone: 403 270 3816

Let me start by saying that I don’t single out bad places. Good and bad experiences are equally deserving of blog space on What I Thought of It.

Being in the vicinity, we popped into A Touch of Ginger Delight in Kensington for dinner. On this Saturday night, all but one table in the medium-sized restaurant was empty. In hindsight, this should have been a warning.

We were quickly seated by a friendly server. I ordered a Coke without ice, which she repeated to herself, yet minutes later there arrived a Coke with ice. Of course, this mistake has occurred in other restaurants, but at A Touch of Ginger Delight, it was just the beginning.

I ordered item C63 from the menu, a rice dish with shredded pork and BBQ pork. My friend had questions about some menu items, but the waitress was not knowledgeable and needed to ask the kitchen twice.

While waiting for the food to arrive I went to the washroom. It looked clean, but the stench made it difficult to finish my business. I couldn’t tell where the smell came from.

Then my food arrived. The rice was warm and well prepared. There was a salad of shredded lettuce and carrots on the side. The lettuce was browning on the edges, clearly past freshness. The shredded pork on top of the rice was cold. I don’t mean lukewarm - I mean almost freezing cold. Luckily it eventually absorbed some warmth from the rice. The BBQ pork was the thinnest piece of pork I’ve ever seen. If the shredded pork and BBQ pork were supposed to be different, then something was off, because they tasted exactly the same. To make it worse, neither one came close to tasting like pork. I felt like I was eating synthetic or expired food.

In the course of my meal, a couple of people finished and left. Their tables were cleared but not cleaned, then new customers were seated at the same tables. Perhaps more diligent cleaning would be advisable amid worries of the H1N1 virus spreading around Calgary.

Last thoughts: I am surprised that A Touch of Ginger Delight is still in business. I hope it is not always like what I experienced. This was my worst meal in living memory. I could not bear to finish my food and ended up eating something at home. I’m never going back to A Touch of Ginger Delight, and be careful if you’re planning to pay a visit.

Food -
Service +++
Ambiance ++
Washrooms -

Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill
5010 4 St NE
Calgary AB  T2K 5X8
Phone: 403 275 1642

After repeatedly hearing radio advertisements for the new Summer Sensations meal, we made plans to dine out at Swiss Chalet. At dinner time on a Sunday night, the Swiss Chalet at McKnight Boulevard & 4th Street NE was packed with customers, yet we were still seated immediately.

The atmosphere at this Swiss Chalet restaurant is on the old-fashioned side, which could be intentional given that the customers tend to be from an older generation.

Service was efficient right from the start, and our food arrived after a short wait. The Summer Sensations meal ($11.99) includes a quarter chicken, salad (spinach or tomato-cucumber), a choice of side, and a sundae or pie for dessert.

Uniquely among restaurants, Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill offers a choice of white or dark meat when you order chicken. We chose dark and were happy we did. The chicken was perfectly cooked, slightly juicy, and very flavorful. The salads looked and tasted fresh (we thought spinach was a better choice than tomato-cucumber). The side of fries was a bit overcooked but still tasted good. The side of vegetables was somewhat bland (needing table pepper) but at least not drenched in butter. All in all, each Summer Sensations meal was more than enough to fill one stomach.

Dessert was still to come. I chose the sundae (vanilla ice cream, chocolate fudge, whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, cherry on top). It was good, but the fudge was poorly mixed in, either sitting on top or stuck on the bottom. My friend chose the pecan pie, warmed up. The pie filling - buttery, sweet, nutty - really hit the spot.

Last thoughts: We had a great dinner experience at the Swiss Chalet Rotisserie & Grill. The staff were extremely courteous, the food was good, and the meal was excellent value. Judging from the full house that night, many others agree. I will definitely keep this restaurant in mind the next time I feel like chicken.

Food ++++
Service ++++
Ambiance ++++
Washrooms +++

Red Sea Fish & Chips
4105 4 St NW
Calgary AB  T2K 1A3
Phone: 403 289 9904

I was craving fish and chips, so I decided to try a new place - Red Sea Fish & Chips - for dinner. This place is next to Stavros in the strip mall on the corner of 40th Avenue and 4th Street NW.

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into Red Sea is that everything is blue. The place is casually decorated in the style of a fast-food restaurant. Everything is sea-themed, down to the signs on the men’s and women’s washrooms.

The restaurant has a row of tables along one wall and a bar against the other wall. Not much was happening when I got there on a Tuesday night. Only one table was taken up, so I had my pick of where to sit.

I had a look through the menu, then the server approached to take my order. Red Sea seems to be a nice little family business. My server was carrying her 14-month-old, fast asleep, on her back. I ordered the Seafood Platter, which comes with bacon-wrapped scallops, battered prawns, 2 pieces of cod, and fries - all for $15.95.

The food took some time to arrive but looked pretty good when it came. The scallops wrapped with bacon were a great flavor combination. The battered prawns were not too greasy and decently meaty. The cod was heavily breaded, making a hard, crispy shell around the fish. The fish inside was flaky and great with the tartar sauce.

The fries/chips were cooked to a nice crisp taste. I’m a big fan and consumer of fries, and you could wake me up in the middle of the night for these Red Sea fries.

Last thoughts: Red Sea Fish & Chips is a great little gem. As a family business, it delivers much more than chain restaurants, where these days no one seems to care. The food is good and worth the visit. If you like your fries crispy, you’ll have to check out Red Sea’s take on the chips. Go on any day except Sunday (when they’re closed).

Food ++++
Service ++++
Ambiance +++
Washrooms ++++

Dairy Lane Cafe
319 19 St NW
Calgary AB  T2N 2J2
Phone: 403 283 2497
www.dairylanecafe.ca

A bright, sunny Saturday in Calgary and a long walk around town brought us to Dairy Lane Cafe. After our long walk we were ready for food, but the nice weather had given others the same idea, so we had to wait. We were told 30 minutes, and exactly 30 minutes elapsed before we got a table.

Dairy Lane Cafe is on the tiny side. It only has about ten two-person tables inside and five two-person tables outside. Expect a wait whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or brunch.

The ambiance is that of an old-fashioned diner in a new setting. Although Dairy Lane Cafe opened in 1950, you wouldn’t guess that from its appearance. Everything is fresh, clean, and well-maintained.

The friendly staff keep an eye on how your meal is going. They could have come sooner to take our order, but I prefer that over feeling hurried to order when I’m still perusing the menu.

The menu is small, and that would limit how many times I’ll go back to the Dairy Lane Cafe. Have a look at the menu on their website (prices are not accurate anymore) to see what they have to offer.

I went with my usual restaurant choice: a burger. The Dairy Lane Burger comes with cheese, bacon, and mushrooms. Dairy Lane Cafe chooses locally grown and organic ingredients wherever possible, and I think that makes everything taste better. The burger was very good, and the crispy bacon on top made it a feast to eat. It was definitely one of the better burgers I have eaten. The accompanying fries were nicely browned, crispy, and also great-tasting.

My friend chose the Vegan Tofu Scramble, and this dish looked amazing. It was prettily garnished with fresh avocado and a side of red tomato slices. The curry flavour and tofu-potato medley made it a unique, signature-worthy dish.

It is always nice to see a local business do so well in competition with the big chains. Restaurant chains are plentiful and familiar, but sometimes one wants something more. Dairy Lane Cafe offers that something more. They even do their bit for the planet by using 100% carbon-free energy in their quest to deliver good-quality food for a reasonable price. Their prices are just slightly but noticeably higher than comparable establishments in Calgary.

Last thoughts: Dairy Lane Cafe certainly made me happy. My walk back home was a bit more difficult after they stuffed me with great food. I think I would go back, but I wish there were more things on the menu to try. If you’ve never been there, you have to go at least once. There’s always a line-up for weekend brunch.

Food +++++
Service ++++
Ambiance ++++
Washrooms ++++