BREAKFAST AT CEREZO CAFE AND BAR - Renfrew

It is my birthday, and I management to get the day off from work. So what to do when it is your birthday and have a free day to do whatever? Pig out on food, of course. One of friends is on mat leave so she was able to join me for breakfast. I wanted to try breakfast at Cerezo for a while now, but I just haven't had time. Today is the day, and what a way to start the day as I grow a year older. Located on Edmonton Trail, this little gem is a little deceiving since it is converted house. There is a small parking at the back of the house. Upon entering, you get the feel of an old cozy home. The restaurant is all open with the bar in the middle. The kitchen is on another level.

Japanese cuisine seems to be my go-to when I go out, or there is just too many good Japanese places to try. Cerezo is cherry tree in Spanish which seems kind of fitting for this place since they do Japanese tapas. However, I read somewhere that this cafe is Italian-Japanese fusion but I didn't see any Italian inspirations in the day menu. Cerezo offers a Japanese fusion day (brunch menu) menu till 4pm. Then after 4pm, it is Japanese tapas - which I have to try one day because I'm curious on what they have on their menu. There was one other table occupied with I got there at 10:30am, and my friend was running late. I had time to peruse the menu and ordered a drink. The server was attentive and checked on us frequently.

Matcha Latte $5

This is a typical matcha latte - nothing special about it. It taste like all the others. I like the tall tea cup it comes in but not the price for the size.

Sukiyaki Beef Benny with Caramelized Potatoes $16.50

This is one of my favourite benny - the other being duck from a place not in Calgary (can't remember where). The beef was thinly sliced, tender, covered in nice sauce. The homemade bun (as stated - I didn't ask) was nicely toasted. The server didn't actually ask how I like my eggs poached, but they were soft. Once I broke the eggs, the yolks oozed out covering beef adding a creamy texture. There were some sprouts between the egg and beef that didn't really add anything. The Hollandaise sauce supposedly had yuzu and miso favours, but I didn't really taste it. What was interesting was that, my friend and I kept smelling saffron-turmeric but not really taste it. We figured it out halfway through was what was lightly sprinkled on the sides of the plates. The caramelized potato slices were very good. The presentation of the potato slices on the plate was appealing and unique. It looks like they give you a whole potato. Anyways, the potatoes was crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. It also comes with a spicy mayo dipping sauce.

Carrot Cake (don't remember the price as my friend ordered it)

My friend loves to eat and has been known to over-order all the time. She also always want to see the dessert menu no matter the time of day. There were three dessert available, and she was torn between the green tea matcha creme brulee and carrot cake. The other option was tiramisu. She usually makes up her mind under pressure so she went for the carrot cake when the server ask if she decided yet. The carrot cake was a good choice. It was really moist with a cream cheese icing. It was served with berries, vanilla bean ice cream, and matchstick Granny Smith apples on top of the slice. The apple sticks gives it a little crunch and uniqueness in presentation.

Overall, this is a good place to start the day of food. I'm glad that my friend and her baby were able to enjoy this with me. I know I will be back for more brunch items and dinner. However, I have to remember that this place closes on Mondays. I'm curious if they open up the back yard too when the weather is nice. It would be very cool.

Cerezo Cafe and Bar
1002 Edmonton Trail NE
403-250-8894

DINNER AT PAMPA BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE - Stephen Avenue

Located on 10th Avenue SW, it was an easy place to find. I was a bit worried that I couldn't spot it right away but the burning torches out front gave it away. I really wanted to come here for the Big Taste because it was a good deal. Sadly, I wasn't able to try any of the restaurants during the Big Taste. I didn't realize this, but some of the street parking are only available after 6pm on weekdays and Saturday. My friend had made reservations for 5:30pm last Friday. I was a bit late looking for parking. I knew that there was a parkade under the restaurant, but I couldn't seem to find the sign or the entrance to it. I found it later while I was walking by - just drive down the back of the building and there is a little sign. Anyways, my friend told me to risk it and park outside the restaurant but that was after I found a parking spot. As I was walking to the restaurant, I spotted several cars parking on the street, and some people sitting in their cars in case the parking authority drove by or their car is towed.

Anyways, upon entering, I snuck by the hostess since she was busy chatting, and I knew where my friend and her husband were sitting as I was walking by the window. My friend and her husband already started without me since I was about 15 minutes late. As I sat down, the person in charge of our section kindly explained everything to me - the plates by the salad and side bar, the red and green circle for yes and no for meat, and the servers with big skewers coming around. They also bring special cheddar buns to the table as you sit down. They are airy, cheesy, and wonderful, and can always ask for more when the person comes by to check on you.

The restaurant is very spacious for a downtown restaurant and modern. You can fit a lot people in, they have a separate room for big parties. You can also see the meat rotating over the charcoal burners. I was really hungry and didn't remember to take pictures of all the meats!

Dinner $44.95

The salad and side bar had a variety of stuff. There were salads, cheeses, vegetables - raw, cooked, pickled - ham, beef stroganoff, garlic rice, potatoes, etc. I wasn't going to fill my plate with sides since the star and the reason for eating here was the MEAT. This is what I got for sides plus garlic rice during my second round. I was curious of what type of rice they have since I have fond memories of the coconut rice at Bolero. The garlic rice was okay. I could only taste a little bit of garlic.

No time for meat pictures. The servers kept on coming because the restaurant was just starting to get busy. There was suppose to be eleven different types of meat. Chicken did not come out while I was eating so I didn't get to try it. My friends got chicken drumsticks before I got there. I also skipped the lamb since I'm not really into gamey meat except for duck which I love. I will probably be eating lamb when I go back to visit Ireland soon. All the meat I had were delicious. My favourite were the Parmesan pork loin and their special house Picanha (beef rump steak) that the server was trying to sell to us which wasn't that hard. Most of the meats were tender. I had a couple dry pieces since I think it was first cut of the meat after it had been rotating. During our pig-out, the drink cart came around offering to make their specialty drink, Caipirinha. I'm not a drinker but it was very tempting, and since I was driving, I couldn't.

I don't think I ate $45 worth of meat. I was too full for eating too fast. If the meat skewers came out gradually, I think I would have eaten more. After we stopped eating, we had a little break for catching up. The person in charge of our table gave us enough of a break where our stomach settle leaving some room for dessert - very sneaky. He took a while getting the dessert display. Having the dessert display is a good idea, people eat with their eyes and everything on the tray looked tempting. I was going to say no but they all sound yummy, and I caved along with my friend.

Passion Fruit Mousse $9

This is a wonderful dessert. It was very good. The mousse was all passion fruit favour with a nice mixed berry compote. The mousse had a crunchy element of a meringue puff. The mousse sat on some sort of cake and was mushy as it was soaking up the compote. My friend had the papaya ice cream and she loved it.

Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse
521 10 AVE SW
587-354-3441

LUNCH AT SAMURAI RAMEN AND SUSHI - Marlborough

Located in Vista Landing Strip across from Pacific Place Mall (or T&T to everyone else), this hidden gem was hard to find since there was no sign on the building yet. I decided to try this place since it was featured in the Newly Opened Collection. This place is definitely not in East Village. I made my way there with the hope to find it open since it was Good Friday. I actually walked by it, and then realized that it was the old sushi place, Aja Sushi Restaurant. I haven't been to Aja Sushi for a long while and didn't realize it was closing. However, I think this is a good change. Anyways, I was relieved that it was opened for lunch on a holiday.

This is a cute small place with lovely Japanese motif umbrellas and nice hangings. I noticed all their dishes have cherry blossoms. I love cherry blossoms. Since this place has ramen in its title, I know what I was gonna order that. Their menu is a sheet printed on both size and everything looks good and simple. The server here is attentive, nice, and quick.

Motoyaki (2 pcs) $ 5.95

I got an extra piece from the kitchen which was a delightful surprise. Motoyaki is a type of cooking style where it is a baked food topped with a mayo sauce. Samurai version is nothing of the sort unless the shrimp was baked. This slightly cold appetizer is an amuse bouche served in a lovely soup spoon. The one bite was refreshing and delicious. The bottom is a cooked mushroom topped with pickled seaweed that has been tossed with a light mayo sauce. Then on top of the seaweed is a big shrimp which is also tossed with the mayo sauce. The shrimp had a snap and all the favour worked well together.

Tonkotsu Ramen $12.95

This might be my go-to place for ramen in the N.E. if I can't go down to Kensington. However, I haven't tried the ramen in Shikiji. I always get the cold soba noodle at Shikiji. To make this my ultimate favorite, Samurai will have to find a way to bring out the pork favour in the broth more. There is a nice faint taste of pork in the broth. The broth was light and not too salty. The noodle was a little bit chewy at the beginning but as I let it sit for a little while it became soft to my liking. The ramen came with two pieces of not-so fatty pork, half a soft boiled egg, shredded seaweed, bean sprouts, and green onions.

Overall, this is a nice place to go, and I recommend trying the motoyaki and the ramen. The price is on par with the other ramen places. The service is quick and wonderful. I know I will be back for more ramen and will be telling people about this place since most people I know live in the N.E.

Samurai Ramen and Sushi
#140, 920 36st NE
587-470-0808