DINNER AT MANGO MANIA - Centre Street N

I stopped by here to grab a light dinner after a charity event downtown. Since it was Saturday, I was a bit surprise that this place was packed after 8pm. However, I think people were there more for the drinks than the food. I wanted to try this place before it even open. This place is a mango lovers dream, but what I was really after are the baos. Located on Centre Street N, this is a great location for business with Crescent Height High School nearby - my old school. The whole building is renovated. I remember this place use to be a Vietnamese restaurant.

When I arrived, the place seemed a little disorganized. It is small with benches and a few tiny tables lined in the front. This suggest that the place is not meant as a hang out for large groups, but this doesn't stop people from sitting around and socializing. The line was at the door when I went in, and it took awhile for it to move. I think someone had a large order to fill. There were one person taking orders, three people making drinks, and the kitchen seems pretty fast. The person handling the orders coming out from the kitchen was trying to help with calling out the drink orders as well. It seemed a little chaotic behind the counter. Since all the benches were filled, it was also kinda awkward of finding a place to stand and be out of people's way while waiting for your order to be up. Further, after I finished ordering, the person taking orders came up to me twice as she forgot to give me a straw and then my pudding.

Mango Coconut $7

If you like coconut and mango, this is the drink for you. The drink is basically fresh mango juice over coconut milk slush. The coconut milk slush part was very good and all coconut flavour. The mango juice is thick and overwhelming by itself. When you mix the drink, you get a little bit of coconut and lot of mango flavour. This drink is big, and I think reasonably priced considering they have to import the mango from the Philippines and maybe other places. They also top this drink off with big mango chunks.

Bao Trio (l to r) - Bulgogi Cheese Steak, Braised Pork Belly, and Miso Mushroom $12

When you order the bao trio, you get a complimentary dessert or green mango salad. I chose mango pudding. The pudding is very good and is full of mango flavour filled with little mango chunks. The pudding comes in little cups. You can buy it separately - 1 for $2.50 or 5 for $11.
The last time I had baos was over a year ago in San Francisco at a little famous food truck. The baos at Mango Mania are very tasty. The buns are made in-house and are soft and pillowy. During my visit, they ran out of roasted duck and that was my top pick. So in its place, I chose Bulgogi cheese steak. The meat was tender and spicy, but not overly spicy as I was able to handle it. However, the spiciness overwhelmed the cheese. I could barely taste the cheese or the onions. Braised pork belly bao was good. The pork belly melted in my mouth, and the pickled mustard greens gave it a little crunch. This was suppose to have a garlic mayo but I didn't get any on this bao which was okay since it didn't need any. The miso mushroom bao was also very good. The sauteed mushroom was tender. I didn't taste any miso (butter) because the garlic mayo was a bit over-powering, but the garlic mayo gave the mushroom bao an extra layer of flavour. Overall, the baos are very good. All the flavours in each of the baos were there, and the little buns was able to hold all the fillings pretty well.

All in all, this is a cute little place with a wonderful unique concept. The workers seemed a little over-whelmed when the place gets very busy, but I'm sure over time they will get use to the rush. And for sure, there will be a lot of rushes. I'm seeing this place will last for a long while. Next month, they will be switching over to winter hours, but they will still be open late on Fridays and Saturdays and close on Mondays.

Mango Mania
1115 Centre St N
403-668-0802

LUNCH AT RAMEN ICHINEN - Northeast

Another wonderful ramen place in the Northeast. This cute tiny restaurant is in Clay Oven's old space as Clay Oven moved a block away into a new building. Specifically, it is located deep in the Interpacific Business Park off of 32nd Avenue NE across from the Husky House truck stop diner. If you are looking for it, it is near the corner beside Fat Kee Noodle House. They renovated the place, and it looks modern, open, and bright. This place is also run by very kind and super friendly people.

I went in on a Saturday for lunch and made it before noon. The place was about half full but it slowly got busy. Since the place is small, they don't have many tables. I think less than 10 with one big table and the rest four- and two-tops. The one thing I like about this place is their Facebook page. They have pictures of their soup stock, "umami" sauce, spicy oil, and chashu being made in-house. You can see all the work going into their yummy food.

Japanese O-Cha $3

I like that on all their tables they have a laminated sheet of how their broth is made. It is very informative and shows the effort in making their own unique broth. They were also advertising the Japanese Yuki (Organic) Oolong that they have. You can get it either cold or hot. I wanted to try this even though I'm not a big fan of oolong teas. Since it was a bit chilly out, I opt for a nice cup of hot tea. I was very surprise that it had a sweet taste. It reminded me a little bit of the Nestea ice tea flavour. It is a nice change to the typical Japanese green tea that you find in all Japanese restaurants - which they have here too.

Original Tonkotsu Ramen + Chicken Karaage Rice Bowl $13.50 + $2

Their menu is small which I think is perfect. They have 4 tonkotsu ramens, Mazemen (a dry, broth-less, ramen), and a yakisoba (noodle) dish. They also have rice bowls and a few sides. So anyways, Raman Ichinen has a lunch special (11am - 2pm) of when you order a ramen you can choose a rice bowl (chashu or chicken karaage), gomae (seaweed salad), or edamame for $2 extra or a seared bonito bowl for $3 extra. Not to miss this opportunity to try more things, I added the chicken karaage rice bowl with my ramen.
I ordered the original tonkotsu ramen. You get a choice between lean or fatty chashu and green onion or arugula. I chose fatty chashu and green onion. The ramen comes with one slice of chashu, half a simmered egg, green onions, and a piece of seaweed. I know what you are thinking - one slice of chashu?! But this chashu slice is thick. It is like having two slices at other ramen places. The chashu was really tender and melted in my mouth. The egg was creamy, and the noodles were thin and round. I don't know if the noodles were made in-house but it was very tender and cooked to my liken. The broth is also a different in that I could taste a little bit of pork but there was a big hint of fish as well. They add their unique umami flavouring, which is made from seafood and fish, to the broth during their broth making process. As for their chicken karaage rice bowl, all I have to say is that was one of the very best chicken karaage I have ever had so far. Their chicken had a light crispy coating on the outside, and the meat is juicy and tender. The rice bowl consist of rice, shredded nori, green onions and chicken. There is a light teriyaki sauce drizzled on the rice. I totally recommend everyone try the chicken karaage.

Tonkotsu Black Ramen $15

I was able to squeeze in a second visit before I publish this post. This time I tried their Tonkotsu Black Ramen which consist of their black garlic oil. Their black garlic oil, which is made in-house, just adds another level of flavour to the broth. I could taste the garlic and sesame oil. During this visit, they had a page saying that they normally serve their ramen with thin noodles, but if you like thick noodles, just request it. I guess people just want thicker noodles. I'm happy with their thin ones - more softer. Also, this time around, one of the server recognized me. I don't know if I'm flattered or not since my visits were not that close apart and I've only been there twice.

The word ichinen means determination or a determined purpose. Knowing this, I think this restaurant is properly named. I can see all their work and effort in making each of their ingredients for their ramen. This place is fast becoming one of my favourite ramen places in Calgary with their superb ingredients and very friendly service. Given that, this place is open from 11am-3:30pm and 5-8pm Monday to Saturday. They are closed on Sundays. So come and give this place a try before they become too popular.

Ramen Ichinen
#349 3132 26 Street N.E.
403-454-2646

SNACK TIME AT SWEET TOOTH ICE CREAM - Chinatown

Move over bubble tea, the new Asian sweet trend is Thai rolled ice cream. This new ice cream shop is located in Chinatown on Centre Street and is usually packed with people on the weekends. My friends and I were actually down in Chinatown during their grand opening weekend, but we promised ourselves we wouldn't eat anything since we were all going to an Italian wedding reception in about an hour time, and Italian weddings always have a LOT of yummy food.

Thai rolled ice cream is just what they sound like. They are rolls of ice cream, about the size of a roll of quarters, that are packed into a cup and topped with a variety of toppings such as whipped cream, candies, cookie crumbs, hot fudge, etc. The process takes about two minutes and is mesmerizing to watch. The staff pours a cup of flavoured milk-based liquid onto a extremely cold metal circle. (I think Sweet Tooth runs a coolant underneath the circle pan to keep it constantly in cold temperatures or have those cool cold griddles.) As the liquid begins to freeze, the staff manipulates it with paddles and slowly spread it out across the metal surface. During this phase, toppings and sauces can be added to give the ice cream more flavour. Once the ice cream evenly covers the circle, the staff pushes a spatula across it and turns the strips into rolls.

Sweet Tooth have 7 main rolled ice cream flavours and some seasonal/monthly special flavours as well. They have a big list of toppings ranging from $0.50 to $1 each. The toppings include brownie bits, toasted marshmallow, mini macaron, gummies, pocky and wafer sticks, etc. My sister, brother-in-law, and I came here on a Sunday afternoon when it wasn't that busy. We each ordered a different flavour, and I didn't get a chance to take a picture of what my brother-in-law got, Purple Haze - taro flavour, as he ate it quickly.

The Hulk with toasted coconut and London Fog $7 each

My sister got the Hulk with toasted coconut. I got to have a taste, and it was good. I could really taste the matcha green tea flavour plus they sprinkled some green tea powder on top. I chose London Fog with no toppings. I could taste a slight hint of earl grey tea and little bit of honey. The person making mine did not spend that much time on it, plus he was talking to other people, and it turned out a bit runny and sloppy presentation. The London Fog also came with Froot Loops crumbles to get it a little texture. As you can see, I didn't get that much crumbles but instead I got crumb dust making mine very sweet. Overall, I was slightly disappointed in mine but I think it was the prepping person's fault and not the item. The other person prepping the rolled ice cream took great care in making my sister's and brother-in-law's making it picture worthy. I would order London Fog again and hopefully it will be nice and not overly sweet by Froot Loop dust.

All in all, I would definitely go back and order every ice cream roll on their menu. They also have the rain drop cake on their menu. The cake looks amazing from pictures I have seen from other places but I heard it lacks in flavour because it is basically made from mineral water and agar. Further, I have seen recently that Sweet Tooth has Macaron ice cream sandwiches, and they have cute panda macarons. Sweet Tooth is open from noon - 10pm Sundays through Thursdays, and from noon - midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Even though winter is coming, we hardy Calgarians are always up for ice cream in any season.

Sweet Tooth Ice Cream
206B Centre St S
587-832-0128

DIM SUM AT U AND ME - Chinatown

Wow, September has been a busy month with celebrations and work, and I didn't get a chance to try anywhere new. However, I did manage to convince my sister and her husband to have dim sum with me on one of the few days I was free. I wanted to go somewhere that I haven't had dim sum before and had soup dumplings on their menu. I had a choice between two places in Chinatown, and I chose U and Me since this place is big and have a very big dim sum menu. I haven't been to U and Me since my University days where we would go late at night for some yummy greasy Chinese food. This place was and still is known for staying open very late (or early). Their hours are 8am to 4am everyday.

Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine, particularly Cantonese. The food is usually small bite-size portions served in small steam baskets or on small plates. Dim sum is made famous by the way the food is served - fully cooked dishes and pushed on carts around the restaurant for diners to select. Some restaurants in Calgary still have the traditional carts but most have a paper menu list where you check off or write down the quantity you want and then flag a server afterwards to give the list to them. I don't know which way I like better - maybe the cart since you can see the food before picking it. U and Me had the paper menu list and, naturally, we over-ordered. Here are some of the items we ordered:

(l to r) Pan fried Shrimp Bean Curd Roll $4.95; Baked Egg Tarts $4.95; Century egg and Meat Congee (s) $6.95; Pan Fried Turnip Cakes $4.55; BBQ Pork in Rice Rolls $5.65; Garlic Sauce Spareribs $4.95; Shanghai Style dumplings $7.75; Chinese Donut Rice Rolls $6.25; Not picture Shrimp dumpling (har gow) $5.25 and Steamed BBQ Pork Buns $4.95

So, yeah. Ten dishes and three people. Everyone chose what they know and love. Dim sum dishes are hardy - full of carbs and greasy. We were pretty full afterwards, and there leftovers to take home. All the dishes were typical dim sum dishes that you can get anywhere. There was nothing that stands out or a specialty to U and Me. The one dish I was looking forward to was the Shanghai style dumplings (xiao long bao). They are dumplings, when cooked right, have soup inside. This soup is very flavourful and rich. I read that in New York City xiao long baos are popular, and they are experimenting with many types of stuffing - one including chocolate! I don't know if this will be the next mini food trend or not. But anyways, the xiao long baos at U and Me were not to my expectations. The meat was good but where is the soup?! I bit into one hoping that it was full of soup, but there was hardly any, and they were all like that. I was very disappointed since I was talking it up to my sister and brother-in-law. However, I know of two places in Calgary that suppose to have good xiao long baos. (Comments to me below if you know of more or any places that have unique flavour ones.)

Overall, this is a typical Chinese restaurant that opens super late. We went on Sunday at 11am, and the place was almost full when I went in. I think we missed the early dim sum crowd since there were dim sum "happy hour" specials serving till 11 am. The servers were attentive in that they were clearing our empty dishes and re-filling our tea pot right away. Initally, it was hard to get their attention to hand in our item list, but I think that is typical in most dim sum places. I always have to wave the paper around to get the servers attention even when it is not busy.

U and Me Restaurant
201 233 Centre Street SW
403-264-5988

DINNER AT GAGANA RAMEN - Airport

I have been wanting to try this place when they first open back in May. I was excited to learn that the restaurant is the Northeast but at a very odd location. Gagana Ramen is located on 11th Street kitty-corner to the main Canada Post office or up the hill from Deerfoot City. Gagana Ramen is a franchise from Japan. They even had a Japanese chef come in to train the local chefs the Gagana way. I think the owner of this location is Chinese since they took an ad out on the local Chinese newspapers, and I can hear them talking in the back. However, it doesn't matter as long as the food is good and authentic.

I think I'm turning one of my co-workers into a foodie. So far, she has love all the places I suggested she should try. So, I decided to take her here. Since we leave work at different times, we decided to meet at the restaurant at 6 pm. We came on a Wednesday. Currently, Gagana has a promotion: Monday to Wednesday 20% off total bill; Thursday to Sunday Free order of Chicken Karaage, Edamame, or Seaweed salad when you purchase 2 orders of ramen or rice; for 4 or more, additional 10% off the bill. When I arrived at the place, there was only one other table occupied. By 7 pm, more people were starting to come in. Naturally, my co-worker was very late so I had a chance to really browse the menu.

When you step inside, Gagana looks very minimal, but I can assure you that food and service are excellent. Gagana, on their menu and wall picture, describes how their ramen broth is made. It looks like a long process. I recently read and seen that people in Japan, if they wanted to open up a ramen shop, will go to Ramen school to learn the process of making the broth, combining different flavours, making noodles, and learning to cook the different toppings. It was a interesting read and video segment. Gagana stew their pork and chicken bones and more than 10 kinds of vegetable for more than 12 hours and then use bonito to blend that together. The process continues on after that. Gagana has a very small menu. Even though they have only four ramens on their menu, it can been seen that they take great pride and care with the four ramen dishes. Since there were two different ramen dishes I wanted to try, I ended up coming here twice in one week.

Chicken Karaage 300g $10

My co-worker and I felt very gluttony so we ordered the large size of karaage. There is a smaller size, 150g for $6. When this order came out, I was surprise how much 300g was. I'm not good at judging size/amount at all. The chicken was crispy, but not too crispy, and the meat was very tender. It is one of the better karaage I had in a long while. The karaage came with two dipping sauces. There was the typical red chili sauce mixed with Japanese mayo, and a soy sauce based one which was new to me. I like the soy sauce based one. It had a roasted seaweed or sesame after taste to it. We couldn't figure it out. I asked the server what the sauce was made from but she had no idea.

Tonkotsu Ramen with Egg $12 + $1.50

I wanted to try their traditional Japanese broth. It was very good and not salty at all for my taste. I think I still like the milky pork broth better since I can taste the pork in it. With this traditional broth, you can taste layers of flavours with nothing very distinct. The noodles are made from wheat and whole wheat flour, and they are a little thicker than what the other ramen shops around Calgary serve. They were cooked with just enough softness for me. The noodles were topped off with 2 slices of lean/fatty char siu, green onions, leeks, cabbage, bamboo shoots, corn, seaweed slice, red chili powder, and fried onions. I like the char siu here. It melts in your mouth and is charred a little to give it more flavour. It is the second best char siu I had in a ramen so far. I had to order the soft boiled egg separate. The only ramen that comes with half an egg is the spicy miso. The egg is soy sauce based and was cooked very well with the yolk being very creamy. The only thing that I thought didn't belong in this dish was the cabbage. The pieces were big and too cumbersome to eat. I understand that it brings a another element of crunch but it didn't work for me.

Tsukemen (Dipping Ramen) $13.50

My co-worker ordered this on our visit, and I'm a big fan of dipping ramen and soba. So I decided to come for a second visit to give this a try since I was in the area picking up some packages. This is a cold noodle dish with the broth being hot/warm. The broth and noodles are a little thicker in this dish. This is better to get the broth with the noodles. The broth was a little salty by itself but once you mix things in, it gets better. In the broth, the chef put thinly sliced leeks, green onions, and red chili pepper. With the noodles, it had a slice of lemon, char siu bamboo shoots, cucumbers, and cabbage. I usually squeeze the lemon in my broth but it can be put on the noodles. I got to really taste the char siu by itself. It was nice and melted in my mouth. The bamboo shoots were very good and crunchy too - doesn't taste from the can. So, to eat this dish, you grab a chopstick full of noodle and briefly dip it in the broth and eat it. You also do the same with the vegetables and meat as well. It really is that simple. Once you are finished or almost finished, the server usually offers you a dashi based soup/stock for the broth. If they don't offer you this, just ask them. The dashi stock dilutes your broth so you can enjoy another flavour. You drink this up like a soup. Tsukemen is a good experience to try.

All in all, this little shop in the middle of an industrial area is a great place to enjoy ramen that is currently served in Japan. With the small menu, it allows the chefs to take their time to fine-tune their dishes. This is one of few restaurants that serve Tsukemen in the city. I recommend everyone to give Tsukemen a try. They are open everyday and close at 8:30 pm.

Gagana Ramen
#101 5421-11 Street NE
403-452-3826

BREAKFAST AT OEB BREAKFAST - Downtown

I stopped by here for breakfast on a Sunday. The new second location is very convenient. It is located right in the Fifth Avenue Place building. When I got there at 9:30 am, there were some tables available but it filled up quickly after. This new location is bigger, and it has very funky decor. There is one table in an egg and some are in tipped-over baskets. The place is very bright and modern. The kitchen is also opened so you can see all the action.

When I first got there, I was a bit confused about the people standing around - were they waiting in line to get a table or were they waiting for a table? After loitering around for a few minutes outside the "door", I decided to just budge the people - if they were waiting in line to get a table - and asked for a table myself. Since it was only me, I got to chose bar at the window looking outside or bar at the window looking inside. I chose looking outside. The service here is excellent. The servers were attentive, friendly, and accommodating.

Confit de Canard $16.99

After reading the article, "62 Things to Eat and Drink in Calgary Before You Die" from DailyHive, I decided to challenge myself to complete this. I don't know if I can finish the challenge or not since I'm not a big fan of alcohol or coffee. I do like to try different cocktails but I reserve those for celebrations/special occasions. So, one of the items on the list, the first actually, was to try a Breakfast poutine at OEB.
Any of OEB's Box'd section of their menu is a Breakfast poutine. There are a variety to choose from. I like duck so I chose the confit de canard. Overall, it was delicious. I couldn't really taste their lingonberry jam though. The poached eggs were perfectly seasoned, and the duck was tender and not overly salty. Plus everything sits on a bed of their twice fried herbed potatoes cooked in organic duck fat which I can eat all day long. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. So I agree with the article on this one. you should totally try a breakfast poutine at OEB.

All in all, this location is a good choice. It caters to the downtown workers and tourists - if they tour the downtown. I know that if I worked downtown, I would be here eating breakfast here at least once a week. OEB is opened everyday from 7 am - 3 pm.

OEB Breakfast
#110, 222 – 5th Avenue SW
587-352-3447

LUNCH AT FIASCO GELATO CAFE - Marlborough

Fiasco Gelato has been a staple for me when I go to conventions and shows at the BMO. I like to try their different flavours of gelato and sorbetto. I keep forgetting that this place is close to my house. I remember their old place before they moved was slightly farther. Their new HQ/cafe is big, bright, and modern. They are located a block from Centre Avenue on 19 Street in the Northeast. They are close to Barlow C-Train Station and the Calgary Herald building. The dining area in the front is small, but I think people don't usually dine in or stay that long. I like how you can see into the kitchen area. They also have an academy which they run in the evenings to teach people how their gelato are made. It looks very hands-on and you get to bring all the gelato home. The price is a little steep, but I think it would be worth it. I just need some friends to do this with me.

Just a few flavours I have bought so far: Frozen Hot Chocolate, Mint Stracciatella, Blueberry Basil, Greeen Tea Lemonade, and Mango Pineapple

I have been to the cafe a couple of times to buy their pints. Recently, I have decided to dine in and try one of that sandwiches and take out a sundae. I went on a Saturday around lunch. They were not busy at all since all the businesses nearby were closed. There were a few random people coming in for gelato. On an interesting note, one of co-workers saw an article online from the Daily Hive, "62 Things to Eat and Drink in Calgary Before You Die", published in June of this year. Fiasco Gelato is on the list with their Frozen Hot Chocolate.

Porchetta Sandwich $9

I came in to quickly grab some gelato for my coworker, and since I didn't have any food at home, I decided to stay and try their sandwiches. The porchetta sound good. It consist of porchetta, a grainy dijon aioli, chimmichurri, and topped with arugula. Then they make it warm putting it in a panini press. The sandwich was presented on a cute little cutting board. The porchetta was a little salty but it works overall with the sandwich.

Hotlime Bling Sundae $7

I got this to-go and it traveled well. It was only a 5 minute drive so nothing melted too much. I think everything in this sundae was made right in the kitchen. The gelato is their key lime gelato and is topped with graham crackers, their house-made mallow fluff, lime curd, and whipped cream. The mallow fluff was lightly torched to give the sundae a little of caramel flavour and crunch. The lime curd was very tart which is good. The key lime gelato doesn't really have a deep lime flavour, but the flavour is their. Like most of the citrus, the key lime gelato acts like a palate cleanser.

Overall, I'm really glad that this place is open. The service is always friendly and welcoming. They are open everyday early morning to late evening. If you don't know what flavour gelato to try I recommend getting the Tasting Flight. You get 1 scoop each of 4 different flavours to try.

Fiasco Gelato Cafe
#110 - 221 19 Street SE
403-452-3150