A Travel + Food Diary

[aly-travels]

Cold Ramen at Redheads Japa Cafe

I’d been wanting to try the Cold Ramen at Redheads for a while now. Redheads is one of my favourite go-to spots in Calgary because its reliable, cozy, and has quite a few options for everyone making it an easy crowd-pleaser. The cold ramen did not disappoint.

It has a classic Japanese salad on the one side, with the usual tangy carrot dressing and Japanese mayo, then there is Japanese hamburg and avocado on top, with a soft boiled egg and ginger. The ramen also comes with a slightly tangy dressing/sauce that compliments the light refreshing flavours well. The hamburg adds a sweetness and savoury component that is cut by the tang and freshness of the salad and the sauce that you can pour on top. The soft-boiled egg and the ramen noodles are almost creamy in comparison to all the other bright flavours in the dish, creating a really nice balance.

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NYC - Beyond Sushi

Beyond Sushi is a really cool little place close to our hotel/Times Square that really impressed me. Essentially it is a vegan sushi restaurant that uses black rice and replaces classic sushi fillings with unique veggie, fruit, and other plant-based combinations. When I first heard about it, I was definitely not thrilled. The thought of “vegan” sushi sounded bland and unexciting. But Beyond Sushi really makes these rolls taste just like regular sushi, except better. With combinations like fennel and sun-dried tomatoes, or artichoke hearts and hummus, these rolls are the real deal. The service is also pretty great considering how small a place it is. If you’re able to get a seat here, I would definitely recommend hitting it up. You can check out their menu here

TL;DR:

Beyond Sushi is a great place for something light and different. The atmosphere is small, tight, cramped, and bright, but the staff are friendly and enjoyable. This place is a good 8/10

Prices were pretty good with rolls coming in at 6.89$ but each roll was quite big and three rolls + 2 soups served three of us. The soups were also quite large. Location was good and close to Upper Times Square (we are at 53rd and 7th).

Would I Recommend it? Definitely

Would I go back? Maybe

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NYC - Tacombi Bleecker St

Normally, I say no to mexican food and “taco night” is usually something that makes me cringe. But once in a while I crave a really good, authentic taco. This place satisfied all my cravings. I ordered three tacos; two cochinita de merida tacos - suckling pig marinated in orange & achiote roasted in banana leaf (3.95$ each), and one crispy fish taco - beer battered alaskan cod with home-made poblano mayo (4.49$) because I can’t resist trying a fish taco. These suckling pig tacos were AMAZING. So juicy, not too salty, and full of citrus flavours, combined with the pickled onions on top, they were some of the best tacos I have had. The fish taco was really good as well but I wasn’t a huge fan of the mayo. The service was amazing and the location was beautiful, with a great view of the street and the surrounding area which was perfect for people watching. 

TL;DR:

Tacombi had really great tacos.The prices were a bit high but reasonable for lunch and three tacos filled me up quite well and I was still full by dinner time. The people were really nice and welcoming and the atmosphere was warm, relaxed, open, and very beachy. I’m giving this place a 9/10.

Selection was good as there were quite a few different types of tacos to choose from as well as some appetizers. This restaurant is extremely convenient if you’re in the Greenwich Village/West Village area.

Would I Recommend it? YES it is great for lunch

Would I go back? Yes

[aly-travels]

NYC - Day 3 West Village

On Tuesday morning I took the train down to Greenwich Village, definitely my favourite area in NYC. After wandering around all morning just taking some photos, and exploring, I stopped for lunch at a taco place, Tacombi, that was surprisingly amazing. After lunch I shopped around Bleecker St and then headed back to Midtown for dinner with my parents at Beyond Sushi. Here are a couple photos from my favourite place in one of my favourite cities!

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NYC - Obao Hell’s Kitchen

With some popular classics like their pad thai or their vietnamese bu’n combined with flavourful specials like their kra pow gai kai dow (minced chicken with chili, garlic, egg + more on rice), the menu at this restaurant offers a good range of flavours. 

When we were there we ordered the pork belly (9$), the kra pow gai kai dow (13$), the clay pot fish (17$), and the nur yang (28$). Though the pork belly was disappointing and served with nothing but a couple pickled carrots, the kra pow gai kai dow was very flavourful as it had some thai basil in it combined with the crunch of the fried egg. The clay pot catfish was flavourless but well cooked and edible, while the nur yang (chef recommended. grilled skirt steak served traditional “jaew” sauce, lettuce, and coconut rice) was the star of the show. The flavours in the skirt steak were enhanced by the scent and the sweetness of the coconut rice, and the two really went well together. The homemade ice cream was not that great, and the green tea flavour was almost inedible it was so bitter.

TL;DR:

Obao was better than I expected. The atmosphere was my least favourite attribute as the location was dirty, weirdly lit, and extremely cold. The service was also not the best, and the waitresses were hard to understand. I am giving this restaurant an 8/10.

Prices were fair considering the portion sizes, and the location was within walking distance of Times Square.

Would I Recommend it? Yes.

Would I go back? Maybe.

[aly-travels]

NYC - Braai Hell’s Kitchen

Staying in Midtown Manhattan, in my opinion, can make it hard to find unique and interesting food that is worth its price tag. Braai on W 51st was an improvement on the basic restaurants in the areas around it, with a more interesting menu and an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. It was quite dark so I don’t have any photos of the food, but we started with the grilled lamb chops and the lamb shank empanadas for 9$ each. For mains we got a whole mediterranean sea bass (branzino) served with rapini and garlic (Market Price) which was the special that day as well as the braised oxtail (19$). While the oxtail was chewy and not cooked to fall off the bone, the flavours were decent. The best part of the meal was definitely the mediterranean sea bass. The slices of garlic it was served with gave the perfect crunch and the fish was buttery and moist.

TL;DR: 

Braai was decent for a restaurant in midtown Manhattan and the atmosphere was easy-going and relatively quiet, therefore I’m giving it a 7/10. 

Prices were moderate and menu selections were good as there were quite a few different dishes to choose from, and the location was convenient if you are coming from the Times Square area. 

Would I recommend it? If you are interested in different food/this type of food, then yes. Otherwise, no.

Would I go back? No

[aly-travels]

New Addition: Destinations

I have also added a “DESTINATIONS” link at the top of the page. This link will take you to a page with links to any posts that are related to each destination listed on the page. This will hopefully be helpful in the future as I post about more cities!

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New Addition: Quick Picks!

Over the years I have visited my fair share of cities, many of them several times over, and have gotten to know a few of them quite well. Because of this, I often find myself being asked something along the lines of “I’m going to ______ for a couple days, what should I check out and where should I eat?”. Usually with some time and reflection, I am able to pick out a couple of my favourite places and highlight them as suggestions for my friends and family. So I decided, why not create a convenient way of accessing this information? Hopefully, with this update of my website, I can begin to create a list to answer these questions and hopefully make seeing new things in a city quick and easy. As I travel more and get to know these places better, I will be continuously updating these lists so that they are up-to-date, interesting, and relevant.

These lists will be accessible via the QUICK PICKS link at the top of the page, and will also be appearing on my blogroll over the course of the summer!

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Photos #3 from New York City - Day #5: NYPL

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Photos part 2 from New York City - Day #5 : New York Public Library

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Photos #2 from New York City - Day #5: New York Public Library

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Photos from New York City - Day #5 : New York Public Library

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Photos from New York CIty - Night #4 (Thai Select dinner)

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Photos from New York City - Day #4

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New York City - Day #4

Yesterday (May 6th, 2015) was my first day with my new DSLR!

I’m still getting used to it and don’t know much about it yet but the photos are amazing and I can obviously tell the difference. It’s such a huge step up despite the fact that I no longer currently have any compatible lenses besides my 50mm 1.4. It was cloudy and I was tired so I headed to the West Village on my own for some brunch at Bluestone Collective Cafe which did not disappoint.

After brunch, I headed to Grand Central Station to take some classic tourist photos and met up with my parents for thai at Thai Select. 

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Photos from New York City - Day #3: Harlem part 2