August 15-18, lucky Calgarians and tourists alike got to sample some of the best food the city has to offer at Taste of Calgary in Eau Claire Market.
Unlike my friends, who took their time to wander about and visit the vendors and shows, my first priority when we arrived (given that I had skipped breakfast that day) was to dive into the food booths and sample everything. This was my first time partaking in this festival and I must say I was extremely pleased with what each booth had to offer.
Destination Pearl House offered up takoyaki for three tickets ($3) per tray of three dumplings. In my opinion, they went a little overboard with the bonito flakes and could’ve used a bit more seaweed, but overall the takoyaki was delicious. 4/5
Their Taiwanese styled shaved ice with fresh fruit, however, was a bit of a disappointment. The first thing being that there wasn’t actually any fresh fruit involved in this treat. The red bean didn’t mix well with the little orange jello bits and the shaved ice gave off a strange, milky aftertaste. 3/5
Here’s something interesting, I’ve always really enjoyed mini melts, but I didn’t know about their BIG big-sized sorbet melts until today. My friend tried the grape and soda flavored ones, and she told me that although they were decent tasting, it wasn’t anything to be made a big deal of. 3/5
The sweet nutella crepe from Crepes & Cravings was absolutely amazing. Then again, how can you go wrong with nutella? This crepe is the perfect combination of crunchiness and creamy sweetness. I would highly recommend this delicious treat for anyone with a sweet tooth. 4.5/5
The butter chicken with rice and crispy chili potatoes from La Jawab might’ve been my favorite item out of everything I’ve tried. The butter chicken and rice was only rich, and only slightly spicy. My only criticism being that there should be more added for the $5 value. 4.5/5 The crispy chili potatoes were excellent as well, and was only $2 for a very filling amount. 4/5
Delicious Thai‘s sticky rice with mangoes was very refreshing after the richness of the butter chicken. Even though the mango slices weren’t exactly ice cold like I would’ve preferred, this dessert was overall very satisfying. 3.5/5
The last item on my agenda was the bacon wrapped prawn from Halo Steak, Seafood & Wine Bar. I was really curious as to whether bacon would go well with seafood; and the answer is yes, it does. The prawn was a little salty for my taste but overall, it was an enjoyable treat. 4/5