So if you’ve checked my Instagram lately, you’ll notice that the food photos were temporarily reduced in favor of incredible mountain and lake scenery. That’s because last week I headed up to Alberta, Canada with my family to experience all the beauty that the Canadian Rockies had to offer. And hot damn, it was a lot of beauty.
We flew into Calgary, drove to Banff National Park (1.5 hours away), spent a couple days exploring before doing a day trip in Yoho National Park, and then spending a few days in Jasper National Park up north. Throughout the week, we visited a lot of majestic mountains, gorgeous blue/green lakes (with the most unreal color!), thundering waterfalls, and enormous glaciers. Not to bore you with too many photos of the incredible scenery, but I wanted to share a bit of all of the amazingness the parks had to offer.
But this is a cooking/eating blog. Which means that beyond just flooding my Instagram with scenery pics, I do also want to speak briefly about the food options in the Alberta area. To be fair, I cooked a few days we were there since we stayed in a couple of places that had kitchens available.
Speaking of which, if you’re staying in Jasper, I highly recommend The Bear’s Den, right in the heart of Jasper. We booked both rooms which gave us the entire lower floor of a house. Which meant we had our own private entrance, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, fully stocked kitchen, and washer and dryer. You can have book with the owners directly via email as it’s not accessible via any online booking sites. But totally worth it and made for a very comfortable stay.
Onto the food… please note that there is a heavy Asian skew because I was travelling with my family who has a distinct preference for Asian cuisine. If I was planning for another group, I would definitely recommend other restaurants in the area. But unfortunately, I didn’t really have an option this trip.
CALGARY, ALBERTA
We stayed two nights in the Calgary area, and stopped by two restaurants that were very different in atmosphere, but both equally delicious. Both places we visited were also in close proximity to the airport given our timing around our arrival and departure from Calgary International Airport, but don’t let that influence your thoughts on the restaurants themselves. I would equally recommend them if they were located in a more central location.
Catcus Club Café
(website)
A trendy Asian fusion restaurant with several locations around Canada. Expect a young and fashionable crowd, although we came in there casually dressed and didn’t feel entirely out of place (it helped that we were sitting outside). If I lived in the area, I’m sure this would be a good spot for a date or a night out with friends. Maybe not the place I’ll typically bring my parents.
The menu offering consisted of traditional new American (or I guess, Canadian) dishes often with an Asian slant. Options included spicy sweet chili chicken, chicken lettuce wraps, and proteins with curry and hoisin sauces accompanied by shiitake mushrooms and rice. But there are also a spattering of southwestern/cajun dishes that steer away from the Asian and are a little more straightforward. To be honest, I find their menu a bit all over the place and would be nice if they stuck to a theme and perfected it, but who am I to say?
Regardless, food is fresh and well-seasoned. We tried a variety of starters and entrees, namely the spicy chicken, tuna tartare stack special, soy-dijon salmon, thai red curry pacific lingcod, and jambalaya rice bowl. While all food was well received, my favorites were the tuna tartare starter special and the soy-dijon salmon – given the flavor balance and the combination of ingredients. The spicy chicken tasted like a typical General Tso’s chicken, and the Thai curry lingcod and jambalaya rice bowl tasted like they were somehow trying too hard to be unusual takes on classic dishes that somehow didn’t resonate with my palate. But the price point was reasonable and made for a nice night out in Calgary.
T. Pot Bistro
(website)
Don’t be fooled by the very American sounding name, this restaurant is legitimately Cantonese. The conjoining side is a more casual Hong Kong-style café, but T. Pot Bistro has the ambience of a slightly higher end Chinese restaurant and the food to back it up. Let’s just say that my Asian parents – who are typically tough to please – were impressed.
I read up on reviews prior to selecting the place, disregarding the 3.5 stars on Yelp because I’ve found that this is a typical rating for some of my favorite Chinese restaurants on the site since they often get dinged for service – but not food. And frankly, I don’t trust Chinese restaurants that receive 5-star Yelp reviews across the board because it typically means that you’re paying for the service and ambiance but might not be getting the authentic food (or the authentic experience). So yes, the service certainly wasn’t white-glove treatment, but still got us our order quickly and without fuss – even though we were only Mandarin speakers while most of the waitresses were clearly more comfortable in Cantonese.
But T. Pot Bistro provided well-crafted, authentic Cantonese food with specialties that are hard to find in the US. The steamed chicken in a wooden bucket and the stir-fried lotus root with pork belly were house specials and our two favorite dishes. We also ordered a shrimp and asparagus dish along with a ginger beef dish that were tasty but nothing mind-blowing. I’ve read great things about their pea shoot, enoki mushroom and dried scallop dish, but we didn’t have room to order that as well. Food was served quickly, and was devoured equally quickly. It was so good, we considered returning to fit in dim sum the next morning before our flight because it starts at 9am which is early for most places in the states. I trust that their dim sum would be equally stellar.
BANFF, ALBERTA
Cliffhouse Bistro
(website)
Opting to skip the crowds of the Banff Gondola, I suggested we take the chairlift up to Mount Norquay for great vista views and to enjoy a leisurely lunch at the summit. Everything I read suggested that Mount Norquay is considerable less crowded there than the Banff Gondola, and we weren’t disappointed. Cliffhouse Bistro also provided a wonderful lunch at the top accompanied by stunning mountain views, which was impressive given that the menu was originally designed to account for all ingredients to be sent up via the chairlift. The atmosphere was casual, with the typical laidback vibe you expect in a mountain restaurant, but food had excellent presentation and was all-in-all very tasty.
We ended up sharing a salmon salad sandwich, halibut fish tacos, alberta beef salad, and a duck confit sandwich. All of the food was very fresh tasting, well-seasoned and surprisingly impressive for a mountaintop. Prices are a bit high, but typical since you don’t exactly have a lot of other options in the area. I highly recommend a trip up to Mount Norquay if you don’t like large crowds of tourists like me.
Chaya
I wish I could speak more highly of this small family-run Japanese eatery in the heart of downtown Banff. It’s cute, it’s local, it’s homestyle Japanese. But maybe I’ve been spoiled by the quality of ramen in SF and NYC, and only found this place to be okay. First, it’s tiny and you have to order at the front counter, which means that you have people hovering around and squeezing by tables throughout the night. Best for parties of two, and even then I wouldn’t go there for a nice quiet night out.
We got there at 8 and weren’t able to get a table because they were promised to those who arrived earlier in the night. So instead we opted to take-out and eat by the Bow River, which was an idea I strongly recommend that any Banff visitor does. Why sit inside a crowded, over-priced restaurant full of tourists when you can hang with the locals by the riverside enjoying stunning mountain views? I think my picture says it all.
The food at Chaya also didn’t impress. Ramen noodles were too thick and overcooked so a bit mushy; and the meat that accompanied it was barely perceptible in the broth. I would stick to the rice dishes as their rice was spot on – slightly sweet, with perfectly chewy yet fluffy short grains. The beef sukiyaki fared better as a more homestyle Japanese offering, but their sauce wasn’t anything unique. Their tempura was well battered, but again, nothing special. But when enjoyed outside with the fresh mountain air and stunning views after a full day of hiking, the food served its purpose.
Rundle Lounge at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
(website)
I haven’t done a lot of fancy afternoon teas in my life; I went a couple of times when I lived in Asia but that’s about it. But the Rundle Lounge at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel high tea impressed me with their tea selection, numerous food offerings and attentive service—not to mention the views. You sip your tea accompanied by gorgeous mountain views that are worth half the price of admission alone. But at $43 CAD per person, this is not a cheap affair by any means. Although the website notes no exercise wear allowed, we did come in after a day of hiking (aka wearing sneakers and exercise gear), but they didn’t turn us away.
Given our tea slot wasn’t until later in the afternoon (3:15p), we had a light snack beforehand, but that meant we weren’t prepared for the amount of food provided at the tea. And to be clear, in our mind too much food is definitely not a bad thing. The food was brought out in two rounds: savory and sweet, on beautiful tiered plates. Savory consisted of mini quiches, finger sandwiches, and scones (7 pieces per person), whereas sweet dishes involved mini cakes, cream puffs, cookies, and macarons (6 pieces per person). Combined with endless hot water refills of your tea pot, we walked out stuffed, with food to take home.
Everything was delicious, but some items really stood out. For the savory: The mini croissants filled with egg salad were fresh tasting and not heavy on the mayo, smoked salmon quiches were well seasoned and served warm, and the scones were buttery and lightly sweetened and most importantly, not too dense. For the sweets: I’m not a big fan of lavender but the lavender and lemon cream puffs were nice and light, the mocha opera cake was my mom’s personal favorite with a strong coffee flavor in a not too dense cake, and I’m always a fan of macarons. If you have a chance, I encourage you to stop by for tea at Rundle Lounge.
The Crossing Cafeteria
Located in Saskatchewan River Crossing Resort and rest stop, this is one of the few stops available along the Columbia Icefield Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper National Park. And the prices reflect this. They clearly know that there are limited options for food and gas elsewhere, so they’ve jacked up the prices to overcharge for burgers, chili and hotdogs. To be fair, the food was pretty decent and the mountain scenery was beautiful.
We went for burgers and fries, which hit the spot after a long day driving and hiking. But to pay $40 CAD+ for 2 standard burgers and fries was a bit much. They certainly weren’t anything to write home for. We splurged a bit for the sweet potato fries and poutine fries, because when you’re already paying $17, a couple extra dollars don’t seem to matter. That said, it’s a decent option if you’re in the area and like us, wanted some warm food along the drive to/from Jasper.
YOHO
Cilantro on the Lake
Located right on Emerald Lake as a part of Emerald Lake Lodge, Cilantro on the Lake offers stunning views and solid food offerings. We walked around the lodge first to capture photos of the area before settling down for a late dinner outside on the patio to enjoy the beauty that surrounded us. The prices definitely reflect that you’re paying for the view as well; mains were around $30-35 CAD for not so large portions. For the summer, Cilantro on the Lake was offering a grilled menu for dinner — with options such as Atlantic salmon, Alberta steak, herb pork chops and spiced chicken breast. All came with a side of salad and potatoes which were served family style.
Besides the smaller portions and lack of salt (I found the chicken to be the most flavorful), all of the food was tasty and cooked to the right temp on the grill. Their real strengths lie in their sauces — the bread basket came with an olive tapenade, mango chutney, and olive oil-vinegar dip, and the meat sauces included a bbq sauce, mango chutney (so good!) and a chimichurri — all which were delicious. My personal favorite part meal (besides the views of course), was their amazing moist, crumbly cornbread that they provided along with the bread basket. We asked for seconds because we’re gluttons. All in all, a solid dinner offering in the Yoho National park area, and worth the price tag for the setting alone.
JASPER, ALBERTA
Cantonese Restaurant
This restaurant certainly doesn’t win on the creativity front in terms of naming, nor should you expect the best Chinese food you’ve ever had in your life. Calgary has a much better Chinese food offering, but when you’re with your Taiwanese parents who almost exclusively prefer Asian food, you go to the only Chinese restaurant in town in Jasper. Cantonese Restaurant is located on the main street of Jasper (Connaught St), and is surprisingly cavernous inside to accommodate busloads of Chinese tourists. I could see this getting quite busy, but since we were eating a late dinner, we missed the crowds.
For dinner, we ordered roast duck, beef hot plate, mixed seafood and vegetables dish. I probably would only recommend the beef hot plate of the mix as it was the most unique and had the best flavor; nothing else stood out. Unless you need a Chinese food fix, I don’t think I would recommend going to Cantonese Restaurant. If I was in town with other folks, I would suggest The Raven Bistro or Syrah’s for a nicer dinner out.
Patricia Street Deli
One of the few meals I don’t have a photo of, but only because we stopped by for a late lunch after a morning full of hiking. So our sandwiches were devoured far too quickly before I remembered to take a shot. That said, this is a great local deli that’s a bit of a hidden gem. Hidden inside a little shopping mall, Patricia Street Deli produces great make-your-own sandwiches with their own roast meat and fresh ingredients. Their signature meat is “the bird”, which consists of tender, flavorful rotisserie chicken, but the roast turkey and smoked beef were also both delicious.
You can choose from your choice of mayos (with unique offerings such as curry, chipotle, or pesto), mustards (honey, regular, dijon), and other sauces including cranberry chutney, BBQ, ranch, Italian and sweet chili. The bread is soft and flavorful – I would eat it on its own. And you can choose as many veggies as you like, which makes it a steal for less than $8 CAD for a meat sandwich. We went here off-hours, so didn’t have much of a wait at all and were very pleased with our sandwich selection from there.
Final thoughts:
If you have the option, I do recommend staying at places where you have a kitchen accessible. My mother picked up some amazing produce from a local farmer’s market in Jasper, buying some sweet cherries, corn, apples, swiss chard, and more. And given that the national parks are more or less tourist destinations, you can easily find yourself spending a lot of money on dining out, so cooking offers a great opportunity to not only save some money but also relax at home after you’re on the go all day.
To be honest, I had never considered the Canadian Rockies as a destination on my must-go list, but now I highly encourage all of you to check the area out yourself. If I’m ambitious, I might try to type up some of my travel notes from the trip since I planned our itinerary and we all found it to be a good balance of hiking, seeing the sights and driving around without feeling too rushed or tired each day.
In the meanwhile, stay tuned for more recipes as I return back to my regularly scheduled programming…
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