Vancouver Restaurant: The Flying Pig

The main reason I love Vancouver so much (besides its temperate climate and beautiful coastlines) is the bustling food scene and higher restaurant standards. To find a decent, affordable restaurant is like shooting fish in a barrel. Even on a day when you feel spontaneous, you can’t go too wrong for just picking a random restaurant off the street.

This summer, when I wandered through Gastown, my friend suggested to check out The Flying Pig, which categories itself as a “nouveau Canadian Bistro” that offers a seasonally inspired menu with fresh, local ingredients.

Vancouver Restaurant: Italian Kitchen

Italian Kitchen on Alberni Street is one of my friend’s most bragged about eateries in Vancouver. With a reservation on short notice, we were able to visit this modern sophisticated Italian restaurant on a Monday evening to beat the crowd at peak dinner hours. 

Calgary Restaurant: The Embarcadero

The Embarcadero, the eastern waterfront of the Port of San Francisco, also an oyster bar stood on the east side of 17th Ave in Calgary. The restaurant is disguised as a home, which makes it so easy to miss. We’ve actually drove by it so many times in the past without notice.

Calgary Restaurant: Corbeaux Bakehouse

Corbeaux, the French-inspired bakery-cafe on 17th Avenue, is a (relatively) new kid in town. I’ve visited a few times on my own over the past few months. The desserts and pastries were wonderful beyond descriptions. Sitting along the south-facing windows and bathing in sunlight, I immersed myself in tranquility. 

Calgary Restaurant: Farm

It is always tough to decide where to take your significant other for birthday treat. If you bring him/her to the exact same place year after year, you might be perceived as a dull person. If you pick a new restaurant but it turns out to be horrible, the special day is now ruined.  The art is to choose somewhere new AND somewhere you know s/he will love. That’s hell of a tough job!