iDen & Quanjude Beijing Duck House

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This is a beautiful restaurant with very precise service and a spectacular wine list. It’s well deserving of its one Michelin star. The specialty here is, of course, Beijing duck, which, for larger parties, is carved at table side (with a 60-minute preorder required). We went for Saturday lunch and were pleased to get the set lunch, which is not prominently displayed on the electronic menu, but we asked about it and we’re happy that they had it. It consisted of this:

全聚德双人迎珍筵88套餐 ¡Den & Quanjude Curated Experience for Two | $88

STARTER 精致前菜

香薷捞汁鹌鹑蛋

Slowly Infused Quail Eggs in Master Five-Spice Blend

SOUP 养元汤品

全聚德传统老火靓鸭汤（两位）

Quanjude Signature Duck Soup (Two Servings)

MAIN 厨师主菜

琥珀花雕醉基围虾

*Amber” Drunken King Prawns Perfumed with Aged Shaoxing Wine

百年全聚德招牌烤鸭（半只）

Quanjude Signature Beijing Duck (Half Duck)

豉香古法玉唐生

Flash-Poached Lettuce Hearts with House-Brewed Seasoned Soy Sauce

DESSERT 清润甜品

桂雪初凝酿玉丸（两位）

Sweet Rice Dumplings in Osmanthus and Fermented Rice Soup (Two Servings)

We also added two different types of dim sum:

  • shrimp, pork, and chicken buns
  • chive dumplings

The duck was delicious, as one would expect. My favorite courses ended up being the amazingly complex flavored quail eggs and the equally intriguing shrimp.

Service was precise and extremely scheduled, driven by the availability of the foods in the kitchen.

While the wine list is quite expensive, with many of the bottles running over $1,000, I found that the Joseph Drouhin Bourgogne at only a little over $100 was an excellent accompaniment to the meal. The set lunch, on the other hand, is a bargain at only $88 for two people.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/iden-and-quan-ju-de-beijing-duck-house-vancouver-4

Delta Hotel

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This is a comfortable hotel, but I’m writing this review to call out an exceptional bartender. Ash is a master mixologist, the kind that I would expect to find in New York City or Chicago. She made perhaps the best cocktail I’ve ever had on the spot from a suggestion I gave her about combining Amaro from Okanagan Spirit with a custom gin concoction she makes using Tangeray, Florida Sevilla, orange-flavored gin infused with cinnamon sticks. Of course, there were many other ingredients, and the result was truly spectacular. Her hospitality and the fine night that we had at the bar with our companions made a special impression on our trip.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/delta-hotels-kamloops-kamloops

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Cielito Lindo

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This is probably the most authentic Mexican restaurant we’ve yet tried in Vancouver. It’s in a somewhat seedy section of Gastown, but the interior is absolutely gorgeous, with lots of hanging lanterns that create a magical mood. The food is definitely authentic Mexican, not Tex-Mex, but the real thing. I particularly enjoyed my Enchiladas Sauza, which is a recipe I have not seen anywhere else except in Southern California. The chicken enchiladas were doused with a wonderfully piquant green sauce that was perfect.

We also enjoyed the assortment of guacamole, refried beans, and salsa that was served with chips as an appetizer.

The margaritas are interesting here because they are served as a cocktail, shaken, not stirred, and presented in a coupe glass, which I actually really liked a lot because you get much more margarita and a real purity of flavors.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/cielito-lindo-vancouver

Sky 360

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I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much, since revolving restaurants seem to be mostly tourist attractions and the food is not the main focus, but I was really pleasantly surprised by the lunch that we had at Sky 360. The service was great, and the hamburger was one of the best smash burgers I’ve ever had, with a delightful crust and lots of tasty ingredients. The salad and the sauteed mushrooms were excellent, and of course the view can’t be beat.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/sky-360-calgary

Kama

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Kama serves absolutely delicious Indian food in a nice atmosphere. Their dishes are a nice combination of traditional and creative. All of the sauces we had were spectacularly complex, and I was introduced to a type of papadum I’d never had before: finger papads. It’s an off-menu assortment of papadums. They were great.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/kama-calgary

Anajo

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It’s hard to believe that this is part of a chain, because this is some of the best Mexican food that I’ve had in Canada. In particular, the table-side guacamole was the best I’ve had anywhere, with the perfect mix of onions and jalapenos in super fresh avocados. The tacos were also very good, in particular the fish taco. Service was friendly, and the atmosphere was decidedly Mexican Cantina. A pleasant surprise for a tourist area.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/anejo-banff