Breakfast for Lunch: Vegetarian Omelette at Ricky's

Vegetarian omelette at Ricky's. #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Ricky's in the west end is where we ended up for lunch earlier this week. I had a veggie omelette, which had a load of vegetables both inside and outside the egg portion.

The bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach were sauteed in basil and lemon - lots of lemon. The result was very tangy, a flavour which dominated the meal. The flavour could have been a bit more balanced.

However, vegetable lovers will love the huge portion of veggies, and the toast and hash browns round things out well.

Minestrone Soup and Vegan Roll at Wild Earth

Minestrone soup and vegan roll. #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I went to the Laurier Heights location of Wild Earth Cafe with a colleague to do some work. She is gluten free and was thrilled by the selection of sandwiches and treats she could enjoy.

As for me, I had a bowl of minestrone soup, which was spicy and full of tomato flavour. It was also packed with protein, as a number of large beans in addition to vegetables, made up the contents. Most interestingly, chickpeas were used instead of pasta.

I also tried a vegan roll, which is the non-meat version of sausage roll. A ground mixture of a number of vegetables and spices were in the centre of a crispy, flaky pastry roll topped with sesame seeds. I am not a huge fan of sesame seeds (I find their bitter taste to detract) but all of the flavours merged together well.

Naanolicious Butter Chicken Fries and Naan

Butter chicken fries and naan. #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Another Saturday afternoon had me going back to Blues on Whyte to see a band. It also meant another visit to Naanolicious.

I had been wanting to try the Butter Chicken Fries ever since I first saw the item listed on the menu. I was not disappointed - huge chunks of tandoori chicken in a rich butter sauce topped a generous portion of piping hot fries. It was quite decadent and the portion size deceptively large.

I ordered a piece of plain naan for an extra $3 to absorb the rest of the butter sauce. The flat bread was freshly made and buttered, and perfectly chewy and crispy.

Of course, I had some chai to wash everything down. And again, I enjoyed the atmosphere.

Chicken Pho at Pho Rice Pot

Chicken Pho, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

There is a cold tearing its way through my household, and while I know I am not immune, I thought chicken soup for lunch the other day would be a good idea.

Yes, we were at Pho Rice Pot again. It has become my go-to spot in the West End for Asian food. I ordered the Pho Ga, and made a request to have it in chicken broth instead of the default beef.

The chicken was plentiful and tasted very fresh. The broth was more delicate than beef, without the aromatics. I could have used some of the herbs to the side, but they were not brought to the table. Still, it got more flavourful throughout the meal, and was steaming hot.

I will definitely have this again, but perhaps in the beef broth with a bolder flavour.

Lemon Chicken and Vegetarian Shanghai Noodles

Lemon Chicken and Vegetarian Shanghai Noodles, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

It was one of those give and take sorts of lunches. He wanted one thing, and I wanted another, so we decided to share.

At yet another trip to Pho Rice Pot (185 Street and Stony Plain Road) we split an order of Lemon Chicken. That deep fried, thick batter gets me every time. The chicken inside is always juicy and delicious.

I ordered the Vegetarian Shanghai Noodles. There was a prominent curry taste to the thin noodles with lots of large pieces of tofu. It was a bit too hot for my liking, but certainly wasn't bad. The other half of the equation was not as happy.

Overall though, I felt the sweetness of the Lemon Chicken and the heat of the Shanghai Noodles balanced each other well.

Aloo Gobhi Grilled "Pannaani"

Naanolicious, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I made my first of what I am sure will be several visits to Naanolicious (10331 82 Avenue). Owned by the same group that runs New Asian Village, Naanolicious has lots of different kinds of naan breads as well as fusion dishes (naan pizza type creations, butter chicken fries, and a few items where roast beef is involved).

I had a grilled naan sandwich filled with aloo gobhi (spiced potatoes and cauliflower). Mouth-watering it was - and the naan was fantastic. I did not know cheese would be melted all over it, so I had to have the sandwich re-done (which happened with no problems) and I really did not need the tomato or cucumber - I like my Indian food straight-up. The serving of Bombay potatoes was small - I wanted more!

I will be back - I am curious about those butter chicken fries.