Coffee Break: French Press at Three Bananas

French Press Coffee, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I haven't had French Press coffee in a long time, and decided to indulge at Three Bananas (Churchill Square) this afternoon where I was meeting up with a friend. Fourteen ounces of fresh, fragrant coffee was enough to keep me bouncing off the walls for the rest of the afternoon.

The Pho Files: Pho Tai at Pho King

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

This is a small bowl of rare steak pho at Pho King. The steak was actually cooked pretty thoroughly by the time it reached my table, but it was very tender and the broth was perfect.

Beef Salad Rolls at Pho King

Beef Salad Rolls, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I took my second trip to Pho King in a matter of days as I was on Alberta Avenue this afternoon photographing the Deep Freeze festival. In addition to my usual bowl of rare steak pho, I had two salad rolls with beef. The salad roll choices also include shrimp and tofu.

The rolls were thick and tasted strongly of basil. The beef itself was tender, but plain-tasting. I was expecting it to have the excellent grilled flavour of the beef found in Pho King's vermicelli bowl. Thus, I was a bit disappointed.

Breakfast for Lunch: Eggs and Pancakes

Eggs and Pancakes, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Of all of the chain restaurants in Edmonton that serve breakfast, I think I like IHOP (3921 Calgary Trail) the best. I find the food of slightly higher quality, particularly the pancakes, which literally melt in my mouth.

Which is why I went for the eggs and pancake combo when I was there for lunch late last week. Two pancakes, two eggs, hash browns, and a choice of bacon or sausage. I asked for a turkey bacon substitution, which cost me an extra $1.29. That was my one problem with the meal - other restaurants do not charge for such a thing (like Denny's). But anyways . . .

I had my eggs over easy and I chose the blueberry pancakes. Wow. They were light, fluffy, and had large, juicy blueberries falling out of them. Definitely the highlight of the meal.

The poor man at the next table opted, for some reason, for toast instead of pancakes. When mine arrived, he had to apologize for staring, as he had a serious case of food envy. I resisted the urge to tell him afterwards that they tasted as good as they looked.