Helen

Huma Mexican Restaurant

Edmonton, Mexican Restaurant /

@humamexican⁣9880 63 Ave, Edmonton [$18.75] TACO DAY & MORE | FULL ORDER⁣⁣Left, bottom of photo: Fish Tacos – Kind of hard to tell with all the lettuce on top, but I wouldn’t say this is the best fish tacos I’ve had. The fish batter was crispy, but the toppings were alright. It doesn’t taste bad (like, not mind blowing), but I feel I’d order a different taco next time instead. ⁣⁣Left, top of photo: Pastor Tacos – This on the other hand was amazing. 🤣 I particularly enjoy tacos topped with fruits. I think it adds a nice sweet/acidity to the palate. The pork had a nice grilled flavour, and topped with cilantro and onions, it made for a great combination of flavours. ⁣⁣Middle: [$18] Tacos De Lengua – If you’re feeling adventurous, this beef tongue is worth the try. Texture and flavour is slightly different than other cuts of beef, but it definitely has a nice “bite” to it. Also great to enjoy if you like to change up the texture a bit. ⁣⁣Right: [$7] Guacamole Homemade Tortilla Chips – Wow, these “homemade” tortilla chips were bomb. They tasted great on their own, AND with the guac. It was perfectly fried. Honestly, as we shot these photos, I tried so hard to not devour it.. I may have had a few before we took the photos 😂⁣⁣For more info, check out:⁣⁣www.humamexicanrestaurant.ca⁣⁣#helencaneat Originally published on Instagram on May 17, 2020

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Emperor’s Palace Dim Sum

Dim Sum, Edmonton /

@emperorspalaceyeg⁣10638 – 100 St, Edmonton [$5.95] Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings – One of my “must haves” for dim sum. The size of each dumpling is pretty huge, super meaty. Each bite was quite satisfying.⁣⁣[$6.50] Steamed Shrimp Dumpling – Another “must have”. The size of these dumplings are similar to the siu mai’s as well. The exterior wrap had the pretty glutinous texture and had a decent amount of shrimp filling. ⁣⁣[$5.95] Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce – Also a “must have”…(for sure this and the two above are for sure my top three). The texture of the skin is well cooked to be completely easy to bite of the bones. If you enjoy gnawing around some bones and cartilage like me, this would be a good one to order for the different texture – not necessarily “meaty”. The sauce is also really nice tasty.⁣ [$5.95] Pan Fried Turnip Cake – When this is pan fried perfectly to give a nice gold crust, this is 👌. Nice chunks of turnip in each bite.⁣⁣[$6.50] Steamed Curry Squid – A nice change of flavour for the palate. The squid is nice and chewy, but not so overly chewy that it makes it difficult taking each bite. The squid has also been sitting long enough in the sauce to coat the squid thoroughly.⁣⁣[$6.50] Steamed Rice Roll with Shrimp – Served typically by drizzling some soy sauce over top as the rice roll itself does not have much flavour. With this order, highly recommend consuming this as soon as possible while the rice roll is silky as it can firm up upon cooling.⁣ [$6.50] Steamed Chinese Donut Wrapped in Rice Rolls – This is served with peanut butter sauce and hoisin sauce…I think? The texture combination of the silky rice roll and crispy donut go well together.⁣⁣They were offering 40% off when I ordered, but they’ve apparently dropped it to 30% – we’ve usually called in advance to confirm the discount before ordering 😅.⁣⁣Anyone know what kind of hot sauce restaurants use for dim sum??⁣⁣For more information:⁣www.emperorspalacetogo.com⁣⁣#helencaneat@telusbusiness#standwithowners Originally published on Instagram on May 9, 2020

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The Alley in Windermere, Edmonton

Bubble/Boba Tea, Edmonton /

@thealley.ca⁣6183 Currents Drive, Edmonton⁣⁣[$6] Royal No.9 Milk Tea with pearls/pudding⁣Self-isolation doesn’t mean you have to miss out on weekly bubble tea fix. Fortunately, The Alley still have their doors open to serve Edmonton while taking safety and health precautions for their staff and customers. This order with pudding is usually my hubby’s go-to, and my second choice when the Deerioca Matcha is sold out…Except this time, I wanted a drink that came in a large and would last a little bit longer😜⁣⁣We typically like to order our drinks, without sugar and ice (where applicable). The pudding is sweet enough as is, and if you choose pearls, little sugar is just right. ⁣⁣P.S. We need to bring the large Deerioca Matcha to Edmonton…just sayin’⁣⁣#helencaneat Originally published on Instagram on May 1, 2020

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Miss Saigon

Edmonton, Vietnamese Restaurants /

@miss.saigonyeg⁣10355 – 78 Ave, Edmonton⁣⁣Everyday can be a noodle soup day for me. Was craving some Vietnamese noodles, and even though they’ve reduced hours, you can still enjoy late night pho cravings from them.⁣⁣Middle: [$15] Bun Bo Hue – I ordered this one in particular just because often for take out, these noodles are less likely to clump up together when cooled down opposed to the noodles used in pho. Noodles still had a nice texture to it and the soup wasn’t too spicy (I’m sure you could probably ask for spicier). Cooled down a bit by the time I ate it, but still tasted pretty good. ⁣⁣Far right: [$14] Pho Tai (Large) – If you do order this for take out, I would highly recommend re-boiling the soup to 1) cook the rare beef slices and 2) help loosen the noodles. Super tasty, and even better with some sriracha and lime 👌 For this order, it is only available in large and extra large for take out.⁣⁣They’ve reduced their restaurant hours on Friday and Saturday to 2:30am.⁣⁣For more info and other items on their menu:⁣⁣www.misssaigonyeg.com⁣⁣#helencaneat Originally published on Instagram on April 24, 2020

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Nudoru Japanese Ramen & Tapas

Edmonton, Ramen /

@nudoruramen⁣10532 – 82 Ave, Edmonton⁣⁣Despite not being able to dine-in at restaurants these days, it’s definitely encouraged us to get creative with food photography, and appreciate the luxury of still being able to support local businesses through pickup or delivery.⁣⁣⁣Middle: [$15.50] Spicy Tonkotsu – Still just as good as I remember it. I like to substitute all of the meats for pork shoulder. This order is perfect if you’re like me, want some spice, but nothing that’s overwhelming. One of my favourite toppings added to this order is the pickled banana peppers…so good. Noodles are cooked perfectly with a slight bite to it still, and I love how flavourful the broth is.⁣⁣Right: [$15.25] Dragon – If you’re looking for something with more heat than the tonkotsu, this may be for you – you have the option of choosing between four spice levels from mild to extra hot, (extra hot is comparable to the 1X Korean instant noodle packets) without sacrificing a flavourful broth. That said, the rest of the toppings served with this order include bean sprouts and pickled onions instead. ⁣⁣Because this was take out, obviously it’s not going to be as hot/fresh as if you dined in. However, doing a quick photoshoot with the food did cool it down further. ⁣⁣That being said, in times of uncertainty, these bowls of ramen tasted bomb even when eaten COLD. Being able to feel some sort of normalcy during these times by supporting local businesses goes a long way.⁣⁣I’ve found myself ordering twice from them – who knew I’d be eating it more during a pandemic. Nudoru is currently offering 10% off take out! Highly recommend them if you need your ramen fix.⁣⁣#helencaneat Originally published on Instagram on April 18, 2020

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Tokiwa Ramen

Edmonton, Ramen /

@tokiwa_ramen⁣11978 – 104 Ave, Edmonton⁣⁣Another dining out experience before all this COVID-19 outbreak – oh, how I miss those days.⁣⁣Left: [$14] “Spicy” Black Garlic Tonkotsu – I say it with quotations because by default, this item is non-spicy. You can ask to get it spicy. It adds the perfect amount of heat for me (my tolerance isn’t even that high), while not taking away from the garlic flavour. Soup is super flavourful, and I think one of my favourite parts of eating ramen from here is the lotus root chips – if anyone knows where I can pick up a bag of this in “chips” form, let a girl know!⁣⁣Right: [$14.50] “Extra” Spicy Goma Goma – Also with quotations because hubby likes requesting it spicier than what they offer by default – though it’s not really much spicier according to him (it tends to tickle my throat and causes me to choke a bit when I take a sip of the soup). The soup base for this isn’t bad at all. My reason for not ordering it (have had it before) is because I’m not a fan of the ground meat served. I like my meat a lil’ chunkier, and not spending half the time trying to save it from dropping to the bottom of the bowl 😂⁣⁣Tokiwa has definitely grown to become one of my favourite places in Edmonton to get my ramen fix for parking convenience alone. I only wish they could last until dinner cause sometimes I crave for it then. Can’t wait to be able to eat this again.⁣⁣For more info, visit:⁣www.tokiwaramen.ca⁣⁣#helencaneat Originally published on Instagram on April 11, 2020

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Machef

Edmonton, Korean Food /

@machefcanada, 5818 111 St, Edmonton⁣ Another addition to the Korean restaurants in Edmonton – content was taken prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. ⁣ [$13] Yukhoe – A popular item that is often featured in other IG feeds is this raw beef salad, due to its unveiling presentation. The item itself is surprisingly quite a bit smaller in person. In terms of texture, the beef is not fully thawed to maintain the desired shape for presentation purposes, but the exterior is soft, and has a slight bite in the middle of each “strand”. Flavour wise, there was a touch of sweetness that complimented beef really well.⁣⁣[$37] Rocky Mountain Bulgogi – This comes out on a portable gas burner with all the ingredients already in a shallow pot ready to boil. There’s glass noodles underneath, with vegetables and thinly sliced beef piled on top. The beef was very tender – we were told the beef was specially prepared in advance and pre-marinated for hours to obtain the flavour and texture it has.⁣⁣[$27] Jjok-Galbi – This was a special featured on the day we went. The ribs were extremely flavourful, but the meat was also very tender and was basically fall off the bone.⁣ Extremely pleased with this meal, and very happy with all the items we decided to try. The ribs were pretty amazing and I hope they add that to the menu. Adding honey toast to the dessert menu would be nice too 😂⁣⁣#helencaneat Originally published on Instagram on April 5, 2020

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Valentine’s Day at Cafe Amore Bistro

Edmonton, Italian Restaurants /

@cafeamorebistro 10807 106 Ave, Edmonton⁣⁣A long time favourite restaurant of ours. I somehow lucked out getting a reservation for this place – literally everything was fully booked even ONE WEEK in advance. I still remember when we first found this hidden gem years ago before they relocated closer to downtown and expanded the space to what it is today.⁣⁣After being with my husband for so many years, and now a foodie, Valentine’s Day became an excuse for me to create content (besides, love shouldn’t be just celebrated on the one commercial holiday of the year).⁣ [$29] Carbonara – In a previous post, I mentioned trying this pasta out since they no longer offer their daily specials, the vongole (on Friday’s). I’m obviously really pleased with this, so I’ve ordered again, served using linguine. It’s a dish that’s so simple, yet can be easily messed up by scrambling the egg yolk sauce if not done right. It’s one of the few places I know of that offer this particular classic Italian dish. As usual, always satisfied. ⁣ [$29] Spicy Marsala – Hubby loves his spicy food, so he chose this. Chicken was meaty, perfectly cooked, and sauce had a nice mushroom-y flavour (not overpowering). Really recommend this one if you want a nice spicy kick.⁣⁣ [$18] Baked Papa Guiseppe Meatballs – First time trying this particular appetizer, and it was AMAZING. The tomato sauce wasn’t too tomato-ey, the meatballs were extremely tender with the right amount of cheesiness. I’m pretty sure after each bite, I literally kept saying, “Omg, this is so good…”😂 ⁣ Always a highly praised restaurant and consistent in flavour. ⁣⁣For more information on this restaurant, you can visit:⁣⁣www.cafeamorebistro.ca⁣⁣If you celebrate V-Day, what did you eat?⁣⁣#helencaneat Originally published on Instagram on February 28, 2020

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The Cave Paleo Beastro

Edmonton, Paleo /

@thecavepaleobeastro , 6104 104 St, Edmonton⁣⁣Rather than going out dining to a restaurant that’s trending on IG, we wanted to try something different.⁣ [$16.20] Mussels – This was served with crostini’s on the side. There was a ton of flavour in the sauce, and the mussels were perfectly cooked. The crostini’s were a good texture as well; a crispy exterior, but the interior was still able to absorb the sauce. I only wished there was more to dip the sauce with 😂⁣ [$26.10] Braised Beef – Very impressed by how extremely tender the meat was. ⁣The vegetables paired well with the beef and added different textures to meal.⁣ [$25.20] Lamb – This was just as tender, and didn’t taste gamy at all. This was basically “fall off the bone” tender. Again, similar vegetables were served on the side that still had a bite to it, but still tender at the same time.⁣ I don’t think I’ve ever been to a “paleo” restaurant before? Needless to say, we both enjoyed our meals and were pleasantly surprised by how tender the meats were. ⁣⁣More information, check out:⁣www.the-cave.ca⁣⁣#helencaneat Originally published on Instagram on March 27, 2020

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First Church’s Chicken to Open in North Edmonton!

Edmonton, Fast food /

@churchstexaschickenca , 15256 127 ST⁣ [$28.99] 8 Piece Combo w/ 1 Large Side & 4 Honey-Butter Biscuits – In terms of the chicken, size and flavour is about the same as Pop Eyes, in my opinion. This is going to be biased, but I’ve always been a fan of crinkle cut fries…so when I found out they offered it, I was more excited to try it for that reason alone! Their biscuits are hands down better than Pop Eye’s – sweetness on the outside is very appetizing and just ridiculously delicious, whereas with Pop Eyes, I was kind of confused with the flavour initially (is it just me?). Not like it was bad, but it was DIFFERENT, if ya know what I mean. 😅⁣ I’d say overall, my first impression of the food was pretty good – it definitely lived up to the hype. I’d try it again.⁣⁣For more information about Church’s Chicken, visit:⁣⁣www.churchschicken.ca⁣⁣#helencaneat Originally published on Instagram on March 13, 2020

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