Sushi Dinner at TOWA SUSHI, Calgary, Alberta

2116 4 Street SW

Calgary, AB

(403) 245-8585

Having recently moved to Calgary I have been excited to experience some of the city's restaurants, I've heard this city holds some true culinary treasures. That's why I was so excited to go to TOWA SUSHI restaurant that has come highly recommended.

I must admit that having recently been to Japan and experienced Japanese fresh and delicious sushi I have a hard time enjoying generic sushi. Towa did not disappoint.

The restaurant is quite small and quaint with warm light and smiling faces of patrons enjoying their every bite. Tables are near each other providing for a communal atmosphere. There are also bar tables, for more casual dining or for sushi on the go, very reminiscent of eateries in Japan. From the moment you walk in you feel welcome and at home.

The bustling staff is gracious and very hospitable not to mention very good at all other things that sometimes are lacking in many other restaurants in this city ... such as service.

I'm happy to say that I enjoyed dinner with 5 other people, I say that not only because the company was fabulous but the dishes come in very generous portions and it was wonderful to enjoy and try a large number of them while sharing them with friends.

One of the biggest surprises of the night came at the beginning of the dinner as an appetizer, agedashi tofu, deep fried tofu served in tempura sauce garnished with daikon radish and fresh ginger. Most things that are lightly battered are tasty (if prepared correctly) but this tofu was sweet and melt-in-your-mouth delectable. I would love to know what brand of tofu was used. The batter was crisp and light, perfectly complemented by the tempura sauce that it floated in.

Other dishes included the 'towa tempura' consisting of shrimp, broccoli, and yam. 'Black and white roll' made with salmon, 'calamari roll' with deep fried calamari, cucumber, lettuce and mustard, 'caterpillar roll' with fresh water eel, 'fire cracker roll' made with jalapeno tempura, sour cream and smoked salmon, 'scallop tempura roll', 'unagi roll' made with sweet omelet, avocado and fresh water eel. There might have been a few more but they were eaten too quickly...

Being pregnant, I could only indulge in eating non-raw sushi. For anyone who knows me, they know it is difficult for me to eat sushi and not eat raw fish however my fellow companions said it was perfect. For those of us who choose not to eat raw fish the other pieces more than made up for missing out on the raw pieces. First of all, all the pieces were incredibly fresh, not only the ingredients but it was obvious that they were all prepared freshly after we placed our order. In addition each order was beautifully presented. The menu is very unique and creative, it carries many different sushi combinations with native ingredients to Japan such as toro and many ingredients that are more common such as shrimp and squid. TOWA offers many culinary choices from common to unique and for someone who is not able to eat 'raw' foods there were plenty of alternatives.

Overall the eating experience at TOWA was incredible, the food was ingenious and delectable and well priced, not over priced. Service was prompt and diligent and the atmosphere felt like being a part of a big Asian family. I'm looking forward to going back and trying some other items of the menu. TOWA is a true culinary gem in the heart of Calgary. Sorry no pictures, I didn't bring my camera. For a quick peek inside the restaurant click here.

Holiday

Squirl enjoying a nut at the cottage.

As you may have noticed there has been no post in quite a little while. It's true I have been 'internet free' as Kelly Rippa says, for over a month now. My time away from this site has been a combination of immensely pleasant moments at our cottage in Northern Ontario, and less pleasant days filled with packing our home into a million cardboard boxes, as my husband and I were getting ready to start a new beginning in Calgary, Alberta. After packing we had a delightful yet tiring drive through half of our vast and beautiful country to only find that our home where we were supposed to move into was not ready.... luck was on our side, in one day we found a new home, even better and nicer than the original.

This is one of my favorite pictures. I just love how it captures how Madison, our dog is shaking off water after swimming.

After countless days on the road, sleeping each night in a different motel it was nice to finally sleep in our own bed! Ahh... what a wonderful feeling not to be a nomad and having a home.The mandatory disconnect from a life to the net has been bittersweet. On one hand it has been refreshing not to sit in front of a monitor for hours and addictively checking e-mail, but it has been refreshing to connect to people face to face, and be more concerned with the hear and now.

A view of plains in the province of Alberta.

On the other hand it is impossible to let go of co-dependence to check what ever insignificant question might you have at the very moment you think of it. What's more, it's difficult to find a bearing in a new city without looking up where your favourite stores are, or where the post office is to once again forward your 'real' mail or to find a phone number to contact an internet provider to finally be 'connected'. As I have noticed, all TV commercials no longer list their contact numbers on the TV screen, but advocate to find them on line. A bizarre twist on modern life. After unpacking most of the boxes, settling in, and finally being on line I guess it is time to get back in front of the computer screen. I do love my computer and interacting with all of you. However now being in Alberta I think I will make more time to spend outdoors hiking and discovering new and interesting surroundings. Here I share with you a few photos from our drive across Canada. In my next blog I will write about food on the road.

Nose-hill Park, Calgary, Alberta.

Vanilla Rice Pudding Brule

Click here to read the recipe.

Summer is in the air, I would hope at least in most places. It seems that in some places a little bit more humid than some of us can handle. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

I love this season, its just invigorating. School is out for kids and everyone, young and old, is out enjoying everyday to the fullest either through playing ball, going for a walk or taking a refreshing dip in a pool.

After an active day sometimes I crave for dessert something more than fruit. Few days ago I found in my cupboard left over Arborio rice. Instead of making risotto, I thought of making dessert. Vanilla Bean rice pudding. A perfect comfort food desserts. I decided to put a twist on this classic dish. A nice sugary crust on top of the melt in my mouth delectably soft rice pudding. Yummy, yummy... The varying texture of the soft and crunchy is simply irresistible. Try it for your self.

Apple Pancakes

Click here to go to the main page.

When I was growing up in Poland, Apple Pancakes were one of my favourite childhood treats. Now when I'm looking for comfort food I will often make them.

Typically pancakes are made with white flour. Traditionally Polish pancakes are fried in butter or oil, by no means a healthy snack. I recently transformed my childhood treat to something that is equally delicious using whole wheat flour without all that added fat.

Typically I like serving them with a little bit of maple syrup or some powder sugar. These are so good, try them as an alternative to regular pancakes. Click here for the recipe and nutritional analysis.

Fortune Cookies

Check out the new full blog here

I love "Fortune Cookies". Most of us are familiar with these delicious treasures as they are served at the end of most Chinese meals.

They are paper thin, crisp, light and a perfect accompaniment to a filling meal. Baked inside each cookie is a tiny piece of paper with a message; words of wisdom, prophecy or lucky numbers. I don't believe everything I read but I can't help to look forward to reading my fortune. Just now I opened a cookie and the note inside read, "The gift is not as precious as the thought." How true is that.

Contrary to popular belief, Chinese fortune cookies did not originate in China, in fact they were invented in California around 1909. As with any invention this one also had its controversy as there were 2 companies one from San Francisco and the other from Los Angeles claiming they invented the cookie. In 1983, the court ruled in San Francisco's favour.

I must admit I have never made fortune cookies from scratch. This is probably because I usually purchase a bag of cookies for a few dollars and I can't imagine doing a better job. However, I did find what looks like a delicious recipe from one of the chefs from FoodNetworkCanada. Click here to see it. One of these days I will make them from scratch, but for now I just enjoy snacking on them.

As far as cookies go, these are pretty good to snack on, one cookie has approximately 30 calories and 0 grams of fat. Most of the calories come from sugar but nevertheless its a good alternative to a chocolate chip cookie. For a detailed nutritional analysis click here.

Ethiopian Beef Stew

Recently I read a culinary blog about Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was very exciting to read about it as it is such a remote country historically plagued by droughts and war. I smiled while reading this expose, remembering my near death experience in Addis Ababa and oddly wishing I was there again.

On a trip to Tanzania, we had a flight stop over in Ethiopia. The plane started descending and while we were still flying through the clouds all of a sudden I (along with the pilot and other passengers) saw a farmer with a cow walking just below the belly of the plane. Wow! I'm not kidding. I could see the men's surprised face and his every wrinkle it seemed. Within a moment the plane started to pull up as if it was a fighter plane but much slower, like a donkey running in a horse race. As we ascended back through the low cloud ceiling I could see endless walls of mountains surrounding what was surely Addis Ababa beneath the clouds. The plane seemed to circle indecisively until the captain came on to make an announcement.

The captain explained that we were in unparalleled fog and that the airport was nestled high up in the mountains in a valley amongst peeks and the airport had no technical support to help the plane land. The captain missed the runway the first time and now he would attempt to land again. I was frightened to death, I could visualize all the bodies splattered on the mountain walls.... and here we are attempting another landing. This could not be safe. This attempt failed and the pilot made another announcement in Ethiopian apparently indicating he was not going to try that again. We survived and were re-routed to Djibouti, a military state next to Ethiopia across the straight from Yemen. We were told to stay in the plane, and with the big Apache helicopters parked next to us, we were happy to have survived and were praying no one was going to try walk off the plane because surely they would be shot dead.

After a few hours the fog lifted in Addis Ababa and we returned to it's airport, safe and sound. We only had a few hours at the airport. Nevertheless I remember Ethiopia very fondly, all the people were so kind, and I do hope to explore this country properly at a different time. This recipe is my tribute to my memories of Ethiopia. I love how foods can transport one in time and space to different places in the world.

Click here for my Ethiopian Beef Stew recipe and transform yourself to Africa... with a guaranteed smooth landing.

Easter Weekend: Traditional or Non-Traditional

Check out the full recipe and website here

Typically I spend Easter with close family, as all other major holidays, however this year this was not possible. In actuality many of my friends stayed in London hence we decided to spend this holiday together. To ease the preparation for our host, and really make our event about celebrating new life and spring we decided to do a pot luck dinner.

Each couple brought a different dish; to start we enjoyed water chestnuts wrapped in bacon, rice crackers with my favorite Polish cream cheese, smoked salmon and port jelly, and for main course we delighted in Moroccan chicken, raisin couscous, and roasted vegetable. For dessert I brought a Lemon Gelato.

My Lemon Gelato was a huge success. It was light in flavour but very satisfying, a perfect end to a delicious dinner. Best of all with a few easy steps and less than 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes in the ice cream maker, (we can't speed that up) a delicious and celebratory dessert was born.

The dinner was a medley of flavours and we all enjoyed them and had a wonderful time. Traditional or not, that is the essence of spending holiday time.

Click here for my Lemon Gelato recipe.