September 2022 – Hitting the Sauce

My beloved Jaime is in town! I haven’t seen my vegetarian friend since COVID. I suggested Noble Pie Pizza for our dinner date, as I know she appreciates a good pizza. For this post, let’s listen to “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd.

We ordered the Marinated Olives ($8) and a glass of the Venturini Baldini Lambrusco rosé ($13) to start. The green olive was our favourite of the bunch because the flesh was buttery and juicy. I loved the flavours of the fennel, citrus and rosemary in the marinade.

We ordered three pizzas in the new dine-in 13″ size – the Sweet Cheesus ($19), Brooklyn White ($19), and the Magic Pie ($19). We purposely ordered too much food, as we wanted to try everything. So much food was left over that we took an entire pie home.

The Sweet Cheesus was the simplest of the trio. Jaime thought this was more of a dessert than a savoury main because of the honey. The pizza was saucy and cheesy; the two prominent flavours were honey and Sicilian oregano. I can see this pizza being popular with kids. I learned this at my last family reunion, as my nephews and nieces would only eat cheese pizza.

Jaime’s favourite was the Brooklyn White. Man, this is one tasty pizza! The rich, heady flavours of the caramelized onions and sesame seeds were prominent. The ricotta was creamy and paired well with garlic, parsley, and cheeses. I would get this again.

I would also order the Magic Pie again. Miss Foodie recommended this secret menu item. She never steers me wrong. The fennel sausage was fatty (in a good way) and spicy, with a hint of licorice. The cream, basil, and fresh mozzarella made this gloriously decadent.

Jaime mentioned that New Yorkers eat their pizza slices folded in half. I tried this method and found one benefit – the crust enveloped all the saucy goodness. However, I’m not 100% sold on “To Fold or Not to Fold,” but I’m willing to try this methodology again.

I can’t wait to see more of Jaime in the future, now with COVID restrictions on the decrease. Perhaps our next visit can be to Italy, her favourite travel destination.

I love going out on Friday night. I figure I have the perfect excuse. By the end of the week, we are out of groceries and too tired to cook, and we can celebrate the end of a busy week. For this post, let’s listen to “That’s All” by Genesis.

I wanted to check out Namsan Korean Cuisine. I’ve heard only good things about the food, but a Facebook Calgary Roast and Toast inspired me to dine here, detailing how the owner of Namsan went out of his way to help a stranger in need.

I called beforehand to make reservations, as I heard it gets busy. Namsan is located in an old house on the edge of the downtown core. L wondered how this house survived when none of the other buildings remained.

We shared a large Asahi ($9), Seafood Pajeon ($17) and Cheese Dak Galbi ($42). While we waited for our food, we munched on the complimentary banchan (side dishes) and sipped on our beer after cheering each other in Korean. Geonbae!

Of the bunch, our favourite side dish was the sweet pickles. The texture was unique – crunchy yet bendy. The kimchi was red and wet from the spicy seasoning. I found the julienned fish cakes sweet and chewy. The chilled sprout and macaroni salad were standard.

Our seafood pancake was crispy, hot and a little oily. The sweet flavour of the crunchy onions and charred green onions were prominent. The batter was light and just enough to bind all the vegetables and calamari together. I didn’t mind that there wasn’t an abundance of seafood because the pancake was so delicious that I didn’t even need to use the dipping sauce. L taught in Korea for a semester and thought the pajeon was authentic. I would order this again.

I was excited when a big skillet full of spicy stir-fried chicken arrived at our table. Our server turned on the burner. We watched patiently as the cheese melted over the chicken, sweet potatoes and rice cakes. L noted the chicken was of good quality. I didn’t find the sauce spicy, though L could detect some heat. I liked how every time we went to scoop a piece of chicken or rice cakes, the strands of cheese would stretch from the skillet to our bowl. When grilled, the rice cake was chewy and gelatinous.

After we made a dent in our dak galbi, our server added a bowl of rice and made a stir-fry. I preferred the dak galbi with the fried rice because the sweet potato, rice, and cheese melded together into a tasty, Korean-style risotto.

There was so much food we made three meals from the leftovers. The following day, the cold pancake was nearly as delicious as the previous night. Namsam is popular for good reasons. The service is warm and friendly, and the portions are generous. Since it is open until 1:00 a.m., I bet it’s a fun spot with the youngins. When we left, a large crowd of customers was waiting for a table. Hitting the Sauce gives Namsan two phat thumbs up.

Month: September 2022

Noble Pie Pizza – Round two

Namsan Korean Cuisine