Press'd....again (Edmonton, AB)

I know I've already done a handful of blog entries on Press'd before, but I thought I'd share with you yummy pictures of my latest Press'd excursion to 'educate' and  entice those Press'd virgins to go out and try out something local.

Buenna Bella: "Roasted Portabella Mushroom, Basil Pesto, Spinach, Cucumber, Red Onion, Sprouts, Tomato" (description from the Press'd website, photo by me)

Southwestern Club: "Smoked Turkey, Jalapeno Jack Cheese, Bacon, Avocado, Red Onion, Raspberry Chipotle Honey Mustard" (description from the Press'd website, photo by me)

Crepe Symphony (Edmonton)

While I was away traveling I made sure to keep up to date with the YEG food and restaurant scene and keep track of all the new establishments that had opened while I was gone. On my list of new restaurants to check out once I get home was Crepe Symphony. I had read great reviews about it and thought that it was a great new addition to Edmonton's downtown food scene.

I decided to stop by Crepe Symphony on an Saturday morning to get breakfast before going to the Downtown Farmers Market and the place was empty which made me wonder a little but . Then again it was a Saturday morning. I really didn't care though because what I was about to eat confirmed the true reason for its popularity. At a very affordable 7-8 dollars for a serving of 2 crepes per dish, Crepe Symphony delivered fresh, tasty, and filling crepes in a cafe style atmosphere. I am not a fan of thick pancake-like crepes so I was very happy that they served authentic thin crepes. The menu offered both savory and sweet crepes which was great, however it made our decision making a little more complicated (in a good way!) because we couldn't decide which two we wanted to order. There are still more flavors I want to try so I know I will be back!

Chicken mushroom

Strawberry, banana, and chocolate crepe

Website: http://www.crepesymphony.com/

My Four Month Cross Asia Adventure

Wow, what a journey. For those who are just joining my blog now,  I have been traveling and eating my way around South East Asia for the past few months. I was fortunate enough to visit 7 different countries and spend time in many many different cities exploring what they had to offer. I also had the opportunity to spend a whole month in beautiful Yogyakarta, Indonesia interning for an Indonesian NGO. I don't know if my parents are reading this, but I just wanted to say thank you again for supporting me throughout this experience.

For those of you interested in visiting this part of the world some time in the near future, I hope my blog and my pictures can provide you with some sort of inspiration, background, and motivation to see, experience, and eat your way through Asia.

My road map

Sights and Smells of Beijing

My Forbidden City ice cream snack: red bean ice cream. The picture sure doesn't look like red bean though. I thought it was some sort of berry compote. I love red bean anything though so I was happy.

Peach, cherry and grape Tropicana

Drinking tea while having my feet soaked in an herb foot bath. It was probably just tea too.

Noodles...with what turned out to be cow rectum.

Deep fried Chinese doughnut

Sampling some tea at a tea house

My salty green tea (the white foamy stuff tasted like foamed cream cheese)

Yum yum mushrooms

Beautiful baby tomatoes

Love the colors

Kickin it old school

Love this

Acrobatics Show (Beijing, China)

I had the opportunity to watch a local acrobatics show during my time in Beijing that was rather entertaining yet nerve wracking. By that I mean I was preparing myself to witness an accident of some sort as some, if not all of their stunts were borderline dangerous. Nevertheless,the whole experience was still very awesome and kept me at the edge of my seat. Here are some of my photos:

I was pretty sure I was going to witness an accident with this stunt. 5 motorcycle drivers in that one small cage.

Great show

Beijing Tour Day 3 (Beijing, China)

The last day of my 3 day tour (part of my overall 8 days in Beijing) took me to the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall of China.

Ming Tombs:

The Great Wall of China:

It was absolutely boiling hot out today. I attempted to use an umbrella to protect myself from the sun while at the Wall but failed because it was way too windy out and there were too many people and I didn't feel like poking out any eyeballs today.



The walkways between the look out points are no walk in the park. They can be shocking steep and I guarantee a handful of people either slip down or get a heart attack per week.

Beijing Tour Day 2 (Beijing, China)

Today's tour took me to Tienanmen Square, The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace.

Tienanmen Square:

I'm going to be honest here, this is probably one out of a handful of colorful things I saw in Beijing. The city itself is very grey.

Speaks for itself

The Forbidden City:

The Temple of Heaven:

The Summer Palace and Summer Palace Lake:

Much of the fresh water pearls found in Beijing are cultivated from oysters that live in this man made lake

Miles of covered walkways built for the 'Dragon Lady' and the emperor