Calgary and I have a… special relationship. From breaking my helmet in this halfpipe in 2022 and swearing I’d never come back, to a post-Olympic visit where depression turned a training camp into solely mobbing the city for a week; I never thought I could say a trip to Calgary was successful. This trip, however, was awesome.
We were here for the last World Cups of the season, but the main priority was to find a Malaysian restaurant: my first order of business when I enter a city. Banana Leaf Tropical Cuisine had amazing Roti Canai, with a mouth-watering spicy, tangy curry to dip. My stomach is grumbling. The seafood Laksa was also absolutely delicious, but spice level had me grabbing for the soy bean milk. But I wasn’t mad about it.
On the day of the first World Cup finals, we went to Kim Anh for some pre-comp fuel. Their beef satay Bahn Mi was amazing, the bread was so crispy yet fresh, and the meat was super flavorful without being drowned in sauce. Then I got 3rd that night, my 6th World Cup medal. The notion that it was caused by the devoured Bahn Mi cannot be confirmed nor denied.
Then on the second qualification day, you know I had to acquire some poutine. One of my actual favorite foods. Surprising that a dish made of the most greasy, unhealthy ingredients could actually taste amazing. Ski hill poutine is always the best.
Then for a pre-comp dinner, we hit lulu Bar, an amazing asian fusion where we kinda went ham. The crispy pork belly was incredible crunch to melt-in-mouth ratio, the coconut squid was light and sweet, the lobster dumplings were so soft and perfected the combination of umami, tang, and spice. The pepper sirloin strip steak was good but not my favorite, and the hulu pie and coconut tres leches rounded out the perfect meal. Safe to say I went to bed about 10 pounds heavier.
The day of the second World Cup finals, I had to carb load for the night. (OK I didn’t “have to,” but I wanted to eat pasta). We went to Sorella Trattoria, which had an amazing goat cheese salad (see I eat healthy, too) and the linguini with pesto and shrimp was a favorite.
That night, I ended up 2nd, rounding out the season with 4/4 World Cup podiums, and a 3rd place in the overall rankings! Was super proud of my skiing that night, and throughout the season overall. Always lots to learn and grow, but first, we had to hit Cowboys. A great night followed by some Singapore Sam’s at 2 am, a Calgary classic apparently. The food was amazing for what you could find at 2 am, and I also recall loud music and dancing on chairs 😉 I’m now gonna rot in bed for a week. Thanks for reading!
Zoe's World 