Spring Rolls 321-13 Street N.

Today was a return to Spring Rolls restaurant so we could follow up on a recommendation from "Tyler" who wrote "You guys really need to order the more 'Chinese' food. This is by far the best Chinese restaurant in Lethbridge. Probably the only place that would survive in Vancouver, which puts it in high standing." So off we went, just "M" and I again. We ordered the spicy pork noodles as recommended by Tyler and also Pad Thai (i know it's not chinese but it's what we wanted). When we asked if this would be enough food for both of us the server entertainingly told us he alone could eat it all, one of his friends once ate four orders of the spicy pork noodles, but this should be good for the two of us. We ordered it and had a bit of a chuckle. The food came fairly quickly and looked great. The spicy pork noodles had a really good spicy taste to them ( of course, what did I expect). Enough spice to give your mouth a bit of a tingle but not so much as to burn. The Pad Thai was a great compliment to the spicy pork with it's slightly mellower spices and touch of sweetness. I really enjoyed todays lunch, very savory and a nice change. My one complaint was that the Pad Thai was a little sticky. Kind of annoying but overall I was pleased with the choice to return to Spring Rolls.  "J"

It took us a long time to try this suggestion. I am really happy that we did. Spring rolls is not like any other Vietnamese place in town. I have never tried Chinese from this menu or Thai food like this before. J has already explained what we ordered and stuff so I'll just talk about the experience. I was pleasently surprised with our order. We split it up and down it went. I think we both liked what we ordered. The waiter said "Well I could eat both of these myself" and "My friend ate 4 bowls of Pho in one sitting" so what was he trying to say? Its a good thing "BA" wasn't here, We wouldn't have known what to order for him. J and I both thought that it was enough food to share. I can't really describe the flavor, it was like nothing I've tasted. So was this traditional chinese food then? (the soup?) anyway, yes I would recommend this place if you want something different. Spring rolls is really good food, but it's still not my favorite Vietnamese. I'm very loyal to a place in town. The menu here at spring rolls has many different things to try. It was great.
"M"

Botanica 320 Scenic Drive

Today was pretty cold out and I wasn't excited about having to go outside, but, of course my stomach told me I had to take one for the team. "C" wasn't quite so cooperative today so "M" and I left him behind and we headed over to the Lethbridge Lodge Hotel for lunch. We got seated right away which is always good and got our menus. My first thought was the prices were a little high for lunch, then I remembered that I was in a hotel restaurant, you know captive audience so lets nail 'em. My next thought was almost everything on ther menu was sandwiches. The only exception was fish & chips and spaghetti both of which I was tempted to try because I didn't want a sandwich. Then I noticed something that really caught my interest, a grilled chicken gouda sandwich on a ciabata bun. I ordered it with cream of chicken soup which was a great choice on a cold day. I must admit, even tho' I wasn't wanting to eat a sandwhich for lunch, this one was really good. The soup had a great flavor and hit the spot on a cold day. The sandwich was as good as I hoped for. Chicken, gouda, lettuce, tomato, fried shredded onions and mayo on a ciabata and the best part was an olive on top. This was a really good sandwich that left me very satisfied and ready to go back to work. "J"

 Today I was really hungry, I was ready to go anywhere. The choice of Botanica didn't really excite me, but it's part of being a nomad to jump out of the usual "rut." I thought the lunch menu didn't have tons of stuff on it, lots of sandwiches and a few salads. I ordered fish and chips. I thought it was good. It wasn't so amazing that I talked about it all day, but It was a good lunch. It was around $11 and I left full. I was actually jealous of "J"'s sandwich, it looked awesome. All in all I was happy with our choice. It was a first time for me, and I think I'll probably be back for supper sometime. I thought the service was good, it was a nice hot meal on a cold day. "M"

El Comal 1020 Mayor Magrath Drive South

One of the places we haven't been to yet is El Comal. It was something quite a bit different from our usual lunches. The place was somewhat busy but not too busy. I was surprised when I looked at the menu and saw there wasn't really anything in the price range that the "Nomads" are used to. There wasn't any lunch specials, so I ordered a burrito, it was 10.95 and a came with a salad so I thought it would be a good choice for lunch. The salad was good, it had lots of things in it to give it a good flavour. My burrito came and it was so big I couldn't believe it. It was the 9 inch not even the 12 inch. I don't even want to think about trying to finish the 12 inch burrito. Just look at that thing! it filled my entire plate. WOW. Want to know the crazy thing? I finished it. It had shredded beef, rice, beans and some cilantro and onions and things. lucky for me, I was starving by lunch today. So, all in all I left full and I felt like I got a good lunch. Here's the only thing, I think the El Comal should have a  lunch menu. I would have been happy to spend $8 and have a small burrito with a side of Spanish rice and beans. I really don't think that most people want such a huge burrito. It could feed 2 people easily. Most things on the menu ranged from $13-$17. I know for me, I like to get a little better of a "lunch deal" even if it means a  "lunch portion". I've had some good mexican food in the U.S, todays food was good, but as far as Mexican goes, it wasn't the best I've had. At least Lethbridge has a Mexican place though. "M"


It's been quite awhile since I have eaten at El Comal. You would think since I love Mexican food so much that I would eat here all the time, but I don't. So I was looking forward to it today. I was quite disappointed that they did not have a lunch menu. I mean the food they serve here is good but $12 - $16 dollars for lunch is a bit much I think. I guess the cost is outweighed by the size of the portions. You will never go away hungry from El Comal. I ordered the Mexican Combination today, two chicken enchiladas and a chimichanga, with beans and rice, oh ya a salad to start. Like I said it was all good, just not great. I would have preferred a different hot sauce like "Cholula" but over all it was OK. I went away full, very full.   "J"

"P" joined us today. He was only able to eat half of the entre but he wasted no time scarfing down the deep fried ice cream after.

Just looking at this picture makes me hungry!  When I saw the size of "M's" entree I was wishing that I had ordered the same, but the LARGE.  I ended up ordering the mexican combination.  It had two enchiladas, a taco, and rice, and of course beans.  It was really good.  The taco had great flavour and I was thoroughly impressed with it.  The enchiladas needed more taste.  I'm not sure what they were missing, but they were a little bland.  I ordered my entree 'spicy', but didn't find it very hot at all.  Loved the rice and beans, and I wasn't starving afterwards but I coulda used "P's" left overs.  He eats like an anorexic mouse.  He's a tall dude, but not much of an appetite.  I wish they had a lunch menu.  I remember eating here quite often when they first opened as Casa Maya.  It's good food, and more mexican than taco bell, but it would be nice to see some real mexican cuisine in Lethy.  "BA"

Fatburger 1505 Mayor Magrath Drive

Well, what a great way to start a new year. People all around us are setting New Years goals, joining health clubs, going on diets, etc. but we the Lethbridge Lunch Nomads started the new year by going to Fatburger.  No, we are not trying to make a statement, it was just because we are running low on places to try out and this was one of the last places to eat before we start all over again. Regardless of why, we ate at Fatburger today. It has been very busy since it's recent opening and it was quite full today too. I was impressed with this new burger place. The inside was very welcoming, like a real restaurant not a warehouse. I ordered a Big Fat Deal today. A double burger california style (guacamole and jack cheese), fries and a drink. It was served right to the table and was steaming hot. The burger was great, very flavorful and full of toppings, yet not so many that they all squeeze out on the first bite. The fries were hot and fresh, crispy on the outside and nice and hot inside. In fact even the last ones to be eaten were still hot. The bottomless pop, or soda as they say (we're really becoming Americanized aren't we!) is probably a big bonus for many people. For me I drank more pop today than I usually do in a couple of months.  This was a big meal, I was pretty full when I was done. If you are trying to keep your resolutions I wouldn't come here very often, but for the occasional burger, this place was great. I was impressed and will definitely recommend it as a burger joint to try out.   "J"

To be honest I was never really that excited to try Fatburger. It just sounded like something I wouldn't like. I guess I just had the image of "the other guys" in my mind. (Which is a pretty good place after all, I guess sometimes the thought of a huge messy burger doesn't always sound great) Anyways I ordered the "Big Fat Deal", I think we all did. I thought it was so dang good. I ordered mine with onion rings, which were ok, a little big and too thick of onions for me. The burger. WOW. It was awesome, I even liked it a bit better than "the other guys" I thought the place was super clean, really nice and trendy. I will for sure be back again. I thought my "Big Fat Deal" was a good deal, I actually finished everything. If you haven't tried it yet, Fatburger is a must. I loved it. "M"

FATBURGER ROCKS! Finally a place to satisfy BA's appetite. I too was a little hesitant to eat here today. My wife and I ate at the Calgary location once during one of our IKEA trips. We weren't very impressed at that time. So needless to say I wasn't jumping for joy at the thought of eating there again. But, STOP THE PRESSES!!!! THIS JUST IN! FATBURGER Lethbridge is killer.  I ordered the 'Big Fat Deal'. I love how all the employees shout back 'Big Fat Deal' when one is ordered at the till. If they don't show enough enthusiasm they recall it till everyone shouts in chorus 'Big Fat Deal'. I love it. Finally somewhere fun to eat. I really liked the atmosphere, decor, and pleasant staff. I wasn't aware that it was a full service restaurant. WOW. I didn't even have to fill my own tank.  The burger was grand. The rings were colossal. The bottomless 'pop' (we are in Canada) was stellar. I was left in a true GFM. (Good Food Mood - for those of you just tuning in). The service was top notch and my opinion of the FATBURGER franchise has been completely redeemed.

THANK YOU FATBURGER. You made my day. 'BA'

Happy New Year!

Well, we have decided to keep the blog going for 2012, We think that we have pretty much been to all the locally owned restaurants in town. We have a few more to go yet, and  we've always tried to stay away from franchise chain restaurants. What we think would be a good idea for this new year is to take suggestions on certain meals or dishes from some of the people who follow our blog. This week we will try to go one of the places we haven't tried yet, but for next week we may end up at one of the places we've been, but order something completely different. Send us your ideas and we'll try to get to them this year.

- The Nomads