Rice Bowl Deluxe

I try my best to schedule a lunch date with CJ at least once a week. Lunch dates not only give us a chance to spend time together, it also means more food adventures for me! On the first Wednesday of July, I decided to take us to Rice Bowl Deluxe (www.ricebowldeluxe.com), located in Strathcona Town Centre. This location is along 104th Street, within walking distance from Whyte Ave. There is also another location at The Market Place at Callingwood, for those who live closer to the west side of the city.

Rice Bowl Deluxe.

Stepping inside, you enter a bright, clean, and modern looking establishment. The main colours inside are orange, green, and yellow. I also thought the lighting fixtures hanging above looked fun and unique. The menu is displayed just above the front counter, so you would have to order your food there first before taking a seat. 

Rice Bowl Deluxe offers appetizers, rice bowls, noodle bowls, desserts, bubble tea and frozen yogurt. CJ commented saying how this place has everything two hungry people like us could ask for: "Rice bowls, bbt, and froyo". This place is definitely a good choice if your craving many things and only want to make one stop. 

Our rice bowls.

CJ and I obviously chose one of their rice bowls. "Eat rice, live forever". At Rice Bowl Deluxe, the food is made-to-order to guarantee freshness. They also emphasize authentic Asian flavours, as well as health consciousness by using the freshest ingredients. 

Teriyaki Chicken Bowl.

The rice bowl I decided on was their Teriyaki Chicken Bowl ($7.29). Yea I know, not the most exciting choice. There were just so many different rice bowls to choose from I didn't know what else to pick! It probably would've been better if I asked one of the staff for a recommendation. The Teriyaki Chicken Bowl is served with rice, veggies, chicken and teriyaki sauce on the side. You can either get the chicken with the skin on or removed. I chose to have my chicken with the skin on. One neat thing about the rice bowls is that the chicken and veggies are placed in a container that rests on top of a bed of rice. I found that this separation of the rice allowed for easier and less messy eating. In terms of the food itself, I appreciated the simplicity of the flavours and the comfort of eating this classic food item. 

Speedo Chicken Bowl.

Across from me, CJ was busy eating his Speedo Chicken Bowl ($7.29). This rice bowl contains skinless chicken, veggies, and teriyaki sauce over a bed of rice. CJ actually didn't even realize that there was a container separating the chicken from the rice, so he was wondering why he didn't get any rice at first (lol). I actually think that my Teriyaki Chicken Bowl and CJ's Speedo Chicken Bowl are very similar dishes. They both contain the usual veggies with rice, with the only difference being that his chicken was cut into bite sized pieces with the teriyaki sauce already glazed over it. I guess that's why they chose the name "Speedo" for this dish - everything in the bowl is prepared to be more readily eaten. I asked CJ how he liked his food, and he said he was enjoying it. I think he loved the fact that there were a lot of chicken pieces in his bowl! 

Froyo Deluxe.

Remember how I mentioned that they also offer frozen yogurt at this place? While CJ and I were eating our food, one of the staff came to our table with two small sample sized cups for us. He asked if we'd like to sample some of their froyo for dessert, and I obviously said yes! CJ and I decided to pull down the middle levers to get a mixture of two different flavours of froyo. Yummy! Our lunch definitely ended on a positive note. 

I would recommend Rice Bowl Deluxe for those who want a quick yet satisfying meal that is an appropriate size for lunch. They offer awesome Asian flavours from over 8 nations, so there is a lot of variety. The pricing of the food and drinks is cheap, with everything being either $10.29 or less. Perfect for those who don't really want to spend too much money, such as CJ and myself. Next time I come back, I think I would want to try the Taiwanese Deep Fried Chicken Bowl, which I heard was one of their popular menu items. Be sure to stop by here for some good food if you're ever hanging out near Whyte Ave!