K-Days 2015

Do you have a list of summer festivals that you make sure to attend each year? I do! K-Days is just one of many summer festivals in Edmonton I enjoy visiting. During this annual 10 day exhibition, Northlands Park transforms into an exciting fair ground complete with rides, concerts, food, and so much more. Let's not forget about the huge shopping area and multiple indoor attractions as well.

I went to K-Days with CJ on the very last day and we decided to spend most of our time trying out midway food. Last year I only ate food from the indoor food court named "Eat at the Grand" so I wanted to give the new midway food a try. Click here to check out my recap of K-Days 2014.

Dulce Mini Donut Popsicle.

Not even 5 minutes had passed after entering the fair grounds and I had already scouted out the first new food item I wanted to try: a Dulce Mini Donut Popsicle ($5) from Family Freezed. I thought this popsicle was quite enjoyable... it wasn't rock-hard frozen when I got it so I could actually bite into it without the cold hurting my teeth. At the same time, it didn't melt quickly so it held its shape as we walked around in the sun. As for the taste, the specks of cinnamon in the popsicle created the perfect complement to the mini donut bits. I loved seeing these two summer time favourites come together into one delicious treat. Family Freezed is a Calgary based company making gourmet ice pops but I hope to see them again at K-Days next year!

Pineapple Whip.

I'm sad to say that I didn't go to Disneyland during my trip to Southern California this year so I couldn't try their famous Disneyland Dole Whip. But when I learned that there would be a version of it at K-Days, I knew I needed to try it! This Pineapple Whip ($5) can be found at two stalls in the centre of the Midway - just look for the large sign saying "Pineapple Whip" or the big soft serve ice cream cone. I was expecting the pineapple whip to be yellow in colour, but this one was pure white. Nevertheless, this treat was very light and refreshing! I thought the portion size was great too. I definitely want to recreate this at home using Gemma Stafford's vegan and gluten free recipe. 

Crazy Cone.

Even more sweets! Another new food item at K-Days this year was the Crazy Cone ($6), a hollow J-shaped puffed corn tube filled with your choice of vanilla or chocolate (or both!) soft serve ice cream. I opted for both ice cream flavours to get the best of both worlds. I thought the soft serve had a slightly heavier icy taste but that made it ideal for holding its shape at the ends of the cone. The flavour of the crunchy, puffed corn tube was mild so it paired surprisingly well with the ice cream. Overall, this wasn't too, too crazy but still very fun to eat. 

Maple Bacon Box.

After taking in all the indoor attractions, something more filling was a must. We headed back outside to try the Maple Bacon Box ($11 for a large), a new noodle box offering from SaltSpring Noodle Bar. It was nice to see that the noodles were cooked fresh and in water instead of oil. Made with chicken, bacon, and noodles in a sweet maple sauce, the sweet and savoury flavour combination was a huge hit for us. CJ also noted that the noodles were cut quite shorter than expected, but I thought that was a good thing because it meant for more bites (which gave the illusion of eating more). In fact, we brought this noodle box indoors to watch the last SuperDogs show of the day and ended up finishing it all more than 30 minutes later (quite a long time if you ask me lol!). 

SuperDogs!

Overall, the midway food I had during my trip to K-Days was great. Each item was fun and appealing in its own way, and most importantly, everything I ate was memorable. I'm glad that I was more adventurous this year since 3 out of 4 food items I tried were new to K-Days! My personal favourite among the four was definitely the Pineapple Whip because it was the most refreshing option on a hot summer day. This year's food experience was way better than last year even though I mostly ate sweet food. I'm already looking forward to seeing what new food will be offered at K-Days 2016. Be sure to follow K-Days on Twitter (@KDaysyeg) and like their Facebook page!

K-Days 2014

Yes, I know it's already mid-August... but I just had to include a K-Days 2014 recap! Anyone who's ever lived in Edmonton knows about this annual 10 day exhibition that occurs during the summer at Northlands around the end of July. Along with lots of different rides, there are also carnival games, concerts, performances, and many other indoor and outdoor attractions. Definitely a lot of things to do for people of all ages! The two main reasons why I like to visit K-Days (k-days.com) are for the food and games. Summer fairs are all about indulging in crazy, deep fried food and trying things you've never had before. Deep fried oreos and Mars bars, wiggle chips, scorpion pizzas... you name it. Winning prizes from the carnival games are just as fun as well. CJ was actually the one playing all the games to win prizes for me, so I was very happy whenever I got a new stuffie! Thank you bb! 

He won all of this for me. Of course I had to include a picture <3.

K-Days 2014 was different for me, because this time I actually went on a few rides! It's been many years since I've gone on the rides at K-Days. That being said, I only went on about four rides: the Megadrop, the Giant Yellow Slide, the Ferris Wheel, and one of those rides where you have to walk through them. I'm not that crazy about going on rides anyways, but I did wish I got to go on one of the roller coasters. 

Now let's talk about food! My friends and I decided to have our lunch at the Food Court in Hall E, inside the Edmonton EXPO Centre (also at Northlands). This area is specifically named "Eat at The Grand", which is presented by Coca-Cola. Here you'll find a variety of food options at this international food court.

Lemon Grass Chicken with Rice and Vegetables.

CJ and I were both very hungry since we had skipped breakfast. I decided to go for a more filling option for us - Lemon Grass Chicken with Rice and Vegetables ($8.95) from Lemon Grass Wok. You could also choose to have the chicken served with vermicelli. I found the chicken to be quite flavourful, and the vegetables gave off a nice aroma. When paired with the warm rice, it definitely made for a satisfying lunch. I would have to say this was my personal favourite eat at K-Days. 

Lite Bite.

Jeline got herself the Lite Bite ($6) from Baba's Kitchen. This dish comes with 3 perogies and one kobbasa (better known as kielbasa) sausage. A small amount of sour cream and slaw was served on the side as well. I only tried a piece of the sausage, and the slight smoky taste I got from it was enjoyable. 

Pizza Dog.

June's pick for lunch was a Pizza Dog ($5) from Blaine's Burger Bar. This hotdog comes with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese on top. I didn't try it myself, but I don't recall hearing any complaints from June either. 

5 Food Items.

After having lunch, my friends and I spent the rest of the day walking around the fair grounds and attempting some of the carnival games. Of course, we were all bound to get hungry again. We returned to The Grand food court to fuel up and rest before continuing our K-Days adventure. CJ and I shared yet another dish, but this time we decided to order 5 Food Items ($9.75) from Chopstix. Specifically, we got their egg fried rice, ginger beef, black pepper chicken, vegetables, and green onion cake. This is the type of food you see offered by most Asian establishments at food courts. That being said, I wasn't expecting the most amazing food. It was just decent but enough to fill me up. I think the best food item on the plate was the black pepper chicken - nice and crunchy and reminiscent of popcorn chicken. 

Mini Donuts.

Getting a bag of fresh mini donuts is a must at any fair. For the past few years I've gone to K-Days, I've made a point to always purchase some mini donuts. It's a tradition. This time however, I wasn't really craving mini donuts enough to buy them myself. Good thing Jeline got a bag of 20 donuts (~$5) and shared with everyone! The donuts were light, fluffy and tasted delicious since they were hot and freshly made. I just wish that they were tossed in more cinnamon sugar to make them sweeter than they already were! 

Beef on a Bun.

Last food item of the day! I do realize that I was talking about trying all the deep fried goodness offered by many places on the fair grounds, but ended up not getting anything fried at all! The reason why? Everything is so expensive and over-priced! Haha. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel like spending any more money. Anyways, Jeline decided to get Beef on a Bun ($7.50) from Beef on a Bun. I thought it was amusing how the name of this item matched the name of the vendor. This dish is essentially some pulled beef in between a bun... I'm pretty sure there weren't even any other components to it! Although Jeline ate most of the beef, she didn't finish off the bread because it eventually got too soggy and unappetizing. Hmmm... was this really worth the price she paid? 

View from the Ferris Wheel.

I had an awesome day at K-Days with CJ and my friends. While the food we had was just okay overall, you can't really expect the most delicious food at summer fairs. After all, it's mostly there to fill you up so you can enjoy the rest of the attractions! Leaving K-Days with 5 new stuffies won by CJ was definitely the highlight of my day. Maybe next year I'll actually go on more exhilarating rides and try more of the food from the outdoor vendors. See you next year, K-Days!