It might just be Chinatown's best kept secret.
From the outside, it would seem to some that Kingfisher Seafood, located in the Dragon City Mall, is overshadowed by Calgary's largest Chinese restaurant, Regency Palace. Stuffed into a corner of the building, you would miss it if you didn't know it was there. That being said, it's a place worth seeking out.
The inside is decorated to feel like an aquarium, with dark blue walls offset with plenty of glass, and windows that capture a great view of both Chinatown and the Calgary Tower. While it may be a little late in the season, it's worth noting that there's also an outdoor patio with an even better view.
We chose to visit Kingfisher for a weekday dinner that, like many other downtown eateries, is generally less busy than during the weekday lunch hours.
After browsing the menu, we started things off with some premium Chinese teas. I enjoyed the ginseng and my guest tried the dragon pearl jasmine. Both are very pleasing and refills are provided throughout the meal.
After consulting with our hostess, we were advised that there were two things on the menu that we had to try. The first was the calamari appetizer ($8.95). The second was the top-selling entrée on the menu, prawns and scallops in hot sauce ($18.95).
The hostess quantified how popular these two items are with a simple example. Approximately 95 per cent of the people who had lunch at the Kingfisher that day had eaten one or both of these. As she put it, "these are the two reasons that people come here to eat."
That was more than enough to sell me, and the recommendations were well advised, too. Simply put, the calamari was the best I've ever had.
Compared to what you usually get thrown onto your plate as part of a typical sports bar sampler platter, this calamari was in a league of its own. Instead of being cut into rings, the long pieces were thick and scored cross-diagonally so that once fried, they had a very nice presentation. The batter was very thin, just coating the squid while still adding a ton of flavour. None of it was the least bit greasy.
Instead of traditional Mediterranean tzatziki, the calamari is served with a fiery homemade chili garlic sauce that has enough kick in it to keep things interesting.
For my main course, I had the suggested prawns (served without shells) and scallops, and my guest had the mussels in wine and garlic sauce ($14.50), each with a side of white rice ($2.50 for both). The prawns and scallops came in a cream sauce (it can be cooked to order from mild to super hot) that was divine. The mussels were piled high on the plate and the garlic wine sauce was light yet flavourful, without overpowering the taste of the mussels.
The food was well worth the money for dinner, but the non-business crowd might find the prices to be a little bit high for lunchtime.
The only slight disappointment was the dessert menu, as it was full of simple, standard fare. I tried the white chocolate cheesecake ($4.50). While it was good, I'm reasonably sure it was pre-fab.
When you head down to Kingfisher Seafood, treat yourself to some calamari, try the scallops and prawns, skip dessert and then, right before they bring the bill, order yourself an extra calamari to go. At least that's what we did.
Kingfisher Seafood is located at 203 328 Centre St. S.E.; phone, 294-1800.
