Open Sesame

My friend and I went to Open Seasme
We ordered appetizers and our meals. Being that she wanted a stir fry from the Mongolian grill, the waiter explained my meal would come out when hers did. When it arrived random areas were hot and it was clearly microwaved. The shrimp and squid were the consistency of rubber, the noodles were mushy, and covered in a nasty sauce. I sent it back. I decided upon a simple stir fry. The waiter explained he would do something to compensate for the long wait and the plate sent back.
When I got the bill, I didn’t receive as much as 10% off. I brought it to his attention. His explanation was that he spoke with his manager and because I ate my entire meal, a discount was not necessary. The manager did not come talk to us, nor apologize for crap that was served.
I have eaten here numerous times over the past 8 years. Never again!

Good place for having diner with ur beloved ones, I love the table setting and the vibe there. Especially the big fire place. The DIY plate is kind of fun, but the food itself doesn’t taste very good. But I will still love going with my hubby next time.

I love Open Sesame’s food. I always order the go stir crazy where you make your own stir fry. I’ve been to open sesame many many times. The food is good, the place is clean, wait times can be long but I’m usually always able to get a reservation easily. My only complaints are that the service sucks, it’s hard to get your drink refilled, the waiters don’t check up on you very often. One time my boy friend asked for no lemon or lime with his Caesar, due to an allergy, however, the waitress brought a Caesar with a lemon wedge on it. My boy friend reminded her nicely that he is allergic to lemon and she did not seem happy to replace his drink. When I went to the bathroom I could hear her asking another staff member if she should charge us for two Caesars. Also I don’t like how they keep removing foods from the food bar where you make your stir fry. They used to have tofu, which you now have to pay extra for, they used to have these green peppers that I love (I can never remember what they are called), so I used banana peppers to replace them even though they aren’t as good, however those weren’t there any longer last time I went either. Regardless, I’ll still return. But those are my reasons for not giving open sesame a five star.

Nothing original. Just your basic chain restaurant dinner food. Everything is a bit too sugary. The drinks are salvageable hence why I’m not giving it zero stars.

You know what? I kind of love Open Sesame. For full on white-​person Asian Fusion, it’s pretty great. I highly recommend starting with the veggie spring rolls (they have the BEST plum sauce everrr) (but they are pretty expensive for just 2 spring rolls… i think they end up being like $ 3.50 per spring roll, which is not okay, but they’re tasty), or the tereyaki riblings (I want a bottle of this sauce so I can pour it on all the things).
I’m a wild one, so I like to go stir-​crazy and make my own stir fry. I think this is why I really like this place, but a lot of folks aren’t crazy about it. You gotta know what goes well together. It’s taken me a few years, but I think I’ve reached stir-​fry mastery. Do not go to the stir-​fry bar and just put whatever in your bowl and think that it’s going to be amazing. Think about it. Be one with the stir fry bar. Do curry sauce and peanut sauce really go well together? Do you really want banana chips with your black bean sauce? It takes a bit of consideration and trial and error, but you’ll be able to eventually find the best combo for you!
Also, they have a great drink menu! They have a lot of really tasty non-​alcoholic options for teetotalers like myself. The pomegranate green iced tea is super yummy and not too sweet, and they have a lot of great smoothie things like the Aladdin’s Passion and the Sabai (which is great to drink if you’re eating something spicy.
I do have a couple of things to consider, however! One time I went here and the waitress spilled a full 2 drinks on me and didn’t comp anything for me. Which was kind of a bummer. I only bring that up because it sucked. So, service could be better, and they don’t have a great handle on their wait times (whenever I come, they tell me «Oh only 10 minutes» or «20 minutes» and then I end up sitting there for an hour or whatever, which kind of sucks). But I still come back! The food is really good and it’s worth the wait and the not awesome service.

Unless you would like a wait, be sure to make a reservation. Thank goodness they have a full service bar. We were able to sit & eat quickly with decent service. Since it was a Busy night, our meals came out before our appetizer and they kindly provided the app free of charge. I will be back — after making a reservation.

I LOVE open sesame! Always an amazing time. Building your own stir fry is perfect as you get exactly what you want. Only tip is they recommend 4 – 6 scoops of sauce and in my opinion I would do 6 – 8 :)

First time at this restaurant and it was delicious. We chose the stir fry feature and ordered the chow mein noodles and shrimp for our protein option. The waitress gave us a bowl to add veggies and sauce. Once you’re done, place the bowls on the kitchen table and they make your stir fry as you wait at your table. The atmosphere is great for a date!

I love Open Sesame. I made a reservation at the last minute for my husband’s birthday. The staff was extremely accommodating. One of my friends wanted to bring her baby and they made sure that there was a highchair for her. The food, as always, was excellent. The one trip around the Asian market is always a good bet. I ordered some Vietnamese salad rolls which were very tasty too. Our waitress was also very accommodating.
We will definitely be back!

How the heck have I lived in Calgary for 3 years and have not been here before?
We went with friends on a Sunday night — they recommended it.
Parking — busy lot but we found a spot — no paying for parking! I am thinking about all the downtown restaurants we skip due to parking issues.
We did have resos just in case. The restaurant was not full but was busy. I loved the interior. It was dark, well decorated and sexy — really I thought, «this would be a great date place!» The name Open Sesame for this Asian-​style eatery is beyond perfect!
The menu is awesome — I could eat here every day for a month and not get bored. I was impressed with all the Thai choices (me loves) here and the prices were way below par from what I am now used to in Calgary. We started with the Seared Tuna — simply good. Then, we chose a la carte and got the Thai Seafood Noodles and the Kung Pao Chicken. Where else can I can an entrée full of shrimp, scallops and squid for under $ 20?! My husband loved his chicken — it was cooked to perfection with just the right balance of chilies!
Both dishes were very good but be aware that the Thai Noodles are more like thick Japanese Udon noodles and not rice noodles that for some reason I was expecting.
Our friends did it right and created their own stir fry. They choose a few things with the waitress off the menu (meat, starch) and when they were ready, they went up to the huge wok and chose their own veg, sauce, nuts, etc and came back to table with piping hot, huge bowls of yummy looking food. It did not take them long at all. They made our little chosen plates look so humble next to their bowls. Of course they had leftovers too so if you are looking for value, do the stir fry.
One star lost for service. Our waitress was sweet and attentive but was timid and did not have any menu knowledge. We would ask something and she would insist on running back to the kitchen each time to find the answer. She did not say that it was her first day but it could have been.
I was impressed with the extensive drink menu as well as the dessert menu. We skipped dessert but I noted the desserts coming out were HUGE and at a low price of $ 6 each. Unheard of.
Our friends got the Blondie Brownie with ice cream on top and devoured it.
I would in fact go out of my way to go back to eat at this restaurant!

Open Sesame,
For sure one of my favourite restaurants in Calgary now for many, many years! I love the Interior design, decorating and lighting, Very cool! Gives you an «Asiany feel and very original.
Anyways the important part: FOOD! yes great food :) I have mastered my «build your own» stir fry dish. I actually haven’t ordered any other main dish because the garden market is soo good :) I love the variety of veggies: tofu, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, shitake mushrooms, banana chips, mandarin oranges. and many more! And not to mention fresh garlic, ginger and huge range of sauces. how could anyone not like this? I always out-​do my bowl size for veggies but I keep stacking: P why not? (Joel’s broccoli tip below is pretty funny, and I understand his thinking: P)
Saying that the prices are reasonable and great especially if you stack high and take some home .
Some of my other favourites are:
* the ‘Asian Orient iced tea’ (18+ drink) not sweet but good ;)
«Sticky Gooey» chicken wings! almost like a wasabi taste too them.
* BANANA WONTON dessert!!! OMG! Banana wontons in vanilla ice cream with caramel and chocolate sauce and sprinkles of cinnamon, Perfect!
My boyfriend isn’t a dessert person so last time I ate the WHOLE bowl after my stir fry! ya that was a great night: P hahaha
So ya all in all I will keep going to Open Sesame! I’ve never had an issue with service and YES make a reservation if your going on a weekend, it is busy!
Thanks again Open Sesame and see you soon :)
*L

I was very underwhelmed by Open Sesame. I’ve only been here once before… decided to not do the «buffet stirfry» this time, and instead ordered the Thai Bouillabaisse. The dish definitely had potential, but the serving size was far too small, the seafood was undercooked and the dish wasn’t hot (in spice or temperature!). I don’t think this is a place I would want to come back to… there are so many other great «hole in the wall» Asian restaurants in Calgary to choose from!

What can I say, Open Sesame is a crowd pleaser and a fan favourite! I’ve brought friends, family, and acquaintances here, and haven’t yet heard a complaint. Of course, I always urge people to take a trip through the Asian market and build their own stir-​fry. Some find this daunting. Others confusing. But after a quick tour with me, they know what to do.
I urge everyone to begin with the sauce – not too much, but not too little. I aim for anywhere between 3 – 5 scoops of sauce depending on how flavourful and saucy my cohorts enjoy their dinner. I also accept the challenge of trying to be upgraded in bowl size. I know this sounds terribly trivial, but I see it as a personal challenge to fill my bowl as much as possible to thereby «win» at the table when they bring our cooked food. This can be achieved by lining the outer rim of the bowl with a veggie that essentially expands the height of the bowl. Broccoli works well as does cauliflower, and once my mom used mushrooms with some success.
If dessert pleases you, I suggest the peanut butter blonde or the chocolate spring rolls – both are delicious and entice sweet teeth of all sorts.

Some friends of mine were kind enough to bring me here for dinner.
The atmosphere was nice, quiet, intimate — a great place to catch up with friends.
We shared some spring rolls and samosas as appetizers. I preferred the samosas. For the main course I went for the dragon noodle bowl. It was quite nice. Noodles not too much sauce, and beef with various veggies I cannot recall.
Overall it was a good meal and I would definitely return!

Review #13 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012
I had high hopes for Open Sesame as I’ve always loved Asian fusion restaurant or dishes like PF Chang’s (though it’s always listed under the unhealthy restaurant list) or wings and burgers that have an Asian twist. The service was just ok. I appreciate being seated right away despite not having a reservation but we were seated at the tightest corner that it felt like we were dining with the party at the other table. I also find the entire place too dark — I had a hard time identifying the ingredients on my plate as I couldn’t see them.
Ok for the most disappointing part of that night — the food. We tried the crab wantons which were really crispy but all I tasted was the sauce and none of the crab flavor. My husband tried the Thai bouillabaisse which didn’t taste anything what was promised on the menu — Thai green curry coconut sauce but all I tasted was cream with a pinch of chili pepper. I tried the Sizzling Chicken Katsu — the katsu itself was very bland and the sauce was just way too salty. We didn’t try the Mongolian/​Stir Fry area so that’s for another update whenever we convince ourselves that this place can offer more.

If you feel like having some Asian food without a usual cheap-​crap-​sticky-​tables-​dirty-​walls-​stink-​and-​yell atmosphere, Open Sesame may be a right choice.
This place is quiet, reasonably expensive, and they have a chef, not a cook, working in the kitchen. Resulting food is professional grade, of no risky ingredients, and the portion size is fair.
They have a «build your own stir fry» buffet thingy, but I am not a big fun of DIY plates. Though idea doesn’t look bad and may look even fun for someone.
My server was awesome, though a girl arranging the seats was marginally helpful. Even though the place was quite full, my food arrived fast and — let me repeat myself — was a mighty good stuff!
I loved almost everything about this place, even the chopsticks.
Two reasons not to give them five stars are unfriendly seating manager and rather shortish menu — but I can definitely recommend Open Sesame, and will be back there for sure.

I’m partial to the stir fry bar. I love the selection, appreciate the vegetarian only wok for veggie folks and that it’s not by weight like competitors do where you end up with a $ 30 stirfry and you didn’t even get meat or anything expensive because you’re a vegetarian.
I also LOVE LOVE the pomegranate green tea — it’s not too sweet either. Their brownie is great — but enough for 2 or more. They should hand it out with insulin if a single person orders it!
My only complaint is how very slow service typically is — I always try and squeeze it in before movie or a show and I think I have lots of time and they find a way to prove to me wrong. It’s definitely not a place to go when you have a tight schedule.

I went here yesterday with a friend and got through no problem. We were both immediately impressed with how NICE the restaurant was. The décor was beautiful! We ordered the ‘Make your own stir fry’ bowl for 10.95. I added beef to it for an extra 4 bucks.
When I went to get my veggies + seasonings, I really piled on the stuff I wanted to put in my bowl and hoped for best results. When my stir fry finally came, I dug in and was so surprised! It was GOOD! In fact, it was so good I could hardly stop eating it, even when I was very full. They gave me so much food that I was full after eating half the bowl. My dining partner on the other hand had too much sauce in her bowl, but it was tasty, she said.
I took the rest of my stir fry rice to go, and I brought it with me for lunch today… Mmmm. Its a practice of patience really, trying not to eat the whole thing before 11:00am…
I would MOST definitely go back again!

I went here on a Saturday, at 11:00 a.m. I had read somewhere on another review that they weren’t open until 11:30. I got their and they were already open. It wasn’t very busy only one other table seated with three ladies. My wife, son and I all ate the $ 10.95 all you can fill in a bowl meal deal. It sounds like a good deal at first, but by the time you add on the «EXTRAS» ie: the scallops, fried rice, etc. things add up very quickly. Needles to say lunch with one pop, and one child’s milk ended up costing $ 50.00. food tasted okay, but if you have kids I would suggest going else where they end up wasting most of it anyways.

Oh Open Sesame with your bad service… Just cause we have a party of 8 people and you tack on 15% gratuity, It doesn’t mean you should have to be a lazy weirdo! Can you please give us some time to think about what we want instead of hovering? And then after we order we never see you again… we should have under paid you! Trust me, your service was worth about 4%.
However… Your meals are such a good price and because I pick my fixin’s. you dont bugger it up!
I think I also have more fun making a game of how much me and my friends can cram into our bowls without loosing any!
so my ordering advice…
start with: Wor won ton soup for 2 ($ 6.95)
then: Order the make your own bowl with shanghi Noodles and save your money and just go with the veggies only for ($ 9.95)
If you order meat… you’ll be looking for it like a needle in a hay stack
Desert: Its all good, but you should be stuffed so time to leave!
Pros:
Tofu! and all the other choices!
Price
Atomosphere. This place is cozy and impressive. looks expensive
Cons:
No same day reservations
Service
I give it a 5 on the lick your lips scale… mmmmmm!