Sherman's Food Adventures: Nuba (Hastings)

Nuba (Hastings)

Being out at the West Van Rec Centre for a meeting was nice. The place is a sight to behold. Big flat screens everywhere! I guess that is what money can buy in this neighbourhood. Now the bad thing about being in West Van late on a weeknight - it is not conducive for good eats. We tried to find something open in nearby Dundarave... no dice. West Van becomes a ghost town of sorts after 9:00pm. So we had no choice but to head across Lion's Gate over to Downtown Vancouver. Originally we considered going for a pulled pork sandwich at the Greedy Pig; but apparently arriving slightly before 9:30 (closes at 10:00), we had already missed last call. Hence, we decided to walk over to something nearby which turned out to be Nuba.

We weren't incredibly hungry so we essentially ordered 4 smaller plates to share. Besides, this is what they're known for anyways. We started with the Hummus with pita bread. A generous amount of smooth hummus arrived on a good-sized plate. I thought there was ample flavour, although Viv wanted a bit more tartness. For me, it was still good nonetheless. Of course, no visit to Nuba would be complete without their signature dish - Najib's Special. As simple dish consisting of fried cauliflower or what they term as crispy cauliflower, it is a interesting combination of crunchy cauliflower with several layers of textures. The taste is unmistakably pungent in a cauliflower type of way naturally with a touch of lemon. For me, I'm not a huge fan of Falafels. I am, by nature, a "meatatarian". But that is not the reason I don't like falafels. I don't particularly like the dense filling and the overly crunchy exterior. I did enjoy the ones at Ben Laila and that made me crave some more. That is probably why I ordered it here. Bad idea. They were exactly what I don't like about falafels. Very heavy filling and too crusty on the outside. Call it a personal dislike.

Lastly, we had the Chicken Shish Tawook consisting of Mount Leeman chicken marinated with spices and grilled served with hummus and avocado. Much like the last time I had this, the chicken wasn't exactly moist; but it wasn't too dry either. Not extremely flavourful; but there was an underlying combination of spices. By now, we were all hummus'd out; but that was our fault for ordering hummus when practically every plate had it. Since we weren't that hungry, we didn't get the bigger plates and that is really too bad. The appies were okay, not much to write home about other than their famous crispy cauliflower. But they must be doing something right as they have expanded to 4 locations.

The Good:
- Funky dining space
- Interesting food

The Bad:
- A bit pricey

Nuba (Hastings) on Urbanspoon

1 comments:

traxis said...

I love their cauliflower - it's dead easy to make at home:
http://everybodylikessandwiches.com/2011/01/lemon-roasted-cauliflower-with-cumin-sumac/

I make this with a side of yogurt, finely chopped garlic, and maybe mint.

Looking forward to eating with you on Monday!

Search this Site