Tahini's (North Vancouver)

At first, I wasn't sure what I was getting into when we were invited to try out the North Vancouver location of Tahini's.  It focuses on Shawarma bowls and wraps that have an international twist to them.  I've been to many similar quick service spots and they haven't been memorable.  However, we found some clues that Tahini's could be quite different.  First of all, everything is freshly made, including the saj bread (which are made to order).  Secondly, they have flavours not normally seen at a Shawarma place, such as Korean BBQ and Tandoori.  I guess we were in for a treat as many of the things on the menu seemed quite appealing.

To get a baseline of the food, we had to get one of their most popular items in the Habibi Bowl.  We chose a rice base that came with chicken shawarma on top.  Nicely charred with crispy smoky bits, the chicken itself was rather tender and almost juicy.  It was topped with sauces that made things a bit spicy and creamy.  Some pita chips added some crunch.  Solid bowl that had plenty of chicken and flavourful rice that had a nice chew.

We had another top-rated bowl in the Butter Chicken Bowl also on a rice base.  This was also made with chicken shawarma that was crisped up on the flat top while mixed with butter chicken sauce.  We asked for mild and indeed it was, but also had some background spice.  Chicken was moist and the sauce had an earthy tanginess.  A dollop of sour cream added more tart creaminess.  Sumac coated onions provided crunch and another layer of tanginess.

We had something different as well as being vegetarian in the Falafel Salad.  These falafels were legit as they were made-to-order by hand.  Hence, they were not overly dense, yet still held together.  Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  Nicely spiced with mild herbaceousness.  It was served with hummus, pickled turnips and tomatoes.

So what if you didn't want rice or salad?  How about some Messy Fries, which is their ode to poutine.  What we had here was a bed of crispy starch-coated fries topped with a considerable amount of chicken shawarma, and a few sauces (that were tangy, creamy and spicy), feta cheese and parsley.  Completely messy, but super-tasty since the chicken itself was already plenty seasoned while the sauces provided hits of heat, tang and saltiness.

We had one more bowl in the 50/50 Bowl consisting of half salad and half rice.  It was topped with beef gyro and halloumi.  Tender in spongy way (which is typical of the processed beef), the beef was tasty on its own with an intensely savoury flavour.  As for the fried halloumi, there was a slight crispiness giving way to the classic rubbery texture.  Some sumac onions, tomatoes and some sour cream rounded out the bowl.

Onto the wraps, we went for some of the other fusion flavours such as Korean BBQ Chicken Wrap.  As expected, this was on the sweeter side with only a bit of spice.  Nice compliment from the sumac onions with some tang and sharpness.  This added a crunch as well.  But the best part was the saj bread itself since it was made-to-order with fresh dough that was pressed and then cooked on a saj domed maker.  So fresh, soft and full of elasticity, the bread had a great chewiness and was beautifully seared.

One of the most flavourful wraps was the Jerk Chicken Wrap.  We asked for this to be made spicy and it was indeed that.  Lots of tingling on my lips and lingering sting on my tongue.  This was exactly how I like it and the fermented and earthy flavours of the jerk spices added plenty of umami.  Once again, the chicken was juicy with crispy bits and the saj bread was texturally on point.

We had one last wrap in the Tandoori Chicken Wrap.  Employing the chicken shawarma with the tandoori spices was such a natural pairing.  We had smokiness from the char itself where it complimented the earthiness of the spices.  Nice tang as well from the yogurt and the crunch from the cucumbers and pickles helped brighten things up.

We had a few smaller items as well in the Beef Samosas and the Chicken Tenders.  These mini-samosas were crispy without the heaviness of the dough-heavy larger versions.  Inside, the beef was tender and moist with some spice.  As for the chicken tenders, sure, they didn't look any different than any other tender, but they did have a good crunch and some spice as well.  Chicken came out moist and tender.  Overall, we were thoroughly impressed with the food at Tahini's.  They pride themselves on "unbland food" and I would say it is accurate.  Furthermore, things are indeed fresh where the saj bread is the star.  I could eat that just by itself with just a bit of their creamy hummus.  Highly recommended and also cost-friendly too.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- That made-to-order saj bread!

- Fresh food

- Flavourful

The Bad:

- Parking in the area is a bit hard to come by sometimes

Sula (Dine Out Vancouver 2026)

Here we go with Sula again for this years Dine-Out Vancouver festival (from Jan 21st to Feb 8th).  You have heard me have differing opinions about DOV over the years, which has been both positive and negative.  I would say earlier on, around 15+ years ago, DOV was not exactly a draw for me.  The menus were mediocre and we weren't really get good value (since portion sizes were small and the dishes were not appealing).  I would say in more recent years, restaurants have taken it more seriously and the menus have been much better as well as the food.  Of course that has coincided with increasing prices across the board.  If we look at Sula's DOV $45.00 5-course menu, this would qualify as one of the better values.  It includes choice of appetizer, palate cleanser, main (includes rice & naan), dessert and chai.  

Choices for the appetizers include the Tandoori Pineapple Chaat, Chicken Tikka Bao and Sesame Garlic Fried Cauliflower.   Although the dish was essentially charred cubes of fresh pineapple, the Tandoori Pineapple Chaat was so refreshing and truly appetizing.  Sweet and juicy, the pineapple was beautifully charred giving caramelized with smoky vibes.  This was further enhanced by the wheat papdi.  It added a light crunch that was the perfect foil for the juicy pineapple.  With chaat spices and accompanying herbs, we got the usual earthiness combined with tangy, sweet and herbaceousness.

Probably the most filling appetizer was the Chicken Tikka Bao as it was a large steamed bun stuffed with shredded chicken tikka, cucumber, red onion, cilantro aioli and tandoori aioli.  Beyond the fluffy bun, the chicken tikka was tender and moist with a good amount of spice (not heat) and mild tomato tanginess.  Naturally, the cucumber and onion provided some fresh and vibrant crunch while the aiolis added creaminess.  In particular, the cilantro aioli did its herbaceous thing.  The Sesame Garlic Fried Cauliflower was solid with crispy florets that were cooked all the way through but not being soft.  The crispy batter remained as such despite the coating of sauce.  It was appealing being tangy and sweet.

In between the appetizer and entree courses, we were presented with a palate cleanser in the Wildberry Sorbet.  It isn't often we get this at an Indian restaurant and it was literally a refreshing change.  Light and sweet, this helped us get ready for the heavier dishes.  There are special cocktails ($14.00 each) available for the Dine Out menu and we had 2 of them including the Bombay Blue and the Lemongrass Lyric.  With a pronounced liquorice essence due to the star anise-infused Bombay Sapphire, this also had elements of red apple and lemon.  The sweetness of the lychee meshed well with the bright lemongrass with the Lemongrass Lyric.  Really nice cocktails that helped bring the heaviness down a notch.

For the mains, one can choose from Mango Chicken Korma, Kolkata Lamb, Mushroom Coconut Curry and Paneer & Green Beans Biryani.  Sweet and aromatic, the chicken in the mango korma was in big tender chunks.  They were juicy despite being white meat.  The nuttiness of cashews came through in both aromatic as well as texture (making the curry thick).

With large chunks of meat, the Kolkata Lamb was full of rich spices that were earthy, fall-tasting and spicy.  I asked for this one to be extra hot and it definitely was, yet at the same time, wasn't overwhelming.  The sweetness of the onions and bite for the ginger were evident. The lamb was tender with that unmistakable gelatinous texture.  It was definitely lamb-tasting with an appealing gaminess (for me at least).

For me, the best option for the mains happened to be vegetarian.  Creamy and rich, the Coconut Mushroom Curry was a flavour bomb that hit all the right notes.  The combination of coconutty aromatics and sweetness with the earthiness of the mushrooms gave out strong umami vibes.  Salt levels were just right as well as the sweetness. Combined with the choice of naan (this went well with the just the plain one), this was a fulfilling dish.

Another vegetarian option is the Paneer and Green Beans Biryani.  Naturally, without any meat, the rice was less robust and ate almost fluffier.  It wasn't devoid of spice though as it was earthy with some heat.  Loved the cubes of squishy paneer as it added body to the dish and the green beans were soft and almost juicy.  This came with some a spicy and creamy peanut salan to kick up the richness and aromatics of the Biyani while the raita on the side cooled things down.

All of the meals included a choice of Basmati Rice or Coconut Rice as well as a choice of Tandoori Naan, Garlic Naan or Onion & Cilantro Naan.  Naan was great as it was fluffy with elasticity while the outside was nicely charred and blistered.  In addition to dessert, a cup of Rose Chai was served as well.  It was fragrant and purposefully sweet.

Desserts include a choice of Macha Rasmalai Cake or Classic Coconut Payasam.  Although the sponge cake was on the firmer side, the Macha cake ate quite well.  It was not overly sweet and was rather aromatic.  Really enjoyed the payasam as the rice pudding was creamy with measured rich sweetness from the jaggery.  Definitely could taste the cardamom and also the sweetness of the fried raisins on top.  Nice textural contrast with that and the cashews.  Overall, the meal was delicious and well-priced considering how many items that were included.  I would do the Coconut Mushroom Curry all day, even if it didn't have meat.  Shockingly, the Tandoori Pineapple Chaat was my favourite appie.  So no meat to be seen in my meal.  If you do that combination and you have a heartier appetite, you might best stick with at least one meat dish.  Be aware that the Dine Out menu is different at all Sula locations.  This particular one is only for Commercial Drive.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Well-priced

- The menu includes enough food and sides

- Delicious

The Bad:

- Not that it wasn't any good, but unless you are vegetarian, best not to get the Biryani as it is mainly rice and then it includes more rice and naan

An Indian Affair (Willoughby)

We all know that Greater Vancouver is famous of its Chinese food (in particular Cantonese cuisine).  However, it is becoming a hotbed of Indian cuisine as well.  Now it isn't as if this was suddenly the case as there has been a long-standing Indian community (particularly Punjabi) in the GVRD.  Yet, there has been an explosion of nicer, higher-end Indian restaurants opening up all over the place.  Many sport elegant decor complete with a full-service bar and elevated dishes.  One of the newest is actually a 2nd location of An Indian Affair in Willowbrook.  We made our way out to Willoughby Town Centre to check it out.

Before we got to the food, we had quite the fun experience with their cocktails (and mocktails).  We had the flaming Tikki Baba as well as a Zero Proof Kiss My Lips.  Featuring a flaming half-lime, this drink sure had the theatrics.  Yet, at the same time, it was went down super-easy and hence, dangerous!  The guava and lime made this tropical and sweet, hiding the Old Monk rum pretty well.  Served in an equally interesting vessel, Kiss My Lips was fruity and refreshing.  Loved the hanging serving vessel with the opening for a straw!

Onto the food, we got the Palak Patta Chaat to kick things off.  I've had this many times before, but this has to be one of the best versions.  The crispy chickpea flour-battered spinach leaves were crispy and light.  This was topped with sweet yogurt, tangy tamarind chutney and mint sauce.  The combination of flavours were a little of everything and very appetizing.

I was super happy about the next dish as Chicken 65 is one of my favourites.  If you are wondering about the name, the dish was created in 1965 at Hotel Buhari.  This particular one was a tasty with meaty pieces of chicken that were doused in an earthy sauce that was slightly spicy and tangy.  The chicken itself was not dry and had a firm exterior.

Up next, we had the Mixed Grill Affair consisting of lamb chops, tandoori prawns, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka and tandoori fish.  Nice char on the each item that was smoky, yet not burnt at the same time.  Lamb was succulent and well-spiced while the chicken was tender and juicy.  Prawns were meaty with lots of aromatics.  The fish was tender and flaky.

So Bubble Cosmo and Paan Affair were both smoke shows, but in different ways.  For the Bubble Cosmo, it was revealed as the cloche was lifted, with smoke filling the air.  Due to the dry ice, the Paan Affair kept smoking as we were enjoying the drink.  Due to the passionfruit, it was tropical and sweet, but tequila was still lurking in the background.  The Bubble Cosmo wasn't as strong as other Cosmopolitans I've had due to the balanced amount of cranberry juice.

The Affair Malai (Coconut Prawn Curry) was served in a whole coconut.  Not the best to see in a picture, yet I assure you, it was plenty tasty.  Aromatic and creamy from the coconut milk (and cream), the gravy was also nicely spiced with some earthiness and slight spice.  The prawns were juicy with a meaty snap.  Best of all, the young coconut meat added another layer of texture and bright sweetness.

We added some more dishes including the Chicken Tikka Masala and Goat Curry.  Unlike Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala is more robust and spiced.  That it was with tender chicken with an earthiness and balancing tanginess.  As for the Goat Curry, it had classic fall spice flavours with cloves and cardamom.  There was the usually earthiness from the cumin and some gingery notes.  The goat itself was tender and gelatinous.

Out last entree was the classic Palak Paneer.  With house-made paneer, this benefitted from the soft and appealingly squishy cubes of cheese.  They were bathed in a rich spinach gravy that was balanced with gingery notes.  It had equal parts sweetness, savouriness and earthiness.  We had some Garlic Naan to go with the curries and it was fantastic.  Well charred and blistered on the outside, without being burnt, the naan was nutty and crispy.  Inside it was soft and fluffy.  There was plenty of garlic as well as ghee and salt.  Hence, it ate very well even without being dipped into the sauces.

The fireworks continued with our cocktails with the Kambakht Ishq.  It was served surrounded by a cindering steel wool.  The drink itself consisted of smoky mezcal, aperol and lime with cherry infusion.  The  Lycheeni had layers of pretty colours and was fruity and of course, lychee-forward.  It came in a pretty glass with a built-in straw, but was a bit unstable.  Be careful when moving it!

We ended off our meal with desserts that were not the usual.  Rather, we had the Mango Cheesecake and the Paan-e-Bahar.  Fluffy and light, the mango cheesecake was semi-sweet with only the slightest of cheeseiness.  As for the Paan-e-Bahar, it was a total surprise.  Again, it was also not super sweet while being plenty herbal-tasting.  The sponge cake was light and fluffy.  In the end, we were quite impressed with the food, drinks and overall vibe of An Indian Affair.  There are many nicer Indian restaurants in the GVRD these days, but this one seemed to put it altogether for a reasonable price.  One doesn't need to have a special reason to dine at An Indian Affair because their prices are less than most chain restaurants.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Well-prepared eats

- Reasonable prices

- Showstopping drinks that actually taste good

The Bad:

- Parking in Willoughby Town Centre can be difficult at times

Bahubali Biryani House Downtown

Awhile back, I had the chance to try out Bahubali Biryani House in North Delta with a few other people.  It turned out to be a tasty experience with the biryani being really good (yes, it is in the name of the restaurant right?).  There was a low-key dish that I am still remembering quite fondly.  That was the Crispy Corn which was "wow", super addictive and would go really well with a tall cool one.  Now, they have a Downtown location that serves some of the same delicious items, but also features a lunch buffet for only $19.95.  For those who want to take away, they offer "all-you-can-take" for the same price.  In this economy, that is a really great deal and super flexible as you can take it to go as well.

So we came here to try that exact Buffet and also sample some of their a la carte specialties.  As you can see, there was a good selection of items available as hot food in the buffet.  We found Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Curry, Saag Paneer, Chana Masala, Aloo Matar and Onion Pakora.  We also found both Basmati and Dum Rice on the side to compliment the curries.  I thought everything looked vibrant and fresh, which cannot be said about all Indian buffets.

The curries tasted as good as they looked and surprisingly with a good amount of spice.  The Butter Chicken was creamy with a mild tanginess and earthiness.  Chicken was in good sized chunks and tender.  Loved the Saag Paneer as the cubes of cheese were soft and squishy.  The cooked down spinach sat in a semi-creamy curry that was earthy and slightly gingery.  Chicken Curry was solid with fall-apart pieces of meat while being bathed in a spicy and sweet curry that had the taste of fall flavours.  Slightly gingery, a bit sweet and of course earthy, the Chana Masala was definitely flavourful.  Same could be said about the Aloo Matar with its tomato-based curry that was, once again, earthy and slightly spicy with the sweetness of the peas.

The last 2 items that I had to try from the hot items was the Onion Pakora and Tandoori Chicken.  The pakora was crispy and fairly light with completely cooked through onion.  Maybe needing just a bit more char, the Tandoori Chicken was juicy and tender while having some spice and tang.  The rest of the buffet featured some veggies, fruit, chutneys, raita, gulab jamun and kheer.  Those chutneys were a great condiment to the spicy curries, especially the sweet and sticky Mango Chutney and tangy Tamarind Chutney.

Since Naan should be eaten fresh out of the tandoor, they make it to order for the buffet.  You have a choice between Butter Naan and Garlic Butter Naan.  We had both and they were fantastic.  Look at that char and external crispiness!  That crunch gave way to a chewier, yet soft, interior.  So much nuttiness and aroma from these two fresh breads.  They weren't shy about the ghee either as they were glistening.  Naturally, the garlic naan had some more flavour.

Moving away from the buffet, we ordered a few dishes off the regular menu.  Of course we couldn't do without the Crispy Corn.  Marinated, battered and then deep fried, the corn was super crispy and super sweet.  Being tossed with fried curry leaves, we got some real earthy aromas.  Once again, I feel that this dish is perfect with a cold beer.  The wedge of lemon was there to cut through some of the deep-fried heaviness, but honestly, I didn't use it since the aroma would've been less apparent.

To my horror, Jackie decided to order the Cilantro Chicken.  Okay, I'm not the biggest fan of cilantro, but this looked to be quite the challenge for me to eat.  But something surprising happened...  I enjoyed this dish!  The tender nuggets of chicken were bathed in plenty of greeness but it wasn't overpowering with the cilantro.  Rather, it combined well with the rest of the ingredients to create a cohesive flavour that was partially earthy, a bit spicy, somewhat tangy and of course cilantro-tasting.

We ended up with 2 sizzling Tandoori platters including the Mixed Tandoori Platter and Tandoori Prawns.  Both did indeed come out sizzling (as some places do not) and the aroma was intoxicating.  Unlike the tandoori chicken in the buffet, these tandoori items were nicely charred and smoky.  I particularly liked the fish as it was flaky and full-flavoured.  The prawns were excellent too having an intense brininess and sweetness.  Good texture on them too.

For myself, I needed to have the Goat Curry.  I just love the texture of goat and yah, I don't mind the gaminess either.   Actually, I didn't notice too much in the way of gaminess, but then again, I'm used to it, so it could be subjective.  Each piece of goat was tender with its usual gelatinous texture.  The curry was really flavourful bordering on salty but not being salty.  The spice level was great for me as it had a real bite.  Of course the usual earthiness and fall flavours came through.

We couldn't get out of here without having at least one biryani right?  So we opted for the Vijayawada Fry Piece Chicken Biryani.  As you can see, this was overflowing with basmati rice that was nutty and chewy.  Hidden underneath, there was a considerable amount of tender pieces of chicken that were the beneficiary of being fried.  Hence, they retained their juiciness and intensified their flavour.  This was pretty spicy but completely up my alley.  I could see it being a problem for some people, but I loved it.  The side of raita helped cool things down and the salan provide even more spice and nuttiness.

We also got an order each of the regular Paratha and the Spinach Paratha (only the spinach pictured) and these were good.  They were lightly browned on the outside with some leoparding while maintaining a soft fluffiness.  It had more body due to the whole wheat flour.  Nice aroma on them and with the spinach paratha being a bit more loose due to the moisture.  Overall, the food at Bahubali Downtown is fantastic with a high default spice level.  Portions are generous and the prices are affordable, especially for its location.  Would totally recommend.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Flavourful food with a high default spice level
- Affordable, especially the buffet
- Generous portion sizes

The Bad:
- A bit hidden and parking isn't the best, but most people would be in the area anyways
- Seating is a bit limited, was really busy when we were there