Lonsdale Kebab

It was the start of Christmas holidays and although there were many eats planned for the next 2 weeks, I made it a point to eat out anyways.  Wait, isn't that all-the-time?  Instead of going for the default (such as White Spot), I thought the kids should eat something different.  Different like...  Persian!  Hey my son loves meat, so meat on a stick (well it was cooking) sounded as good as any other idea.  Who doesn't like meat on a stick anyways?  Right, a vegetarian and vegans...

We started things off with the Hummus accompanied by pita bread.  Chunky and a touch gritty, the hummus was pleasant enough with mild garlickiness.  We would've liked to see some more acidity, but it was not a big deal.  Texturally, I didn't mind the intermittent chunks of chickpea, but I can definitely see some people not liking it.  A minor detail would be the pita as it was rather dry.  Included with the combo for 2, we were served a House Salad that featured fresh veggies in a yogurt dressing.  Nothing much to comment other than there was nothing amiss.

As mentioned, we got the Combo for 2 which included one skewer each of chicken and beef in addition to 2 skewers of ground beef.  Although not aggressively charred, the meats were pretty good.  We especially enjoyed the saffron chicken as it was succulent and tender.  There was a background armoaticness to compliment the mild seasoning.  We found the sirloin to be either tender and moist or a bit chewy dependent on the piece.  That wasn't an issue with the ground beef as it was juicy and easy to chew.  There was a considerable hit from the sweet onions.

For myself, I had to get the Lamb Shank which was reheated by the microwave.  Not a huge problem, but some exterior parts were dried out as a result.  Inside was much better as the meat was tender and gamy just like how lamb shank should be.  It was mildly seasoned where it sat in its braising liquid that featured onions.  Although I personally prefer the nearby Zeitoon, we thought the items we tried at Lonsdale Kebab were decent with all things considered

The Good:
- Really friendly owner
- Decent

The Bad:
- Lamb was a bit chewy on the outside
- More of a takeout spot as the dining space is limited

Zeitoon

For people who have lived in the Lower Mainland for an extended period of time, it comes as no surprise that the best Chinese food is found in Richmond and the best Indian food sets up shop in Surrey.  Furthermore, the largest selection of Korean restaurants are located along North Road.  However, how many people realize that the go-to place for Persian eats is on the North Shore?  Well, I guess for some that is not surprising, but it is interesting to note that it is not as well known as the aforementioned eats.

Even armed with that knowledge, I've only ventured into North Van for one Persian dining experience.  With an invite to Zeitoon, that would make it 2 (I guess I should venture out to NV more).  Since I could only eat so much, Sean accompanied me on this food adventure. Things began with the Kashk Bademjan consisting of deep fried mashed eggplant, sauteed onions, garlic and fresh mint.  We really enjoyed this as the soft and silky eggplant was mildly sweet, but best of all, accented by the caramelized and candied onions on top.  Furthermore, the garlic really came through adding more aromatics as well as the background mint essence.

Onto our mains, we shared the Vaziri with one each of the boneless chicken and koobideh ground beef skewers.  This ate as good as it looked where the meats were grilled expertly.  With the chicken, the nicely seasoned breast meat was succulent exhibiting a mild savouriness interrupted by hints of acidity.  As good as that was, the koobideh was better with juicy and well-seasoned ground beef.  The meat was processed enough that it was super moist and soft while still retaining a meatiness.  The bits of onion were sweet and aromatic.  Next, we tackled the Lamb Shank slowly braised and served with with Baghali Polo (basmati rice, dill weed, lima beans).  Super moist and fork tender, the lamb was on point.  There was a depth-of-flavour that was not too gamy where the braising liquid exhibited light tomato and cumin.

Our last dish was my personal favourite being the Fesenjoon Stew consisting of chicken breast in a sauce of walnuts and pomegranate.  I am a sucker for anything tart and acidic, hence, this dish had me at pomegranate.  Sweet and tart, the sauce was appetizing and super impactful.  It went perfectly with the chewy rice.  As much as chicken breast can be rather stringy in a stew, it was not in this case.  Although we only sampled 4 dishes, it left us wanting to try more in the future.  The food was prepared with care where textures and flavours were on point.

*Food excluding gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Well-prepared proteins
- Impactful flavours
- Well-portioned

The Bad:
- A tad more pricey than other places

Shiraz Grill

For the last 3 years, I've been a judge for the Chili Cookoff at the Cascades Casino out in Langley.  As of last year, Sean has been my judging buddy as we embark on a sometimes fiery trip down chili lane.  Yup the ride back into town can be hazardous, but it has been okay up until this point.  Before the endless supply of chili ran through our bodies, we had to get some other food for lunch right?  Well, we ended up at Shiraz Grill for some Middle-Eastern and Italian food.  What?  Yes, that was our sentiment at first too.

Alas, it doesn't matter who makes your food or what type of fusion thing is going on, as long as it tastes good.  With that firmly in mind, we started with the Spaghetti al Bolognese. Although slightly soft, the spaghetti was caressed by a meaty sauce that was full-flavoured without relying on salt.  There was the sweetness of onions, the rich flavour of the slow cooked tomatoes and a noticeable cheesiness.  Next up, we tried the Linguine alla Pescatore that featured a bevy of well-prepared seafood including prawns, mussels, squid and baby scallops.  The significant amount of black olives ensured there was a salty wine-like finish after every bite.  We found the pasta in this dish to be much more al dente.

Lastly, we had the Soltani Kebob featuring one skewer of sirloin and one skewer of ground lamb.  Other than a few end pieces, the sirloin was fairly moist and sufficiently tender.  There was a nice char that help bring out the spices including a background hint of cinnamon.  As for the lamb, it was juicy and completely spiked with sweet onions.  Other than the usual lamb gaminess and spices, the onion aftertaste lingered long after.  So you know what?  Despite our concerns, the food (both cuisines) was decent and dare we say, tasty?  Yes, if we are ever out this way again, we wouldn't mind trying out more items.

The Good:
- More than adequate portions
- Friendly people
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Cuisine confusion might scare some people

Best Falafel

It goes without saying that I have some pretty awesome friends.  Not only do they willingly go eat with me, they also put up with my incessant picture-taking and constant yammering about the food.  But there are times that I have to eat alone.  Yes, I'm acutely aware that this is not a unique phenomenon, however, I still have this phobia about taking photos of my ramen surrounded by strangers.  So the best thing to do in this case is to get takeout, in particular something in the form of a donair and/or shawarma.

Driving down Commercial Drive, I stopped when I spotted Best Falafel.  Best Falafel?  It's like in Elf, Buddy found the "best coffee in the world".  Since I was rather hungry, I left the "best falafel" for another day.  This time, I decided on the Lamb Shawarma Platter which was a good portion size.  The slices of lamb were succulent and well-seasoned.  I found the rice to be far too soggy though and to make matters worse, the sauces added to the moisture.  The hummus was very good though with a smooth creaminess that was garlicky with a nice hit of acidity.

On another visit, I did finally end up with the Falafel Wrap complete with all the fixins including lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, pickles and pickled turnip.  With just the right amount of sauce, the whole thing was not overly wet while super garlicky.  The crunch and acidity from the ingredients helped brighten up the flavours.  As for the falafel itself, since it was reheated with a microwave, it was no longer crispy.  It was moist though with a mild array of spices.  I also got the Chicken Wrap which was appreciably more impactful in terms of depth of flavour and texture.  Naturally, with meat replacing falafels, this wasn't surprising.  I found the meat to be on the drier side with crispy bits which was okay since the other ingredients provided moisture.  Overall, I enjoyed the food at Best Falafel, in particular the wraps.  Despite being satisfied by the portion size, it is a bit smaller than other places at either the same or higher price point.

The Good:
- Condiments add both texture and punch of garlic
- Since they open up the pita and make a wrap rather than a pocket, the ingredients are more even

The Bad:
- Portion-to-price ratio is not as good as some other places (such as Donair Affair)
- Falafel is okay, but not "best" (I'm half-joking here...)

Paradise Donair

Continuing on with my New West donair adventures, I visited the last store along 12th Street in New West.  Seeing how the portion sizes are generally quite massive at these places, I earmarked at least 2 visits in order to try out more than just one item. Naturally, much like other donair joints, Paradise has a selection of donairs and platters.  However, there are 4 different sizes to choose from including small, medium, large and kick ass.  They also have combos that include a soft drink.

For my first visit, I went for the Lamb Platter. As a big mound of food, it looked a bit messy, but it didn't matter as the meat was tender and moist.  The rice was rather hard though with defined kernels.  I was a bit dismayed there wasn't any hummus to go with the pita bread.  As you can see in the picture, they layered the salad on top of the meat.  I wasn't a huge fan of this because everything became muddled.  I would've much preferred everything separated (but that's just me).

I returned again to try both the Chicken and Beef Donair.  I went for medium as the larger sizes were just too much food (especially the kick ass).  Good thing too as the medium was chock full of meat.  I preferred the beef as the strips of meat were moist and well-seasoned.  I liked how when I requested hot, they didn't merely dump some hot sauce on it, rather, a bevy of hot peppers awaited my palate.  As for the chicken, it was not as succulent as I would've hoped for and the unrendered chunks of chicken skin was not appetizing.  Compared to Donair Town and Donair Star, Paradise holds its own with a style that is relatively unique.

The Good:
- Large portions even for the smaller sizes
- Agreeable owner
- Places to sit and eat

The Bad:
- Platter is too messy for me
- Quite warm inside, if you eat in

Leila's Donair Town

Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference between one donair joint to the next.  It might possibly have to do with when most people visit these types of establishments.  Yup, it could be for a quick bite or something late at night when one either has the munchies or inebriated. Well, for me, I was in the right frame of mind when I made my way to Leila's Donair Town.  I was trying to see how they compare to Donair Star down the street.

Similar to other donair joints, the Lamb Platter was large and generously portioned.  I liked the rice as it was firm, chewy and seasoned (unlike Donair Star down the street).  As for the lamb, it was mostly moist.  However, the pieces were very inconsistent as some were really large and some were in little bits.  Furthermore, I found the flavours to be quite muted.  I also found the hummus to be far too salty which made it strange in flavour.  It was quite smooth though.  The small Chicken Donair was a real deal at $3.99, especially given its size.  However, I wasn't a huge fan of the chicken itself.  I found it lacking flavour and most troubling of all, the meat was dry and lifeless.  Sure, it isn't supposed to be ultra juicy, but not this dry.

On another visit, I had the Super Beef Donair with hot sauce.  For $4.99 ($3.99 regular size), this was a substantial amount of food.  However, the beef was a bit too salty for me where it hid all the other flavours.  It was moist though and combined with the hot sauce, the donair was still satisfying.  As for the other sauces, they were too thin where the donair started to get soaked and mushy.  So as you can clearly ascertain, there are discernible differences if I had to compare Doniar Town to Donair Star down the street, with the latter being better hands down.  But then again, for the price, you really can't lose with either.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Friendly enough lady

The Bad:
- Sauces are too thin
- Inconsistency

Donair Star

Heading home from GPF in Delta, I was thinking hard as to where I could pick up some late night eats without resorting to anything that didn't involve a drive-thru.  Suddenly, as I was crossing the Queensborough, I remembered that JuJu had told me about a donair spot in New West.  I made the turn onto 6th and headed over to Donair Star on 12th.  As they were about to close, there was not chicken left.  I decided to get a Lamb Platter for myself and  Beef Donair for Viv.

As with many donair joints, the price-to-food value ratio is good at Donair Star.  My Lamb Platter had enough meat for 2 meals (but I ate it all anyways).  I particularly enjoyed the thick cuts as it remained moist inside.  I found the flavours to be pretty mild but there was the usual rosemary, onion and garlic hits.  I wasn't huge fan of the rice as it was a bit on the wet side and was even more so with the sauces.  The hummus was smooth, yet a bit too watery and it didn't seem to have enough acidity nor garlic.  Viv's regular-sized Beef Donair was pretty large for the price as they were pretty generous with the meat.  Like the lamb, it was in big chunks ensuring that they were not dried out.
 
Wanting to try the Chicken Donair out, I returned the next day.  While I was waiting, they were cutting some of the chicken off the rotisserie and it looked juicy and delicious.  However, the meat they used in the donair was a little dry and lacking in moisture.  It did taste good though with caramelization of flavours.  From the items that I tried, Donair Star provides good value (much like other similar joints) and decent eats.  However, I've definitely had better from a variety of places in the GVRD.

The Good:
- Like similar places, it is a good value
- Good portions
- Nice people

The Bad:
- There is better

Meditalia Gourmet Kitchen

As you may have already noticed, I get on these personal food fads.  In other words, I seem to focus on a particular type of food for a period of time, then get bored and eventually moving on - much like Tiger Woods and his women.  Um...  Bad analogy.  Viv, you didn't just read that...  Anyways, after my great experience at Donair Affair (how ironic of the name...  uh...), I decided to try out Meditalia Gourmet Kitchen.  Sure, they serve Gyros here, not Donairs, but you get the idea.

Much like last time, I picked up a Lamb & Beef Plate consisting of meat doused with plenty of sauce atop chewy rice.  Completing the order was hummus and tabbouleh salad.  I found the chicken a bit dry but the liberal amount of sauce helped matters.  The hummus was quite good being smooth and flavourful with hints of garlic and a good amount of olive oil.  I wasn't so fond of the cold, right-out-of-the bag pita bread though.  I picked up a Chicken Gyro as well and the darn thing was massive.  Yes, more massive than usual.  Lots of crisp produce doused in the same tzatziki and hot sauce.  The chicken was a touch dry, but it didn't make or break the gyro.

Lastly, I got 3 Falafels which were pretty forgettable.  Due to being prepared in advance and sitting in a warming tray, then reheated, they were soggy and not at all crispy on the outside.  But despite this, the rest of the food was decent and well-priced.  The nice people who run the place add to the positives as well.  I personally prefer Donair Affair more, but if I'm in Newton again, Meditalia is a viable option.


The Good:
- Large portions
- Well-priced
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Soggy falafels
- Meat is a bit dry

Mega Donair

When a hidden gem never makes it past being "hidden", often it ends up closing.  That's what happened to my favourite place for freshly fried falafels...  Ben Laila didn't last very long, but in its short existence, there was a loyal following.  Now, rising from the ashes, Mega Donair has set up shop. For me, many of the donair joints in town are roughly the same, offering the same items at the same reasonable prices.  But there is something that sets Mega Donair apart - they make their own Pita Bread to order.  That's right, much like fresh pizza dough, they flatten it out and grill it on the flat top when you order.  You can't get anymore fresher than that.

That wonderful chewy bread went with my Combo Plate consisting of lamb and chicken. It included a salad, humus and rice.  There was an option to supersize it, but the regular size was more than enough food.  The humus was smooth and complimented the fresh bread.  I found the lamb moist while the chicken a touch dry, yet was somewhat alleviated by the good amount of garlicky tzatziki.  I got a Beef Donair as well since the place is named Mega Donair.  Well, it was certainly large in size with plenty of tender meat and fresh ingredients.  Again, the fresh bread really made the difference as it did not have that "stale" quality like the packaged stuff.

Lastly, I got a few Falafels just for the heck of it (since the last place had the best falafels). They were fried fresh which ensured their crunchiness.  However, I found them rather dense and lacking in flavour.  The dousing of sauces helped in that regard though. Whatever the case, the fact they make their bread to order is a real plus.  I hope this place survives longer than the last one.

The Good:
- Fresh, made-to-order bread
- Good portions
- Nice people

The Bad:
- If it matters, food takes a bit longer due to the freshly-made bread (worth it IMO)

Donair Affair (Surrey)

Often, Vietnamese or Chinese food are my default cuisine choices when I'm looking for a quick, cheap and filling meal.  Think of it, a large plate or bowl of whatever for under $8.00 can be had.  However, as you can probably ascertain, the overwhelming amount of Asian food in this town can sometimes eclipse other choices.  Another place to fill your tummy for cheap would be the good ol' donair, shawarma, gyro or that-kinda-place. Think end credits of The Avengers.  Now, I'm no Iron Man, but I do have an iron stomach of sorts, except when it comes to the dreaded onion (but you really don't want to hear about that).  So off I went to Donair Affair in search of cheap eats.

I started with the Falafel Donair first and it was bursting at the seams (literally, as stuff was squirting out) with sauce and ingredients.  I liked the freshness of the lettuce as well as the vibrant tomatoes combined with the 3 different sauces.  The hot sauce was there, but wasn't really that spicy.  As for the falafels, they were premade, hence there was no crunch or textural contrasts.  Rather, it was crumbly and soft.  That didn't really bother me that much since the whole thing was satisfying.  The one thing that did annoy me somewhat was the salt content.  I got a Chicken Donair for Mrs. Spray Bottle and it was brimming full of nicely charred chicken meat.  It was still moist though with lots of natural sweet flavour.  Again, combined with the rest of the ingredients, it was a good and fulfilling concoction.

Lastly, my Lamb Platter was absolutely massive with lots of processed lamb meat.  It wasn't particularly lamb tasting and a bit dry, yet all the sauce on top made up for it.  The accompanying hummus was texturally smooth with some grittiness.  It did have a good lemon hit though.  Boy was I stuffed after the falafel donair.  Imagine how full I was after the platter...  Donair Affair hit the spot in terms of price, portion and quality.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large portions
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Decent eats, but some aspects could be better such as the falafels and dry lamb