Zia's Cafe and Grill

The "industrial park" restaurant is one that we've seen before.  Hidden within warehouses and offices, the place is usually non-descript, have limited hours and offers up generic food for the workers in the area.  However, that is certainly not the case with Zia's Cafe and Grill located in 13700 Mayfield Place in Richmond.  Sure, they still serve burgers and such, but that is only a small part of the menu.  In addition to that, we find made-from-scratch Persian, Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.  I recently made my way out there with Jacqueline for a taste of their wares.

We began with their Vaziri consisting of both Kebab Koobideh and Joojeh Kebab with saffron rice and grilled tomatoes.  This was a large plate of food that would serve 2 people easy.  Both the chicken and beef were tender and nicely spiced.  The ground beef kebabs were juicier with a nice onion finish while the chicken breast kebabs were a bit drier with the essence of saffron.  I would've liked a bit more char, but these ate very well nonetheless.

 

The next set of dishes included Gheimeh (Split Pea Stew, Ghormeh Sabzi (Herb Stew) and Kashk O Bademjoon (Eggplant Dip).  We could really tell these were made from scratch and resembled more like home-cooking than restaurant food.  Hence, the dishes were salty nor too greasy.  I found the lentil stew to be mild with tender beef and light tomato notes.  The herb stew was very subtle with herbaceousness and tender beef as well.  Complimented by mint, garlic and yogurt whey, the roasted eggplant dip went well with the soft flatbread.  I also thought the flavours in this was also subtle.

By looking at the colour of the Butter Chicken, it didn't appear that they used tomato paste.  In fact, it looked like they used fresh tomatoes.  Hence, the flavours were creamier and again, I'll used the word, subtle.  I was able to get the earthiness of the cumin and just the slightest hint of spice.  Nestled in the sauce, we found tender nuggets of chicken.  Again, this was served with saffron rice.

Now the fact they serve different things other than their core menu has mainly to do with offering more lunch options in the industrial park they reside in.  But their Famous Charbroiled Burger was far from a throw-in.  I thought it was fantastic as the fresh beef patty had a great meaty texture and flavour.  Furthermore, there was a smoky sear that complimented the natural taste of the meat.  Sure, their fries were not house-made, but at least they used Cavendish (Costco Fries) because they were good.

One of the best, if not the best, things we tried was the TFC Burger featuring crispy tandoori chicken bites nestled in a brioche bun with jalapeno mayo.  They were indeed crispy with some spice and plenty of impact.  Chicken was moist and the whole thing just ate well with a variety of flavours and textures.  I would say this is the thing to get here as it is unique and cheap at $10.00 including fries!  I would say that the food at Zia's is reasonably-priced considering that everything (well, almost everything) is scratch-made and not loaded with salt and preservatives.  Good option if you are in the area.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Scratch-made food

- Reasonably-priced

- Wonderful people

The Bad:

- Since it is homemade, things are milder and more subtle

Bavel

While planning out our eating destinations when we were in LA, I had some ideas that made it onto the final cut.  However, with the help of Mijune, I was able to fine-tune the list which meant I *had* to visit Bavel.  One of the more popular restaurants in LA, it resides in the hot arts district along with its related restaurant, Bestia.  Yes, this is from the same folks who run Bestia, which is an LA institution.  We ended up with a great meal there and expected nothing less from Bavel, albeit with a different theme in elevated Middle Eastern.  We were able to get a reservation and scored a seat outside on the patio.  Pretty windy, but loved the atmosphere and amount of natural light.

Starting off with 2 spreads, we had the Duck 'nduja Hummus with pita bread and the Babaganoush with fried pita bread.  Creamy, garlicky and almost airy, the hummus by itself was already flavorful and delicious.  There was was a light dusting of sumac to add some spice.  However, the aromatic and spicy duck 'nduja provided the depth and body that transformed the hummus into something super impactful.  The smokiness of the babaganoush was the first thing that hit my palate, then it gave way to a tanginess and finally some earthy tones from the mushrooms and coriander.  The side of fried pita was also a star being fluffy and light with very little grease.

Normally, I'm as excited about vegetable dishes as rush hour traffic on the I-5, but both the Cauliflower and Mushrooms blew me away.  Nicely charred and smoky, the cauliflower was still firm despite being cooked all the way through.  It was not as spicy as it appeared, but still had impact.  There was a level of sweetness that provided balance.  On the side, the crème fraîche was the cooling touch needed for the plate.  That was good, but the mushrooms were life-changing (well, not really, but close!).  Beyond the natural meatiness of the oyster mushroom, the preparation created even more body.  It was smoky from the grill and aromatic.  The seasoning was on point where the umaminess was magnified.  Loved this dish.

Our last small dish was was the Octopus which was nicely charred where the crust on the outside was firm and caramelized.  That gave way to super tender meat that required very little chewing.  There was a noted spice from the chili oil while the avocado cream underneath had an earthiness from the coriander.  Loved the pickled okra as it added the necessary acidity.  Onto the larger dishes, we had the Aged Duck and it was fantastic.  The breast was prepared on a large skewer where the skin was crispy and decently rendered.  As for the meat, it was still juicy and tender with the gaminess of aged meat.  The duck confit leg was fantastic.  With crispy rendered skin and tender gelatinous meat, it ate really well.  Seasoning was on point too.

All of our dishes were great, but the Lamb Neck Shawarma was the proverbial icing on the cake.  It was super tender and full-flavored.  The earthiness of the cumin and coriander was quite evident as well as a hint of cinnamon. It rested on top of bread and we ate it like a taco with the condiment which included pickled veggies, sour cream and cilantro.  As you can clearly tell, I really loved the food at Bavel.  It was familiar, yet completely interesting at the same time.  Textures were how they should've been, but the imactful flavors, whether they were profile of the dish or in the background, were absolutely delicious.

The Good:
- Textures were on point
- Flavors were impactful and balanced
- Interesting food, not just the regular

The Bad:
- Parking in the area is frustrating
- If you chose to sit outside, make sure you bring a jacket

Sama Uyghur Cuisine

Underappreciated and generally unknown, Uyghur cuisine from the Xinjiang region of China is hard to come by in most parts of the world.  It is the unique mesh of Chinese cuisine with Muslim influences (and some straight-up Central Asian dishes).  In Vancouver (where I'm from), we had essentially 2 places and now we are down to one (Beijiang Restaurant).  While I was down visiting my relatives in the East Bay (in particular Fremont), they suggested we hit up Sama Uyghur Cuisine.  They didn't have to ask twice since finding this cuisine is the equivalent to finding a unicorn.

We ended up getting all the greatest hits including the Lamb & Chicken Skewers.  These were really large with substantial chunks of meat.  They were spiced with the usual earthiness of cumin and spice of chili flakes.  Minor hints of nutmeg and garlic were present as well.  They were grilled enough that the flavors were activated while still keeping the meat moist and tender.  I particularly thought the lamb was good being just fatty enough.  The chicken was a little drier though.  As an appie of sorts, we got the Spicy Green Bean Jelly.  These soft and buttery "noodles" were topped with chickpeas, chili oil/sauce, chili peppers and cilantro as well as a soy-based sauce.  This was spicy, salty, aromatic with a touch of tang.   This was all about the delicate texture of the green bean jelly though.

Of course we couldn't do without the Big Plate Chicken with pieces of chicken leg, potatoes and peppers.  This went really well with rice where the sauce was full of cumin and just a touch of spice.  There are several different versions of the dish and this one included tomato.  We enjoyed the tender pieces of chicken and the equally delicate potatoes that soaked up the sauce.  Underneath, the house-made noodles were still chewy and also benefited from the sauce.  However, since they were served with the original dish, it started to get soft as we ate (usually should be served after we finished the ingredients).  Getting some veggies into our meal, we had the Stir-Fried Broccoli and although it was not a complicated dish, it was prepared well.  Lots of wok heat lead to caramelized flavours (garlicky) and crunchy broccoli without much moisture.

Since Uyghur cuisine is famous for the use of lamb, we also went for the Cumin Lamb.  This was also prepared properly with plenty of wok heat which ensured caramelization and activation of all aromatics.  Naturally, the earthy cumin came through in spades, but the lamb was definitely there too with its usual gaminess.  The pieces were tender enough without being dry.  The rest of the ingredients including the peppers were still vibrant and crunchy while cooked all-the-way through.  I also noticed the dish wasn't as greasy as some other versions I've had.  One dish I wasn't a huge fan of was the Dry Stir Fried Green Beans as the beans were a little old.  Hence, they were chewy and not crunchy.  Furthermore, the flavors were a bit weak too with only a minor amount of aromatics.

On the other hand, the Stir-Fried Noodles with Beef was the complete opposite exhibiting developed and activated flavours.  Obviously, the most important part was the hand-pulled noodles and they were indeed excellent.  Super chewy in an appealing manner, there was bite and elasticity.  After that, the preparation was flawless with caramelization in terms of color and taste.  Just a touch of spice, the dish had plenty of savory elements combined with a balancing amount of sweetness and umami.  Lots of complimentary ingredients as well.  For the other noodle we had, it was more saucy in the Fried Pearl Noodle.  At first, I couldn't even tell there was any noodle due to the amount of ingredients on top.  Again, the noodles were chewy and this time around, they were more mild as the sauce didn't adhere very much.  This was more about textures than impactful flavor.  So other than the green beans, the dishes we had at Sama were appealing and tasty.  Sure, Uyghur food is fairly obscure and sometimes it leads to over-excitement even if the food is mediocre.  I don't believe this was the case here as the food was solid on its own merit.

The Good:
- Impactful flavors
- Large portions
- Unique

The Bad:
- A little pricey

Urban Gate

Finding Persian food in Vancouver isn't necessarily a difficult thing to do, especially on the North Shore.  When we look at other areas in town, it can be a real challenge and when you do find a restaurant, it can also be hit and miss.  So imagine the surprise when we stumbled upon Urban Gate Bar & Grill in Coquitlam.   First of all, it didn't look like a Persian restaurant and certainly the name didn't elicit anything Persian either.  Second, we weren't planning to eat there anyways because we were trying to go to the Japanese restaurant next door.  So once again, we ended up with a random backup plan.

So after perusing the menu, it was clear they mixed in Persian food with bar favourites to appeal to a wider audience.  We asked our server what was good and that is why we stuck with the Persian food only starting with 2 appies.  Both served with lavash, we were completely in love with the Kashk Bademjan (Fried eggplant mixed with kashk, spiced and garnished with walnuts, mint oil, onion and garlic).  Wow, the texture on this was just right for the lavash being soft and delicate while not mushy at the same time.  The flavours were downright impactful with layered spices and of course the creaminess of the kashk.   We also got the Mast Moosir (shallot yogurt), which was also great with the lavash, but even better with the kebabs we ordered.  

On that note, the Persian Sampler consisting of 1/2 Jujeh, 1/2 Barg and 1 Koobideh was really good.  Of course my exposure to Persian food has been limited mostly to what I've had here, but this has been probably my favourite so far.  The meats were moist, tender and juicy while charred on the outside.  They were adequately spiced and as mentioned, went really well with the mast moosir.  The cone of saffron rice was also executed well being fluffy and aromatic.  We also ordered the Lamb Shank with baghali polo, accompanied with hot lamb broth & house salad.  Texturally, the lamb couldn't have been any better.  It was fork tender, moist and gelatinous.  Usually, there would be some drier parts, but there was none of that in our dish.  Once again, the lamb was flavourful enough without being over-seasoned (ie. salty).

One dish we weren't that fond of was the Gheimeh Bademjan Stew featuring eggplant, split peas, tomato paste & seasoned beef.  To be fair, I've never had this before and maybe it could've been just a subjective thing, but it was pretty greasy with a huge oil slick at the top.  Furthermore, the flavours were just too muted and flat for our liking.  It was if they forgot to add the tomato paste because we didn't get any hint of it in the taste nor the appearance.  I would've also liked to see more beef as we had to dig around to find it.  However, everything else was delicious and well-executed.  I would not hesitate to come back for the Persian dishes.

The Good:
- Meats were really good
- Loved the flavours
- Service was good for us

The Bad:
- A touch pricey
- Didn't like the stew

Aleph Eatery

With the prevailing food scene in Vancouver, it is easy to overreact to cuisines that are unfamiliar.  We have such a wide array of Asian options, most people are quite well-versed as to what is good and what is average.  However, when it comes to cuisines less traveled, it seems like we will automatically go nuts for it since we've either never had it before and/or there is nothing to compare it to.  That would be the case with Middle-Eastern food where we do have some spots to chose from, but not all areas are represented.  Mijune and I met up recently at Aleph Eatery out on Powell to experience Chef Haitham El Khatib's take on Middle-Eastern eats.

Highly-recommended and stunningly beautiful to the eyes, the Silk Road featured hummus, eggplant and labneh combined into edible art.  It was finished off with honey, olive oil and zaatar with chimichurri saj on the side.  In comparison to the more well-known Jamjar, the hummus here was infinitely better featuring non-canned chickpeas blended smooth with noticeable hits of lemon and garlic.  Tender and not overprocessed, the eggplant was delicate with discernible texture.  It was lightly dressed in olive oil and was particularly good mixed with the zaatar and labneh.  About that labneh, it was thick and creamy with an appetizing tang.  It was complimented nicely by the honey.  Not to be ignored, the saj was warm, soft and had a mild chewiness.  I really wanted the Ultra Crispy Potatoes and they did not disappoint.  These were akin to the ones found at Pepino's, but dressed differently of course.  It consisted of tahini, aleppo and roasted red peppers.  Such a simple offering, but addictive.  Aromatic and firmly crispy, the potatoes were still soft and fluffy.  Beyond a mild saltiness, the flavours mainly came from the sweet peppers (with some spiciness) and nutty creamy tahini dressing.

Although we were there during lunch, we decided to get the Turmeric Cauliflower (which is on the dinner menu).  Turned out to be a good idea since they were also very good.   Unlike many of the fried versions in town, this one was roasted with turmeric and topped with tahini dressing, sliced almonds, aleppo and parsley.  Despite the repeat of a few ingredients, the cauliflower shared no common flavour profile with the potatoes.  Rather, the turmeric really came through with a gingery tanginess while complimented by the creamy dressing and the slightly spicy and sweet aleppo.  Texturally, the cauliflower was on point being firm with a moist crunch while cooked all-the-way-through.  Another hit was the Falafel with brined beat and carrot, radishes and garlic toum.  By appearances alone, it was attractive with a bright green hue surrounded by dark golden brown.  It ate as it appeared with a firm crunch giving way to a fluffy and soft centre.  There was noted hits of cumin, parsley and spice.

Our last dish was my personal favourite being the Enoki Mushroom Shawarma.  Initially, I was hesitant to order it, but upon Mijune's urging (or forceful suggestiveness...), we got it.  She was right though, it was fantastic from the first bite.  There was so much impact from the spices used on the enoki including nuttiness, aromatic bitterness and earthiness.  Combined with the hummus underneath, we got the lemon and garlic once again.  Eaten with the fantastic saj on the side, this was texturally and tastewise on point.  Okay, I got a little excited with this place (due to some of the aforementioned reasons), but compared to similar spots (in particular, Jamjar), Aleph does a much better job.  Would this be as exciting if we had the same amount of Middle-Eastern restaurants as Chinese restaurants in town?  Probably not, but given the limited options, Aleph is one of the better ones.

The Good:
- High-quality ingredients
- Small spot where the chef keeps things consistent
- Impactful flavours

The Bad:
- Some seats are a bit awkward in the small space
- Some creative license on certain dishes which might not work for some people

Jamjar (Granville)

My first ever experience with Jamjar was with their original location on Commercial Drive during a Brunch Crawl event.  I vaguely remember that we had hummus and some other small things.  Suffice to say, this did not fully represent what Jamjar has to offer.  I never made it back despite my curiosity since Lebanese/Middle Eastern fare isn't exactly in abundance in Vancouver.  Well, it wasn't until Nora suggested we all meet up for dinner one night at their new shop located at the old Rangoli spot.  

We ended up sharing a few things to start including the Hummus Trio consisting of original, lemon and red pepper.  I thought all of them were pretty good except the original could've used more acidity.  It was a bit strange as the other 2 had much more tang and hence had more pop.  We also could've used more pita bread since the amount of hummus was generous.  Naturally, we also had to get some of their fabulous Falafels and they did not disappoint.  We got 4 large perfectly fried balls that were firmly crunchy on the outside.  Inside, they were not fluffy per se, but neither were they dense.  They were nicely spiced where they ate well even without the yogurt dip.

Of course we also had to get the Makali (aka deep fried cauliflower) tossed in pomegranate molasses dressing. This was a rather large serving that featured a mixture of large and small florets of smoky cauliflower.  I enjoyed the firm, yet cooked through texture, but it could've been more crispy on the edges.  I loved the sweet and tanginess of dressing.  Next, we tried the Riyah (lamb popsicles rubbed with cinnamon, turmeric and Greek yogurt) which was a little pricey at $17.00.  It was good though featuring a smoky and crispy char.  The meat was cooked a bit more than I would've liked, so it wasn't as succulent as it could've been.

To get a good sense of the menu, we decided to order "A Taste of Lebanon" shared meal.  It started with Olives, Makdous, Feta, Hummus, Muttabel, Mohamara, Spinach Dip, Mujadra, Eggplant Stew, Cauliflower, Falafel and Batata Harra.  Now if this looks strangely like the dishes we'd already ordered, you are partly right.  We kinda goofed here, but the server didn't really tip us off either.  No matter, one of my favourites was the muttabel (roasted eggplant dip with tahini, lemon and garlic) as it was smooth, tart and aromatic.  I also liked the creamy sesame spinach dip since it had some texture even though it was pretty creamy. The second plate was more of the same, so not much to comment on that.

The main event (in my opinion) of A Taste of Lebanon was the plate consisting of Shish Tawouk, Makanik, Beef Kibbeh and Prawns.  I thought the beef kibbeh was the best of the bunch sporting a smoky sear and being well-seasoned with sweetness from the onions.   The shish tawouk (chicken) was also seared nicely, but dry and lacking impact.  It could've used more lemon juice.  I didn't enjoy the prawns as they were rubbery and overdone.  Lean and meaty, the makanik (sausages) were nicely spiced with layers of flavour.  For dessert, we got the Chocolate Rice Pudding featuring coconut milk and aborio rice. This vegan, gluten-free dessert was actually pretty good where it was creamy while thick and rich.  It wasn't overly sweet (even with the rose water) which was fine in my opinion.  Overall, our visit to the new location of Jamjar was decent and reasonably-priced (except for the lamb).  With that being said, some more refinement is still needed, especially with their proteins.

The Good:
- Something different, especially for the neighbourhood
- Generally okay pricing considering the area, but some are strangely overpriced

The Bad:
- Some proteins were overdone

Salchica

After returning from my most recent vacation (those posts will be up shortly), it has given me a greater appreciation of what we have in Vancouver in terms of eats.  However, there are certain things that are still lacking in the local food scene, especially when it comes to non-Asian cuisine.  I could start naming them, but it would take too much time and space on this blog post.  So I'll cut to the chase, I was recently invited to a tasting at Salchicha Homemade North African and Middle Eastern Cusine to sample dishes that are sometimes hard to find in the GVRD.

Now the first few items weren't exactly foreign to us as it included Baba Ganoush, Coleslaw, Tabbouleh and Hummus.  In the middle was some bread accompanied by tahini, sahoug and harissa.  The best item of the bunch was surprisingly the coleslaw.  It was crunchy, creamy and appealingly tangy.  I found the tabbouleh fresh, but a little heavy on the onion.  The hummus was smooth, aromatic and nutty with a strong tahini presence.  Lastly, the babaganoush was smooth, mild and sweet.

Onto some appies, we had the Chicken Skewers with house chipotle mayo.  Despite the use of breast meat, the chicken was tender with a robust texture.  With a light char, there was some smokiness to be had as well as the spices from the marinade.  I found the dip to be tangy with a mild spiciness.  Consisting of grilled eggplant, zucchini, carrots, yam and red bell peppers, the Antipasti was a pleasant dish.  I found the veggies to be cooked just enough without being overly wet.  I would've liked to see a slightly more aggressive char, but the caramelization was definitely there.

Something a bit different was the Sweet Liver Pate with toasted focaccia and homemade cherry tomato jam with cinnamon and bay leaf.  I thought the pate itself was extremely "liver" tasting with a touch of grittiness and iron-finish.  It was really sweet from the tomatoes and there was no mistaking the cinnamon.  The bread was a nice textural contrast being crunchy and well-charred.  Being pretty straightforward, the Cherry Tomato Salad was bright, refreshing and mild.  It sported lettuce, red onion, mint and feta cheese to go with the 3 colours of tomatoes.

From light to the "meat" of the meal, we got the Cous Cous Maraguez.  I really enjoyed this as the reduced harissa sauce had depth-of-flavour, but could've used some more salt.  The meaty Alberta lamb Moroccan sausage was meaty and flavourful while the cous cous was fluffy and moist soaking up the tang from the tomatoes.  On the same theme, the Shakshouka Maraguez featured a slow-cooked spicy tomato sauce with poached eggs and maraguez.  I found the sauce to be be rich and flavourful, yet not all that spicy.  Rather, it was tangy and sweet.  I liked the contrast of the buttery eggs with the meaty sausage.

We got yet another dish with meat on a stick, albeit a cinnamon stick in the Beef Kebabs.  These were served atop a tasty creamy potato concoction.  I found the beef to be well-charred, yet a bit dry.  The onions provided a nice caramelized sweetness while the cinnamon surprisingly was rather mild-tasting.  Our last meat dish was the Spring Chicken with carrot rice and drizzled with date molasses.  Being aggressively charred, the chicken was smoky and a touch bitter.  It remained moist and tender though while the sweetness of the molasses was a good match.

For dessert, we were served Malabi consisting of corn flour and milk topped with rose water and maple syrup, coconut shavings and peanuts.  Okay, I've had variations of this before, but for me at least, this was the best yet.  I loved the thick custard texture that was more aromatic than sweet and the crunch from the peanuts added a nuttiness.  By nearly sampling all of the best dishes Salchicha has to offer, I thought the ones featuring maraguez to be the best.  I would be pretty satisfied with one of those with an appie and the malabi.

*All food, beverages and gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Something different
- Hearty and robust dishes
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Charring could've been more consistent
- Loved the flavours, but could've been more aggressively seasoned