Mumbaiyaa

Sometimes, food gets repetitive.  Yah it is definitely #firstworldproblems and given the economic climate at the moment, the fact I get to eat delicious food is a blessing in itself.  So take what I'm saying in context.  I'm always looking for interesting eats and when I try another new Indian restaurant, the food can be absolutely wonderful, but it can be the same-o same-o.  However, when we checked out Mumbaiyaa out on Hastings in Burnaby, there were signs that it would be different.  First of all, it is vegetarian and primarily a chaat house.  Second, they are located in Burnaby!  In my hood!  So I was pretty excited for my visit.

Looking over the menu, the predominant items were the Indian Pav (butter rolls).  The Butter Vada Pav featured spicy and soft potato that was battered and fried until golden brown.  I found the layers of texture appealing with pillowy soft buns with a crispy potato patty in between with delicate potato inside.  Then you had the intoxicating flavours of garlic and then green chutney.  This was so flavourful and aromatic that you didn't notice there was no meat!

Now that was good, but the real star was the Cheese Burst Vada Pav.  This was essentially a butter vada pav with the addition of a cheesy filling in between the layers of spicy garlic potato within the crispy batter.  The same delicious green chutney was there as well.  As much as this was almost the same as the butter vada pav, this was more robust with the ooey gooey cheese and also it somewhat cooled the spice to a degree.  I could eat a tonne of these!

Looking very similar to the butter vada pav, the Thecha Vada Pav was different for one particular detail - lots of green chilies and cilantro.  This made the whole thing very green and remarkably unique in flavour.  Much more spice and also very green-tasting with the cilantro and also the green chutney.  For me, it was still all about the cheese vada pav for me as it was more subtle.

Beyond the cheese vada pav, our next favourite item was the Ulta Vada Pav.  This was huge bun was stuffed full of spicy potato masala and then coated with besan batter.  This was deep-fried until golden brown and crispy.  Oh this was absolutely delicious and had the same qualities of the previous vada pavs, but with the crunch on the outside and all of the soft textures on the inside.  This was plenty spicy as well.

Other than vada pavs, we had both the Pani Puri and Sev Puri.  With the former, the hollow crispy shells were filled with tender potatoes, a pomegranate seed and some spicy tangy water and sweet chutney.  A nice crispy one-biter that packed a lot of flavour.  As for the latter, we found a crispy puri topped with potatoes, onions, tomatoes and chutneys with thin gram flour noodles on top.  Also a one-biter, but maybe with a spoon or fork.  Flavours were a bit more complex here due to the sharp onion and fresh tomatoes.  More crispiness with this one.

Moving onto something a bit different, but featuring a side of fluffy baked kulcha, the Chhole Kulcha featured a chick pea curry that had a surprising meatiness and depth.  Slightly sweet and almost smoky with spiciness that continued to elevate and really hits at the end.  For me, the super soft kulcha was the best part as it was light as a cloud and soaked up the delicious and spicy curry like it was supposed to.

Featuring 3 soft buttered pav, the Pav Bhaji was another delicious curry that was the beneficiary of really soft bread. The cooked-down vegetables were spicy and slightly sweet with plenty of umaminess.  The curry was smooth and and impactful.  It could've been fine with naan or even rice, but the addictively soft buns complimented the curry much like the chhole kulcha.  Eating the buns by themselves would've been awesome, but pair it with a tasty curry, well that makes it more awesome!

Our one rice dish was the Tawa Pulao with basmati, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, peas, pav bhaji masala and coriander leaves.  This was a fully-loaded rice that was rather saucy.  Lots of flavour from the sweet onions and bell peppers.  There was spice to this and also plenty of impact from the coriander.   Since the rice was already cooked, the texture was a bit softer.

As for the sweets, we had an Oreo Milkshake during the meal and Falooda for dessert (Rabdi & Rose).  The milkshake was creamy and smooth being a drinkable viscosity.  It was sweet, but not overwhelmingly so.  As for the falooda, they were sweet, yet balanced.  Lots of bouncy vermicelli hidden within the milky concoction with ice cream on top.  At the end of our meal, I was really glad that we made it out to Mumbaiyaa.  Nice to try some new things and also some familiar ones.  What a nice addition to the neighbourhood as we do not have anything like it nearby.  The stuff is so tasty and fulfilling, you won't miss the meat!

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

The Good:

- Lots of flavour and spiciness

- Reasonable pricing

- Super nice owner

The Bad:

- I mean, if you want meat, but for me I didn't miss it

- A little carb heavy, but it is vegetarian though

Carioca Bowls

Initially, I was a bit apprehensive when we had Carioca Bowls on our schedule while visiting Portland.  Not that I want to eat burgers everyday, but healthy food and delicious aren't often mentioned in the same sentence.  However, I was about to find out that my fears were unwarranted as their bowls and smoothies were both appealing in appearance and delicious in taste.  How about that?  I could actually like some healthy bowls...

So before we got to those bowls, we tried all the available Superfood Smoothies including the Classic, Verde, Azul and Forza.  Despite 3 of them being a similar color, they were all unique in their own way.  I particularly enjoyed the verde due to the tropical fruitiness of mango and pineapple.  This was also true for the azul with blueberries and peaches, but it had another layer of sweetness from the dates.  With almond butter, this had a bit more body.  With the addition of peanut butter, both the classic and forza were thick and nutty while balanced off by the açai.

Off to the bowls, they all were comprised of one of the following bases: Rio (açai, strawberries, blueberries & banana), Ipa (açai, peanut butter,  blueberries, chia seeds & banana), Copa (açai, strawberries, blueberries, banana, lions mane & coconut milk) and Mar (açai & coconut sugar).  For their classic Carioca Bowl, it featured a Rio base with nut-free granola, sliced banana, strawberries & blueberies.  As you could expect, this was a fruity and refreshing concoction.  This ate fairly light and was blessed with natural sweetness from the fruit.  The Rio base was a carbon copy of the ingredients, hence, it matched really well.

With more body, due to the use of the Ipa base, the Ultra ate more heartily.  It was comprised of nut-free granola, sliced banana, strawberries, almond butter, dates and pumpkin seeds.  This was mainly a protein bowl and the heaviness of the base and ingredients made it filling.  Definitely not as light and fruity as the Carioca Bowl, but still had a bright component to balance off the richness of the peanut butter in the base and the almond butter.

Continuing on with more robust bowls, we had the Yogi consisting of both the Ipa and Copa bases, nut-free granola, sliced banana, strawberries, peanut butter, toasted coconut, cinnamon and coconut oil.   We already knew that the Ipa base was pretty robust, but with the addition of peanut butter, this was quite the meal, especially for breakfast.  However, if you wanted more than just fruit, this would be it.

Other than the original Carioca Bowl, my favourite of the bunch was the Pollinator with a Mar base, nut-free granola, sliced banana, kiwi, raspberries, bee pollen and honey.  This was definitely up my alley due to the fruity tang of the raspberries and kiwis.  The mar base provided some more bright fruitiness while the bee pollen added some floral sweetness.  Of course the crunch from the granola added some texture.

The Rose City Bowl was something a bit different as it featured a Rio base with hemp granola, sliced banana, strawberries, raspberries, Honey Mamas chocolate pieces, and Jem nut butter drizzle.  Yah, this was quite the creation with hits of fruit, sweetness from the chocolate crunch and richness of the nut butter.  This was yet another filling creation that would satisfy even the biggest appetites.

In addition to their smoothies and bowls, we also tried their Avocado Toast as well as the Brazilian Cheese Bread.  As you can see in the picture, this was a very different avocado toast.  It contained vegan sauce and hemp seeds.  Hence it had an earthy and nutty thing going on.  Possibly a bit of fermented taste to it too.  It was not lacking in flavor.  As for the cheese bread, the regular ones were just like how I like them - cheesy & chewy.  The vegan version was a bit more dense and had a slightly saltier taste.  Overall, I really did enjoy the bowls and smoothies, mostly due to the fresh fruit and the delicious bases.  This turned out to be the thing we needed to cleanse ourselves for the next batch of upcoming restaurants.

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

The Good:

- Fresh quality ingredients

- More healthy than most other meals

- It actually tastes good!

The Bad:

- Some of the more protein-focused items are rather heavy, but it is par for the course

Bamboo World Kitchen (Granville Street)

It goes without saying that eating healthier is a good plan when one normally dines on an abnormal amount of rich foods.  So with that in mind, I did not hesitate to accept an invite to try the newly opened Bamboo World Kitchen in South Granville.  Not only do they want the customer to be served healthier options, they are committed to be as sustainable as possible with local organic ingredients and Oceanwise seafood.  Furthermore, their packaging is plant-based and even their countertops are made from recycled chopsticks.  Now that is commendable, but honestly, we need to see if the food can pass the taste test too right?

So getting right to it, we sampled their Dim Sum items first including Bamboo Gyoza, Prawn Dumpling and Bean Curd Rolls.  So I gotta tell you, these were pretty legit.  The gyoza was vegetarian with a combination of cabbage, carrots and shiitake which was tender and moist.  I found the wrapper to be thin and al dente in texture.  There was enough flavour on its own due to the white pepper, five spice and black truffle oil, however, the side of citrus soy helped brighten up the flavour profile.  So if you are wondering how the prawn dumplings turned out, I'm glad to report that they were really good.  The dumpling skin was medium thickness but tender with a slight chewiness.  Inside, the buttery shrimp did that sweet snap thing with the unmistakable hint of sesame oil and white pepper.  There was a chili lime sauce that predictably added tang and spice, but I much preferred dipping it into the Royal Bamboo Sauce that came with the bean curd rolls (think of it as a hot sauce with tang and sweetness).  About those bean curd rolls, they decided to make them semi-crispy rather than the traditional soft version we find at Chinese restaurants.  I thought it was a good decision as it was less messy to eat and it had an airy crispy texture encasing bamboo shoots, carrots, wood ear and mung bean vermicelli.

Off to their main part of the menu where any of their creations could be had in a wrap or a bowl.  We decided to give their Bangkok Bowl a try that consisted of organic tofu (+$2.00) marinated rice noodle, tomato, cucumber, pickled carrot, romaine lettuce, cilantro, scallions, coconut curry sauce and royal bamboo sauce.  I thought that the ingredients were fresh and appealing while the sauces combined to offer up all of the flavours including spice, tang, sweet, savoury and even a touch of bitterness.  The noodles were soft due to being marinated and I personally would've preferred a chewier version.  However, Jacqueline's parents tried the bowls too and they liked the texture of the noodles.  So each to their own.

To get a sense of what things would be like in a wrap, we had the Bombay in a flour tortilla (also can opt for a sundried tomato or spinach tortilla as well).  This wrap contained organic local chicken (+$4.00), bamboo brown rice, red onion, cucumber, marinated chickpea, mango chutney, grape tomato, spinach and cilantro with a curry yogurt sauce.  Of course this ate very differently than a bowl where I was able to get almost every ingredient in one bite.  Therefore, I got the meatiness of the tender chicken, crunch from the greens and firmness of the chickpeas.  In terms of flavour, the curry yogurt was tangy with unmistakable Indian spices.  This was tempered by the sweetness of the chutney.  In my opinion, the wrap would be my choice.

Too add even more greens to our order, we also had the Bamboo Forest (which is more of a salad) with Oceanwise shrimp (+3.00), mixed greens, marinated rice noodles, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, edamame, mint, basil, cilantro, scallions, cashews, black sesame seeds, radish, sweet chili sauce and citrus soy vinagrette.  I really loved this bowl as the shrimp was perfectly prepared and once again, the ingredients were fresh and vibrant.  Lots of crunch from the veggies and a soft nuttiness from the cashews.  The combination of sauces added tang, saltiness and a minor touch of spice.

I feel that their Smoothies were their most stealthily awesome item on the menu.  We ended up trying the Raspberry (raspberries, banana, dates, vanilla extract and almond milk) and Blueberry Maple (blueberries, maple syrup, banana, dates, vanilla extract and almond milk).  These could also be had with soy milk if desired.  We finished these aggressively as they were smooth, fruity and smooth with just enough sweetness.  A really nice compliment to our mains and dim sum without feeling heavy or overfilling.

We saved a bit of room for dessert and had the Vegan Coconut Panna Cotta topped with cherry compote and toasted coconut.  Being a vegan version, there was no gelatin in this and hence it was more akin to yogurt in texture.  It tasted great with a mild sweetness complimented by the semi-sweet compote.  Texture and aroma was provided by the toasted coconut.  So you know what?  I guess it sounds clichéd to say this, but we really did feel good after eating this meal.  Nothing was heavy, yet still satisfying and full-of-flavour.  Bamboo World is a good option for those who need to grab lunch everyday but want to avoid the usual fast foods.  Looks like people agree with this sentiment as they are opening up their second location on Broadway close to VGH shortly.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Fresh local sustainable ingredients and plant-based packaging
- Flavours from around the world
- Reasonable pricing considering the quality of ingredients

The Bad:
- For me, the rice noodles could've been chewier, but then again, other people liked it  

Do Chay (Kingsway)

If you have read this blog enough, you will realize that I'm pretty much a meatatarian.  However, that doesn't mean that I avoid vegetarian and vegan cuisine completely.  I am very selective of where I go and eat because bad vegetarian/vegan food is on the top of my do not eat list.  So when people kept raving about Do Chay, including Mijune, I just had to relent and try it myself.  Well not completely by myself as Angela joined me since she is one of those people who also rave about the place.

To kicks things off, we had Uncle Hing's Wings that consisted of fried mushroom, sweet & spicy fish sauce glaze, sesame and cilantro.  Of course these weren't really "wings" but I enjoyed them regardless.  The mushroom was cooked through yet still firm while the batter was crispy throughout.  Beyond the obvious sweetness accented by spice, the umaminess of both the mushroom and glaze created impact.

Whenever I see salted egg yolk anything, I must try it.  So here we have the Salty Egg Yolk Eggplant with salted egg butter, chili, garlic, cilantro and lime.  Texturally, the fried eggplant was on point being firmly crispy despite being tender and moist.  It remained that way until we had to pack it up.  Although the bits of salted egg yolk were plenty on the bottom of the plate, it didn't adhere properly to the eggplant.  This meant it didn't really eat like it was supposed to.  We had to take a bite of eggplant and then scoop some egg yolk so there would be impact and flavour.  When we did, it was quite tasty.  A squeeze of lime really helped bring things to life and cut through the heaviness.

One of my favourite dishes had to be their version of the Banh Xeo with plant-based prawns, sprouts, jicama, mushrooms, fresh herbs, greens and nước chấm.  The crepe itself was super thin, crispy and light.  Inside, the "prawns" were actually quite good resembling the texture of fish/shrimp meatballs that are normally found in Chinese hot pot.  Combined with the basil, nước chấm, lettuce, tomato and cucumber, it was a nice bite that had layers of texture and flavour.

My absolute favourite dish of the meal was the Black Garlic Eggplant.  This consisted of braised eggplant, fried tofu, black garlic, red chili, yau choy and rice.  To prepare this, they fried the eggplant first (so it wouldn't fall apart and also cooks quickly/uniformly).  Hence, there was still a robust texture on the outside giving way to tender eggplant.  That black garlic sauce was an umami bomb that was addictive with aroma, saltiness and sweetness.  There was a touch of spice and the intense flavour really went well with the plain rice underneath.  Delicious!

Now as for the Desert Island Noodles, I thought this was a bit muddled.  It sported thick noodles, coconut milk, vegan meatball, tomato, shredded tofu mix, peanut, fish sauce, greens and herbs.  For me at least, there was a few too many flavours that just became lost. Furthermore, it ate heavy with not enough acidity to balance it out.  With that being said, I still enjoyed  the aromatics of the coconut and the punch of the nước chấm, it just isn't a dish I'd order again.

Something new on the menu, according to Angela, is the Saigon Spaghetti with thick rice noodle, Impossible meat, black garlic and tomato sauce, greens and handmade egg tofu.  We really enjoyed this where the "meatiness" of the sauce was surprising.  It was rich with a tangy nuttiness that had depth (despite no real meat).  It paired well with the thick chewy noodles.  Also, that buttery soft egg tofu on top was really good.

Another dish with depth was the Tomato Tofu on Rice with fried tomato, Impossible meat, pickled Chinese long beans and fried tofu.  With the Impossible meat, it truly resembled a tomato meat sauce.  It had the richness as well as the robust qualities of the real thing.  Mild tang, sweetness with depth and once again, umaminess made this addictive.  In general, the whole meal was delicious and I really didn't miss the meat.  I am realizing that modern vegetarian and vegan cuisine has come a long way.  The more I am exposing myself to it, the more I want to eat it because it is delicious.  Do Chay is delicious and I will be back.

The Good:
- Lots of depth
- Don't miss the meat
- Bold flavours

The Bad:
- On the pricier end

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

Nourish Kitchen & Cafe

Although Nourish Kitchen & Cafe has built up quite the following in Victoria and beyond, I wasn't really familiar with the place.  By virtue of staying nearby (Inn at Laurel Point) and walking past it daily for the past 4 days, it was a given we were going to dine there eventually.  So we decided to hit it up for brunch on our last day staying in Downtown Victoria.  So what makes Nourish so special?  Well consider that it appeals to Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free and Paleo-diets as well as everyone else.  Wait, is that even possible?  I guess we were about to find out.

To start things off, we had the Hummus with Roasted Veggies.  At first, I thought this would be a small appie, but since it was on the lunch menu, I guess it was enough for a meal.  Featuring perfectly roasted parsnips, peppers, broccoli and cauliflower, this would've been delicious (not to mention healthy) by themselves.  However, they rested on a bed of hummus that was probably intentionally chunky.  There was texture and smoothness combined to create a great dip for the sweet veggies.  I would've liked a bit more tang, but that didn't make or break the dish.  I also got a small cup of their All the Power Chicken Bone Broth with ginger and turmeric oil.  This was flavourful and full of umami complete with substantial natural chicken flavour.  Tasty, yes and also good for you!

Onto my main, I went for the Sleeping Beauty Pancakes with featuring cardamom oat pancakes, apple compote, organic pomegranate whipped cream, bee pollen sprinkles, maple syrup and smoked bacon (added for $5.00 more).  These were thick, but surprisingly light considering the use of oats.  Slightly fluffy with a firmer exterior, these were sweetened by the compote and syrup.  When eaten with the smoky lean bacon, the pancakes had a fruit sweet and smoky salty combo flavour.  Surprisingly good considering this was gluten-free.  My son was appalled that we brought him to a place like this and had his eyes only on the Normal Breakfast.  This consisted of 2 farm fresh eggs, salad, buckwheat seedy toast and smoked bacon (also added for $5.00).  As much as this was gluten-free, he loved the crunchy and nutty toast.  Eggs were perfect and the bacon was lean and meaty.

Viv ended up with the Bonita Bowl sporting 2 soft poached eggs, cilantro hollandaise, molasses and chili baked beans, roasted squash, avocado and apple salsa, salted cabbage, pickled jalapenos and crumbled chorizo (also $5.00 more).  This was gluten-free and could be had as dairy-free too.  This was pretty substantial with a wealth of meaty and mild chorizo and 2 perfectly poached eggs.  The hollandaise was tangy and light with a bit of herbaceousness.  Lots of things going on including flavours from all of the ingredients that included sweet, spicy, tangy and of course salty.  Miss Y, who joined us, and my daughter both had the Benny Gone Nuts with 2 poached farm eggs, blanched kale, mushrooms, baked sweet potatoes, turmeric cashew hollandaise and haus verde pork sausage ($5.00 more).  This was gluten-free and dairy-free, but was no worse for wear because of it.  Hollandaise was earthy and tangy, eggs were runny and the use of veggies rather than bread made a unique but ultimately tasty concoction.  Sausage was meaty and full of flavour.  Yep, we liked this place despite my initial reservations.  If you are nearby, give it a try.

The Good:
- Appeals to all forms of diets
- Food is actually tasty
- Quaint house

The Bad:
- It ain't cheap, but fair for Downtown Victoria

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