Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beef. Show all posts

Naan and Kabob (Toronto)


In Toronto, we’re blessed to be able to eat cuisines from so many cultures. Up until recently, I’ve never experienced Afghan dishes: the spiced meats, herbed yoghurt or fruit studded rice. The tastes are familiar – Persian, Indian, and Middle Eastern – but it’s still unique and the spices balanced and not quite as overwhelming for a virgin palette.

You have to try the mantu (5 for $6.99 or 10 for $10.99), they’re fantastic. Square shaped dumplings filled with sautéed onions and ground beef pinched into an ultra-thin wrapper. Generally, I find dumplings need to be piping hot to be at their peak, however, mantus are topped with a light garlicky yoghurt, stewed split peas and mint making it equally delicious cold.

For a heavier appetizer, the bolanee’s ($6.99) potato filling wrapped in a thin pan fried naan will satisfy. The mixture is studded with green onions and herbs, but there’s also a hit of heat that sneaks up on you. Since they don’t use a lot of fats at Naan and Kabob, the bolanee is rather dry; a dip into yogurt or the “magic sauce” really helps.


You can’t visit the restaurant without trying their namesake kabobs. Each is served with salad and fresh naan (more like a thick dry crusty flatbread than the flakey soft Indian counterparts). It’s worth paying the extra $1.50 to add rice, the long grains are perfect for mixing with pieces of meat and the accompanying sauces. For another $1.50 the rice can be topped with qabli, a mixture of re-hydrated raisins and slivered carrots, which keeps the rice moist and adds sweetness.


Having tried two pieces of the classic chicken breast kabob ($9.49) throughout the evening, it was a hit or miss. The first piece was the typical dry unappealing chicken – the output of something skinless and boneless. Meanwhile, a later piece was juicy and tender. 


If you’d rather stick with chicken (lamb is a more popular Afghan protein), I’d go with the tandoori breast kabob ($9.99) instead, which was succulent every time having been marinated and cooked at a higher temperature. Moreover, the tandoori spices adds flavour so you don’t need to rely on the hot or magic sauce for taste.


Their shish kabob ($8.40) takes ground beef and a house blend of Afghani herbs and spices then forms it onto skewers before grilling. It’s a tasty combination of seasoning and the sprinkling of lentils (?) put into the meat helps to seal in juices.


You can tell the kids that the chaplee ($9.49) are burgers with the naan substituting for the bun. The ground beef patties are more flavourful than the North American version, but also leaner and thoroughly cooked through.


Naan and Kabob only has one dessert, a firni ($2.49), but it’s a delicious one. After a heavier meal of rice and meat, it’s nice to end with a lightly sweetened rosewater milk dessert, its texture a cross between pudding and mousse, oh so silky.


There’s also a mango smoothie ($3.49) available, it’s a thinner consistency that makes it more like juice. For something really different try the doogh ($2.29), a water and yoghurt drink topped with dried mint. It takes some getting used to as the drink is salty, so works better when you’re eating the kabobs.


A portion of Naan and Kabob’s proceeds is given to Covenant House. But, they don’t stop at just donating money; the restaurant also provides youth job opportunities so they can get culinary training and develop their skills. A commendable endeavor the four-restaurant chain has implemented to give back to their GTA community. 

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1780 Markham Road
 Website: http://nandk.ca/

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Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


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Naan and Kabob Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Sipping the Night Away at Cresta

Cresta Toronto

Past visits to Cresta (formerly Pastizza) involved sit down meals consisting of plenty of carbs and a drink or two. At their media event this month, my perceptions changed as tables were cleared and the dining room transformed into a spacious cocktail party. With their corner lot and floor-to-ceiling windows, the atmosphere was airy yet still warm and inviting as the smell of food permeated from the open kitchen.

Indeed, there were still carbs; after all, to have attendees not try their crispy light pizza would be a shame. The heirloom tomato version was reminiscent of a margherita – tomato, cheese and basil – except augmented with onion and olives. The funghi was just as delicious as I remembered, the wild mushrooms pieces further drizzled with truffle oil.


The scallop crudo was brilliantly presented, the seafood simply topped with citrus juice and coriander. A surprising twist was the garlic chip on top, providing a sweet earthy finish to the otherwise bright canapé.


Having had their beet salad, I enjoyed their take on the dish for the event skewering the colourful beets with the vegetable’s greens. In fact, I enjoyed it more as the smaller pieces allowed a lovely crust to develop, the sweetness further enhanced with the lemon thyme dressing.  


Of course we had ample opportunity to sample the restaurant’s wines, cultivated from the Cresta Ridge in California. The pinot noir kept the red lighter as to not overpower the food, yet still complimented the tomato sauce and beef.


I certainly had my fair share of the beef tenderloin, soft meaty slices of medium rare steak wrapped around thinly sliced roasted potatoes, garlic and a cherry tomato. A lovely pairing for the wine.


The roasted shrimp paired with an empty ravioli was also delicious … what a great one bite hors d'oeuvre smartly served with a fork. In a spoon, was my first taste of Cresta’s creamy mushroom risotto – it’s hard to go wrong with fragrant truffle oil and shaved parmesan.


The event has shown me another side of Cresta: the welcoming event space it could be just a stone’s throw away from the Financial District. Moreover, it showcased their new menu nicely. Sure, Cresta can still make a mean pizza, but their beef and shrimp were just as equally scrumptious.

How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 118 The Esplanade


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CLOSED: Kochi Fukaba 東風吹かば (Tokyo)

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Address: 21-1, Udagawacho, Shibuya (in the Seibu Store, B2F)

Type of Meal: Lunch 


During cold weather nothing beats hot soups and shabu-shabu, a Japanese method of placing thinly sliced meat and other ingredients into bowling soup, certainly hits the spot. Koichi Fakuba, located on the B2 level of the Seibu building in the heart of Shibuya’s busy scramble by the train station, offers this cooking method at reasonable prices.   


When the pot of soup is first brought over a lump of collagen sits in the broth; slowly it infuses into the soup as it heats up. I’ve heard about the Japanese practice of eating and putting collagen products on their skin for beauty benefits and thus excited to try it. After returning home and researching more about it on Livestrong.com, it’s a bit disappointing to find out that your digestive process would break down any of the amino acids in it and thus there is no benefit. Luckily, there is nothing harmful with it either and I’d like to think that I did myself a great service for eating shabu-shabu for lunch.



Koichi Fakuba offers all you can eat and a la carte options.  We decided to stick with something where we wouldn’t over indulge, so I ordered their pork and beef (¥1,480) meal. A dish of approximately six slices of thinly sliced meat and another filled with vegetables (pumpkin, shredded root vegetable & carrots, spring onions and napa cabbage) arrived. The meat only took a few swishes in the boiling broth to cook through while still retaining its tenderness. There really wasn’t that much taste to the beef or pork but ponzu (a citrus soy sauce) and goma (a creamy sesame sauce) accompanied the platter to help flavour the cooked products.  The goma went perfectly with the meal and I enjoyed how its thicker consistency helped stick to the ingredients more.

A pot containing a ladle and strainer is used for skimming the impurities off of the top of the soup, gathering up all the slivers of vegetables and if you incline for scooping up the broth to add to the rice or drink on its own. Personally, I found the meal was the perfect amount of food so that I was satisfied without being overly stuffed.  Plus, for only ¥1,480 it was also an affordable option.
 
Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10



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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!