Showing posts with label chai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chai. Show all posts

Pomegranate (Toronto)


I was introduced to Pomegranate after meeting a Persian women dining by herself at a restaurant. Normally, I would never intrude on someone’s quiet time, but the tables were close together and she noticed me snapping photos of my food. Always in search of good authentic restaurants, I enquired about delicious Persian restaurants within Toronto. Pomegranate, she noted, was a small place, but the food is great and one of her favourite restaurants to visit.

The colourful tapestry adorning the wall instantly put me in a cheerful mood. Despite visiting as soon as the restaurant opened, light aromas of spices were already wafting throughout the dining area, a promise of the flavours to come. The women didn’t lie, it’s a small restaurant with perhaps a dozen tables, so consider making a reservation - even with our weeknight visit, we secured one of the last unreserved tables.

While waiting for our mains, we shared an order of the kashke-e bademjaan ($7.95), which wasn’t big, but rich enough to satisfy our table of four with a couple tablespoons each. A bed of soft charred eggplant is topped with Persian whey, garlic, walnuts and caramelized onions. The starter comes with a basket of hot lightly toasted soft pita bread that’s perfect for scooping up a bit of everything to get all the flavours and crunch. The whey had a light creamy consistency and when mixed with the garlic almost had a tahini feel to it.


I’m always partial of lamb dishes when visiting a Persian, Indian or Greek restaurant. Hence, immediately the queymeh ($15.50) called to me. The hearty stew is great for spooning over the basmati rice where the tomato saffron sauce could mix with the long grains of rice - oh if only I had saved some of the pita bread to dip into the stew as well!


The dish had a surprisingly sour finish due to the sun-dried lime added to the braised lamb and yellow split peas. It took a couple of forkfuls to get used to it, but afterwards I rather like the citrusy finish that helped mellow out the otherwise heavier stew. Yet, I wished all the sides accompanying it wasn’t also sour:  the shirazi salad was finely diced vegetables tossed with citrus; even the mixed greens had a vinegar and oil dressing. Anything, even a reduced balsamic vinaigrette with the mixed green, would have helped to provide contrast within the platter.

To end, a cup of the Persian chai ($2). The black tea isn’t as strong as its Indian counterpart, lacking the lovely cardamom scent (it just smelt like orange pekoe) and the spices steeped with the tea is evident but muted. If you prefer a weaker tea, the Persian chai may be a good choice. For me, I’d just stick with the tried and true mint version next time.


City dwellers are often guarded and like to exist within their own bubbles. Admittedly, I’m no different, not one to strike up conversations with a stranger. Sometimes, it’s nice to break through our comfort zone and get to know someone. Sure, we may never see them again, but what we learn from them could be interesting, useful, and delicious.

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 420 College Street

Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
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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The Pomegranate Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

CLOSED: Bombay Street Food (Toronto)

Bombay Street Food Toronto


Seema and Amreen Omar’s new permanent location is stunning and  inspired by the older Iranian cafes found in Mumbai. I’ve never visited India, but if the cafes consist of bright airy spaces, a mix of beautiful patterns and motifs, interesting trinkets sitting on shelves and ornate light fixtures, I can see why they want to bring this laid back vibe to Toronto.


Bombay Street Food started as a travelling eatery in 2014, served in farmers’ markets and festivals across the city. The pair were offering smaller street food dishes inspired by what’s found in Mumbai, where diners mix and match offerings to make a meal. They were a hit and attendees kept asking for more, until finally this May the sister-in-laws quit their corporate jobs to dedicate themselves fully to the restaurant.   

Not to leave their roots, Bombay Street Food continues to source much of their produce from farmers’ markets (hence the vegetables in the salads and vegetarian dishes changes with what’s in season). They also want to follow tradition by concocting their own spice mixtures and using 100% halal meat.

A chaat is essentially a savoury snack that’s found on street stalls across India. With three types on the menu, we shared the dahi puri ($7.95), a thin deep fried bread with a cracker’s texture, filled with stewed potatos & lentils, and topped with cooling yoghurts & refreshing chutneys. Ideally, order these separately to snack on before returning for the mains, as you’ll want to eat them before the crispy shell gets soggy.


The dahi puri went well with the thick mango lassi ($4.95), a yoghurt smoothie blended with mangoes; I appreciated that Bombay’s version is left natural and not sugary.  



Although the masala haddock ($12.95) had a vibrant yellow hue and smelled amazing, the fish was relatively mild and definitely needed more salt; sadly, there was a disconnect between what I saw and tasted. Nonetheless, the broiled fish was cooked well retaining a flaky moistness and there was enough flavours in the daal chawal rice that it was an enjoyable meal.


The daal chawal is fantastic and of the three sides the most unique and delicious. I loved the soft lentil stew topping the basmati, spices and herbs mixed throughout and the intensely caramelized onions on top.  The gunpowder fries were also good with the hit of spice that lightly lingers, but needed to be hotter and crispier.



A popular dish at the restaurant is the chicken frankie ($11.95), a juicy mild chicken curry combined with red onion and cabbage for crunch, bits of egg to soak up the juices, and coriander and lemon juice to add a refreshing element. Bombay Street Food makes the roti fresh as an order’s placed so the wrap is chewy and hot with a lovely toasty crunch. It’s good … just close your eyes, take a bite and be prepared for the delicious juices to ensue.


And while we’re sitting in a place inspired by Iranian cafes, we had to try their baked goods before leaving – truth be told, the space was just gorgeous and I wanted to sit around longer. Made for people who don’t like overly sweet desserts, the khaari biscuit ($3.95) is flaky and slightly savoury. The layered biscuit is puff pastry without the oiliness. Yet, once it’s dipped in some cutting chai ($3.95), an aromatic tea with cardamom, milk and sugar, the biscuit changes and morphs closer to a dessert.


Oh and for those planning a birthday party, bridal shower or engagement festivities: Bombay Street Food is available Sunday for private events. What a great space to use! Just know you’ll also be supporting two fierce entrepreneurs - they’ll likely be at the restaurant, but you’ll also see pictures from their India trip screened onto the wall and framed family portraits in the corner.



At last, Seema and Amreen is off the streets and into bricks-and-morter, I’m sure their steadfast supporters are happy. For me, I know where to go for a good frankie with rice. Maybe afterwards I can cozy up in a quiet corner and relax. Eating street food has never been so tranquil.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10

Disclaimer: the above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in the mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 828 Bay Street

Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
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!


Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this: