Soho Road Naan Kebab

So, I'm not going to lie, despite the tantalizing smells that always seeped from the Soho Road food truck, I had always avoided it.  I know, I know...but in my defense, I had been mislead.  I had been told that they strictly serve a skewer of meat on naan.  I love naan and I love a good skewer of meat, but I want a bit more than meat on naan for lunch.

Then came my love of The Pie Hole and the recommendation from The Pie Hole's creator that I had to try Soho Road...that it was her favourite food truck.  Now, I figured if someone who spends every Sunday at Food Cart Fest and makes as pies as delicious as she does...there has to be something to this Soho Road. 

Well, let me tell you folks, Soho Road is most definitely not just kebabs on naan.  It is traditional UK tandoori on fresh naan with all sorts of yummy veggies and sauces.  It is heavenly and is most definitely one of my favourite food trucks out there!  My only regret is that it took me so long to try it!  Oh well, guess I'll just have to make up for lost time...

Things to note: (1) Soho Road accepts cash and credit.  (2) They're located on the SW corner of Georgia and Granville (right in front of the VCC Canada Line entrance). (3) The lady working in the truck is lovely, thoroughly enjoys her job and is full of wisdom...so don't be afraid to ask if you have a question! and (4) This food truck is too good not to try folks, so get your butts down there!

The X that marks the spot.

The menu!  Don't even mess with the small...the large is where it's at.

My Hariali Chicken Naan Kebab: hariali chicken (chicken with a mint and cilantro sauce), mint chutney, fresh veggie salsa (I believe), what looked like a yogurt-based sauce, on fresh naan.  Scrumdidliumptious!  And the perfect size for lunch.  Just be careful when you eat the end...it's full of ooey gooey goodness.  ($10)

My cycling and lunching partner in crime's Lamb Seekh.  I'm not going to lie, I was too busy salivating over my own Naan Kebab to pay attention to what went into hers.  However, the finished product looked amazing and I got a first hand quote that it was delicious!  ($12)

https://www.facebook.com/EatSohoRoad

@SohoRoad

East is East

I recently visited East is East's Broadway location and, as per normal, it didn't disappoint!  I'm going to let the food do the rest of the talking, because it most definitely speaks for itself.

My Silk Route Feast: 2 dishes of your choice, dhal soup, organic salad, boulani, roti, garlic pickle, Afghan and basmati rice.  The lovely thing about the Silk Route Feast is you can continue to order dishes until you're full, so you get to try a little bit of everything.  It's fabulous!  There was another lovely lady at my table who ordered the Silk Route Feast so, between the two of us, we were able to try the Afghan Eggplant, Alu Gobi, Spinach Paneer, Mango Butternut Squash, Thai Tofu, Chickpeas, Chicken Masala and Lamb Pan Kebab.  I was going to try and pick my favourites for you, but then realized that I would just list 80% of the dishes from above, so that wouldn't help much!  I'm not going to lie, though, I am a big fan of their veggie dishes.  ($22) 

The most entertaining optometrist that I've ever met's double roti with dhal and salad.  For the life of me I can't remember which fillings he ordered, but he thoroughly enjoyed both of them and they looked darn yummy!  Things that Dr. Double Roti taught me: (1) East is East does not serve alcochol (I had never noticed this before), and (2) you can order two different rotis in a double.  (Approximately $18)

My favourite optometrist in the whole wide world's Silk Route Feast dish.  ($22)

The lady with the greatest haircut ever's single roti with dhal and salad.  (Approximately $14).

 

http://www.eastiseast.ca/

Rice N Spice

I recently grabbed Rice N Spice for lunch only to discover (a) they have a new vegetable (eggplant), and (b) they now have a website (link below)!  It totally made my day. 

Since the first time I went to Rice N Spice, the vegetable options have always been: potatoes, chickpeas, beans, cabbage, lentils and mixed veg.  All very yummy, but to see a new one, and eggplant nonetheless, was very exciting!  The eggplant is in a sauce similar to the mixed veg.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and, if they're offering it the next time you're at Rice N Spice, I would encourage you to give it a try.

http://www.ricenspice.ca/

Salam Bombay

This past week I went out for a great lunch with two lovely ex-colleagues.  I always look forward to lunch with these two ladies because the hour is constantly full of laughter and fun.  This time we decided to go to Salam Bombay for Indian.  I was so hungry that my tummy felt like it was going to eat itself, so I opted for the buffet while my lovely lady friends ordered off of the menu.  The pictures explain the rest.

 

My first plate of the very tasty buffet ($15).  Clockwise from the broccoli: mixed vegetables, tandoori chicken, mixed salad, bean salad, butter chicken, beef curry, and some sort of veggie that I thought was okra but most definitely was not.  I was impressed with the buffet.  There was a good variety, everything was fresh, and everything was tasty.  My favourites were the butter chicken (oh I have such a weakness for you my lovely butter chicken) and the bean salad.  The bean salad packed a powerful flavour explosion of cilantro, spice and onion that I was not expecting and was a lovely surprise.  Overall, a great lunch.

About to dig in!

 

Vegetable Pakora: vegetables seasoned, chic pea batter, fried ($10.50).  I was lucky enough to steal one of these, and boy were they good!

 

My chai in the oh-so-cute tea cup.  I'm not going to lie, I was disappointed with this chai.  The tea flavour over-powered all of the other flavours in the chai.  It was decent, but I wouldn't order it again.

The ladies' Chicken Biriyani: chicken cooked with aromatic  basmati rice and spices ($14.95).  I managed to steal a spoonful of this lovely dish as well.  It was very yummy...to the point that it almost convinced me I should order off the menu next time.

The ladies' coconut curry prawns ($13.95).  In my opinion you can never go wrong with coconut curry, and this dish most definitely proved me right.  It was delicious! 

Dessert!  Butter chicken and fruit.  Greatest dessert ever!

 

Thanks for the lovely lunch ladies!

 

http://www.salambombay.com/

Bubble Tea, Rice N Spice and a Side of Pickle

This morning started off with me packing up my lunch and heading out the door.  I went to a spectacular spin class this morning care of Fitness Junkie so, needless to say, my tummy was growling something fierce by 11am despite having eaten my two morning snacks.  As I was working some spreadsheet magic, I started dreaming about Rice N Spice.  I had full intentions of squashing my dreams and eating the lunch that I'd brought with me, but then a colleague stopped by my office and not only asked if I wanted to grab lunch but asked if I wanted to grab Rice N Spice for lunch!  It was a sign. 

Rice N Spice was yummy as always.  I opted for a half order of the butter chicken with lentils and mixed veg.  My bad influence co-worker opted for the curried chicken with chickpeas and mixed veg.  It definitely hit the spot.  It also helped me conclude that Rice N Spice and Vij's Railways Express both serve different purposes.  Vij's is a treat when you're looking for some amazing Indian flavours, aren't that hungry and are okay with a more expensive lunch.  Rice N Spice is good Indian flavours for when you're looking for a fuller portion and lower price point. 

I was still hungry after lunch (gosh darn spin class!) so I grabbed a Strawberry-Grapefruit fresh fruit slush with pearls and no syrup from Big Orange, while my bad influence co-worker grabbed an Americano from Second Cup.

While lunch was delicious and a lot of fun, I have to admit that the highlight was hands down getting my photo taken with the Dunn's Montreal Smoked Meat Pickle, and getting coupons for two free pickles!

http://www.bigorange.ca/locations/

 

http://fitnessjunkie-kate.blogspot.ca/

Vij's Railway Express

Have you ever had one of those friends where sometimes even you're confused about how you became friends?  That perfectly describes my lunch date today.  Having someone as amazing as her in my life makes me truly appreciate the need for randomness.

My random friend was craving some curry so we decided to try out Vij's Railway Express as neither of us had been.  I'm not going to lie.  When I first heard about this truck, I was super excited to try it but I quickly heard a lot of "it's good but not great" experiences and it started to drop down my list of "must try asap!"

However, I was pleasantly surprised.  I was toying between the Dhaal and the Butter Chicken Schnitzel and ended up opting for the Schnitzel.  It was very good and flavourful.  Definitely packed a punch, but very yummy.  I didn't think the chicken being in schnitzel form really added anything to the dish, but it also didn't take anything away from it.  My only comment is that the portion is good for a regular hunger day, but would probably be a bit small for a super hungry day.  Now for the highlight: my yummy in my tummy chai.  I haven't had proper chai in a long time and it was heavenly!!  I may have even resorted to scooping out the almond and pistachio slivers at the bottom to get every last bit of yumminess!

My random friend opted for the Dhaal as it was lactose-intolerant friendly and she thoroughly enjoyed it.  I believe she excitingly described it as spicy, aromatic and delicious!  I was lucky enough to steal a bite and thoroughly agree that it was scrumptious.  As for her apple cider, when I asked if it was pretty much just a normal apple cider, her "No, it's delicious!" was instantaneous.  Definitely mulled apple cider, not a packaged version, and definitely a great warm-you-up on a cold day.

Thanks for the great lunch random friend!

Things to note: (1) This is one of the more expensive food trucks I've come across.  Menu items range from $7.50 to $11.50 and drinks from $3.50 to $4.25.  (2) HST is not included.  (3) Plastic is accepted.  (4) They sell Vij's signed cookbooks and spices at the truck as well.  (5) The line-ups seem to have died down now that the weather is starting to cool off, but still a good bet to get there early, just in case. 

The truck on the North side of Georgia between Burrard and Thurlow.

The menu.

Punjabi Dhaal served with Rice and Naan, and a hot apple cider.

Butter Chicken Schnitzel served with Rice and Naan, and a Kashmiri Chai with Almond and Pistachio slivers.

The yummy goodness of my quickly disappearing chai.

 

http://vijsrailwayexpress.com/

Rice N Spice

Today I had lunch planned with one of my closest friends.  However, it quickly turned into a smorgasboard of people and catch-ups when another close friend on mat leave and our very favourite ex-boss were able to join us.  Top it off with another very close friend happening to bump into us for a quick visit at the end, the lunch was great even if you don't consider the food! 

 

As for the food, we opted for the Royal Centre food court.  Options for everyone, and warm air for the cutie patootie baby.  I decided to go to Rice N Spice.  I was a little sheepish getting into line because I have pretty much completely abandoned them in my food cart excitement this summer.  However, the people were friendly and lovely as always and the food reminded me why I have to keep it as a regular "lunch out" eating spot.

 

I went for my regular: shawarma with everything, mixed veg and lentils.  Oh so yummy!  Is it up there with Vij's or Rangoli's?  No.  Is it good quality Indian food for lunch?  Absolutely.  So get in there and try it!

 

Things to note: (1) Cash only.  (2) HST is included in the prices.  (3) Get there before 11:55 to avoid the line.  (4) You get the same amount of meat and veggies in a half order.  The regular order just has more rice (as far as I've been able to determine).  (5) The Royal Centre location is only open during lunch hours, Monday through Friday.  (6) Rice N Spice recently opened a second location in Yaletown.  I'm not sure about the hours there.  (7)  Our favourite ex-boss mentioned that they have really good daal.  I haven't tried it yet, but am hoping to soon!   

 

http://www.ricenspice.ca/

Akbar's Own

Have you ever had one of those food experiences where the flavours are so amazing and the food is so delicious that you can't make up your mind on where to start because you normally leave the best to last, but all the dishes are the best?  That was my dinner tonight.  I was completely overcome by yumminess.

I was out for dinner with some of my dearest friends at Akbar's Own.  Only one person in the group had been to there before, so we decided to get a little bit of everything and try it out.  In all, we ordered the Vegetable Pakora, Lamb Tikka, Tandoori Chicken, Prawn Masala, Butter Chicken, Eggplant Bhartha and, of course, Naan.  I also had a mango lassi to drink and mango ice cream for dessert.

The food was out of this world!  My personal favourite was the butter chicken.  I could have eaten three dishes of the butter chicken all by myself.  Our only problem was there were only five dishes and six ladies dying to scoop up the last of the sauces with our Naan.  Quite honestly a pure treat to eat at this restaurant.

That being said, it was a bit more of a quiet restaurant than I expected.  This did not take away from the dining experience at all, but if you're looking for hussle and bussle and voices bouncing off the walls, this may not be the place for you.  If you're looking for exceptional service and a quiet but relaxed restaurant, you'll enjoy Akbar's Own.

My only regret is ordering the mango ice cream rather than Chai.  Don't get me wrong, the mango ice cream was scrumptious, but with having had a mango lassi already, I think the perfect end to the meal would have been Chai.

I highly recommend trying this restaurant.

Things to note: Akbar's Own takes reservations.

http://www.akbarsown.com/