A Falafully Goulish Night

Last Friday I had one of the funnest (yes I still believe that if I use that word enough, it will actually get added to the dictionary) nights ever!  It all started with fabulous company and a trip to Oak and 16th.  It had been so long since I'd been to this neck of the woods (five years to be exact) that I almost forgot how much I enjoyed it.  Calm and quiet enough to feel like you're in a suburb, but busy enough to let you know you're still downtown.  Add to that that we discovered Falafully Good...the night was definitely off to a good start!

The thing that I liked most about Falafully good was obviously their food (yummy in my tummy) but also the fact that they have a liquor license.  I don't think I've ever been able to grab a plate of Shawarma and a beer at the same place...genius!  Plus, the prices were right.  Two plates of shawarma, a gingerale and a beer for $25.75, tax in.  Look out McDonald's two can dine for $9.99, Falafully Good is gunning for you!

Top the night off with an eerie drive through the foggy streets of Vancouver to the Dunbar Haunted House...you couldn't ask for a better night out in October!  And for those of you who haven't been to the Dunbar Haunted House, get your butts down there.  It's very well done, will scare you silly, this is its last year, and all proceeds go to charity.  Word to the wise, though, the peak line time seems to be from 8pm to 9:30pm.

Hope you all have a Falafully Goulish Halloween! 

My Chicken Shawarma Plate: chicken shawarma, rice, salad, tabbouleh, hummus and pita.  (Approximately $10 before tax)

The X that marks the spot!

 

http://www.dunbarhauntedhouse.com/

@theDunbarHaunt

 

https://www.facebook.com/falafullygood.restaurant

@FalafullyGood

This one's for Theo...

To all those Winnipegians/former Torontonians who do not believe that Vancouver has shawarma (cough cough, Theo)...here's your proof that not only does Vancouver have shawarma, but it has darn good shawarma!!

I have been dying to try the Mr. Shawarma food truck for quite some time now.  So, when I got a shawarma craving the other day, I decided to make my way over to Mr. Shawarma...definite good call!  Spectacular shawarma flavours, solid portion, spicy hot sauce, all for $6.50 tax in...unreal!  And, if you don't believe me, take the word of the two guys who ordered right ahead of me.  The guy who got his first, started eating while they were waiting for the second one.  With the first bite, the fellow let out a happy food groan...the other fellow instantly said, "Orgasmic, right?"

Things to note: (1) Mr. Shawarma is located on the North East corner of Hornby and Robson, Monday through Saturday.  (2) Cash only.  (3) Expect a 5-10 minute wait from order to receipt of yummy goodness.

I got my shawarma, I got my shawarma!

Look at that yummy goodness!

The menu (tax included for all items).  They also serve a poutine for under $5.50...I somehow managed to cut it out of this photo.

The X that marks the spot.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mr-Shawarma-Truck/201372426550368

The Kiss of the Mangal...

You know how some kisses are lack luster and others are full of fireworks and weak knees?  Well, Mangal Kiss goes beyond the fireworks and provides a full-on food orgasm!  If you are only ever going to try one food truck in Vancouver, make sure it's Mangal Kiss.  The food is unreal, the lady and gent who own the truck are lovely, everything is fresh and flavourful, the quantity is just right, and the prices are the best I've seen.  Good to see you back on the streets after your winter hiatus Mangal Kiss!

So, what is Mangal Kiss?  It's a mid-east BBQ truck that makes amazing wraps full of grilled kabobs, fresh veggies and what tastes like homemade sauces.  I'm not going to lie, for the longest time I would walk by the truck and the smells would torture my tastebuds, but I didn't know how to order, so I'd stick with what I knew.  Word to the wise, don't make the same mistake.  It's easy.  Simply pick your meat and say, "I'd like the chicken/beef/lamb wrap, please" and leave the fixings to the masters.  You won't be disappointed.

Things to note: (1)  The meat is not grilled until you order your food.  Much more scrumptious than having it pre-cooked and kept warm, but it does mean that it will take a few minutes to get your order.  So, leave yourself about five minutes from the time you order until you get your food.  (2) It looks like they're offering a wrap and small home-made soup combo now for $10.  And (3) they are located on the Georgia side of the Art Gallery, so there is plenty of lovely steps to sit, visit and eat on after getting your yummy goodness.

The new truck!  So cute.  Who knew such delicious food could come out of a horse trailer?

The menu.  You can't go wrong with any choice.

First Mangal Kiss of the season!  So excited!!!

My yummy in my tummy Lamb Kebab: served on pita, with organic young greens, cucumber, radish, shaved daikon, fresh mint and hummus.  ($8, tax included).  I barely came up for a breath and, when I did, my tastebuds gave me a scolding!  It was the perfect amount for lunch.

A home-made truffle for dessert, thanks to my Cocoa Nymph adventure (details included in tomorrow's post).  The perfect end to a scrumptious lunch!

 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mangal-Kiss-mideast-bbq/204776769580837

Twitter: @MangalKiss

Second time's a charm...

It was my fabulous vegan friend's 30th birthday recently, so guess where I had the pleasure of eating?  Nuba!!!  However, this time it was at their Kits location for dinner.  I didn't think it could get any better than the lunch I had at Gastown...but it did!

The food selection was completely different but every ounce as delicious, and the restaurant was amazing.  It had a fabulous mediterranean feel to it.  White walls, bright blue tiles, different rooms and levels...I loved it!  Definitely the sort of place that would be great to book for a group.  Speaking of which...they do take reservations and I'd recommend making one.

So, in summary, Nuba is officially batting 100% in the scrumptious stats.

Najib's Special: crispy cauliflower tossed with lemon and sea salt, served with tahini. ($7.50)  Who can resist this yummy goodness?  I can whole heartedly vouch that this dish is a must order.

Mjadra: organic green lentils and rice with onions and jalapeño, served with avocado and caramelized onions.  ($7.50)  These lentil were really nice.  They had a good kick to them, but only enough spice to add flavour.  They were lovely...and so was the tahini sauce drizzled all over top.

Stuffed Eggplant: roasted eggplant stuffed with chickpeas, red pepper, zucchini, red onion, and tomato. Served with labneh yogurt sauce and zaatar.  ($17)  AMAZING!!  This dish blew my mind.  If you're a fellow eggplant lover, this is a must.  Note: if you're vegan, make sure to order the yogurt sauce on the side.

 

The three dishes above were just about right for two people.

 

http://www.nuba.ca/

My very own creation...

So, I am 100% a meal planner for the week.  Mainly because I have an out of control appetite and making sure I always have food on hand helps keep it in check, but I also find it just makes making meals easier.  However, this week I got mixed up at the grocery store and I didn't buy enough veggies for dinners...gasp!!!  I started scrounging through the fridge and discovered I had about 3/4 of a bunch of parsley left.  At first I thought, "Well that won't be of any help."  Then I remembered my favourite part about shawarma...okay, I won't lie, I love absolutely everything about shawarma...but I do get a little bit extra excited about the parsley salad that often comes with it!

I got out my handy dandy computer and googled "parsley salad" and got the response of Tabbouleh.  I then did some crazy detective work, also known as going to www.allrecipes.com , and looked up some Tabbouleh recipes.  Most of the recipes I found included some sort of grain (bulgar, quinoa, etc.) and the recipe I wanted to try and recreate didn't have any grains in it, so I decided to wing it.  Good news is that it turned out pretty darn good and I think I'll incorporate it pretty regularly into my meal making this summer.  If you're interested in giving it a try yourself, here goes:

Ingredients

• About 1 tsp of olive oil
• Juice from 1/4 of a lemon
• Dash of salt
• Couple grinds of pepper
• 1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped fine
• 1/2 roma tomato, chopped fine
• 1 very thin slice of yellow onion, chopped fine

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until it's a dressing consistency and you like the taste.  Add the remaining ingredients, combine and eat!  Makes approximately 1 side serving for  1 person.

Nuba

How I'd never been to this absolutely fantabulous restaurant is beyond me and I am most definitely indebted to one of my favourite cycling friends for introducing me to it.  I live for garlic, lemon juice and any sort of middle eastern or mediterranean inspired food, so Nuba was right up my alley!  The food was so flavourful but healthy, the atmosphere funky yet homey, the service friendly and easy going, and there was a fair chunk of natural light.  I was literally in food heaven and, I'm no psychic, but I have a feeling that there's going to be a lot more of Nuba in my future.

Things to note: (1) The service is nice and relaxed.  So, if you're planning on going for a work lunch, work a longer lunch into your schedule.  (2) The water they serve you is flavoured with cucumbers.  Awesome!  (3) You can get a side order of Najib's (the yummy goodness pictured below) for only $1!  I highly recommend this option. 

My Lamb Kibbeh: grilled grain-fed halal lamb patty, vegetables, pinenuts, burghul and aromatic spices served with hummus, salad, pickled cabbage, olives, pita, roasted potatoes, tzatziki and home-made hot sauce.  ($12.50)  Supercalafragelisticexpialidocious!

Our side order of Najib's: crispy cauliflower tossed with lemon and sea salt, served with tahini.  ($1)  Delicious!  

http://www.nuba.ca/

East is East

My little cousin was back in town for reading week, so I was super excited when she suggested getting together for dinner and even more excited when she wanted to go to East is East!  First of all, I love this restaurant.  Second of all, I haven't been in far too long.  Third of all, I had never been to the Main Street location and was super excited to check it out. 

 

As always the food was delicious (there wasn't a scrap of food left on any dish), the service great, the atmosphere as warm and inviting as ever but much more open and bright than the Broadway location, there was an amazing band playing (I believe they were called the Chai Orchestra) and we were even lucky enough to watch some fabulous belly dancing care of a patron.  All in all a fabulous visit and meal!  If you haven't been to East is East, you definitely have to add it to your "must try" list.

 

Boulani: traditional Afghan whole wheat roti stuffed with potato, green onion and herbs, served with chickpeas, dehydrated yogurt, beets and sprouts.  Very yummy!

 

My cousin's Afghan Nomad Roti Roll: lamb roasted in ginger, onion, garlic and five spice curry.  Served with green salad and dhal soup.  (Approximately $14)

 

My Uncle's Ghengiz Khan and Persia's Favourite Roti Rolls, served with green salad and dhal soup.  The Ghengiz Khan had minced beef with mushroom, green pepper, tomato and herbs.  The Persia's Favourite had a lamb kebab with spinach and white basmati rice.  (Approximaely $17)  

 

My Aunt's Mango Prawns: prawns sautéed in a spicy mango, lime leaf and star anise curry on basmati rice.

My Rumi's Meal Roti Roll: beef, eggplant, mushrooms, red pepper and Afghan rice.  Served with green salad and dhal soup.  Absolutely delicious!  (Approximately $14) 

 

Dessert!  Eastern Ecstacy: rice pudding, ice cream, and a warm gulab jaman (traditional indian cake) on top with rosewater, pistachio and cardamom.  Very yummy!  ($7.50)

 

 http://www.eastiseast.ca/

Mangal Kiss...yet again!

Today I grabbed lunch with two amazing ladies who I feel very luck to call friends.  Neither of them had been to Mangal Kiss, so to Mangal Kiss we went! 

Friend #1 ordered the lamb feature, I ordered the Chicken wrap, and Friend #2 ordered the Beef Wrap.  We all concluded that they were scrumpdidliumptious!  Lamb feature friend went so far as to say that it was very refreshing with all of the veggies and herbs, that she thoroughly enjoyed the daikon, and that, overall, she gave it two lamb chops up!  Friend #3 also ordered the Limonana (Israel Mint Lemonade), which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Another interesting fact is that Mangal Kiss serves soup.  I'm not sure if this is a new Fall addition, or if I just didn't notice it in the summer but it looked yummy.  It seemed like you would get a regular, deli-size container for $4 on its own, or $3 if added to a wrap to make a combo.

Lamb feature.

 

Chicken wrap. 

Beef wrap.

Limonana. 

Dessert!  I am absolutely loving the sunny Fall we've been having, but the wind did bring an extra chill to our outside lunch today.  So, we opted to grab a Starbucks dessert to warm us up.  I went for a Vanilla Rooibos latte.  Just what the doctor ordered! 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mangal-Kiss-mideast-bbq/204776769580837

 

http://www.starbucks.ca/

Mangal Kiss

Today was my lucky day.  I'd arranged to go for lunch with a friend (who just happens to write a fabulous blog of her own...link below).  We were planning on hitting a food cart and she suggested Mangal Kiss since it was a bit more on the healthy side and she really liked it. 

I was so excited!  I had walked by this cart many a time and gone weak at the knee over the fabulous smells that came from it.  However, any time I looked at the menu it completely baffled me and I had no idea how to order, so I never ended up going there.  Now I had a Mangal Kiss veteran who could teach me how!!  It turns out it was pretty easy.  She said to just pick your meat (chicken, lamb or vegetarian) and say "I'd like the chicken wrap, please."  And it came out all put together in its lovely deliciousness!

This has to be the best wrap I have ever had.  First of all, the kabob is grilled right in front of you, so it's fresh and hot.  The wrap is stuffed with yummy veggies such as shredded carrots, beets, lettuce, daikon, carrots, etc.  And on top of that there was cous cous and some amazing sauces in it.  My taste buds were in taste bud heaven! 

Then there was four added bonuses: (1) it only took five minutes to get our food (granted we were there before noon), (2) the wrap is between $7.50 and $8.50 depending on your meat, (3) it's healthy (or at least food cart healthy), and (4) it filled me up to the brim!

When people ask me which food cart is my favourite, I never like to pick just one because I think it depends on what type of food you feel like and how hungry you are.  However, if I had to pick just one...it would hands down be Mangal Kiss.  Amazing!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mangal-Kiss-mideast-bbq/204776769580837

 

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