#Indian Roti in Vancouver

[foodiestherapy-blog]

Talk About Culture Shock

“Canada is a country of provinces and regions and peoples and even nation that don’t always share the same culinary traditions, but it’s the stories and the food that make up our collective history”

Thinking about it, Toronto has come such a long way, where influence of culture on cuisine has opened up so many worlds. I mean, we have seen it all, not only in regards to cuisine but to the different types of eaters. In my experience, I had only ever tried food of my own culture until I could afford to try new things for myself. Growing up in an Indian family, I did not realize how sheltered I really was until I made friends with my Italian neighbour’s daughter who invited me over for dinner one night for her mom’s famous spaghetti and meatballs. As an 8-year-old child that was only ever fed variations of daal and roti, I had no idea eating meat was even a thing. Taking it back to the 1960′s, when Greek immigrant Peter Gamoulako migrated to Nova Scotia and modified the traditional gyro and made a “donair” which now has all the eat coasters skipping the lobster. Did you know 1970 was the year Japanese Chef Hidekazu Tojo was determined to convince Vancouver residents to eat raw fish wrapped in seaweed? Well he made it work, because not only in Vancouver but even in Toronto there isn’t a street where you can’t find a California roll. These are just a few examples of how cuisine has sparked the curiosity of other cultures. I could not imagine living in a world of people that only looked and ate like me. Could you?

[haidasndwch]

Top Halal Restaurants In Toronto to Serve Your Cravings

While eating halal can be challenging in certain Canadian cities where the Muslim population remains modest, the sole challenge Muslims in the Greater Toronto Area face is choosing between a myriad of delicious alternatives. Trust us! When it comes to halal restaurants, there are colossal alternatives to choose from in Toronto.

Halal food, or food which follows Islamic Law and is permissible for Muslims to eat, is broadly accessible in the GTA, thanks to its diverse inhabitants.

With the holy month of Ramadan coming, during which Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset, many halal restaurants witness an influx of diners in the conclusion of the month. Muslims who go out to restaurants to break their fasts will frequently have very specific requirements.

Aside from halal food options, a few Muslims will search for restaurants using designated prayer areas and/or proximity to some mosque so they can perform their daily prayers. Even though most restaurants have halal choices (generally vegetarian and seafood meals ), some Muslims choose to not eat at restaurants where alcohol is served.

Alcohol, pork and its by-products, bloodstream, and animals slaughtered with no prayer are a few of the main dietary constraints which are considered haram or forbidden. Restaurants which are certified halal by religious organizations, like the ISNA Halal Certification Agency, will normally have to abstain from using one of these goods.

As far as being confined to kababs and shwarma, halal food comes in varieties from Chinese to even Italian. Whether it’s at a tiny family-owned restaurant or some bigger franchise, halal restaurants get a lot of love from Muslims (not to mention people who just enjoy food! ).

If you’re in a quest to find the best halal restaurants in Toronto, here are few of our recommendations you must try:

Haida Sandwiches

They’re well aware of the secret on how to meet even the most insatiable appetites — like with those salty and sweet sandwiches, such as yours.

One of the best sandwiches in Toronto is prepared by Haida. They know that bread, veggies, and meat tend to be more than just ingredients. They can be the components of a masterpiece. You can visit any of their stores in Toronto or Vancouver and experience what they can make happen between 2 pieces of bread.

The Burgenator

Delectable burgers are their weapon. Toronto. They’re on a mission to ridding the city of half-hearted and overcooked burgers, processed cheese, and questionable toppings. They’re located in the heart of Kensington market.

Chaska

Not only are all meats halal in the brand new Chaska Express location of the Indian street food manufacturer in the Atrium on Bay, but additionally all poultry also is free-run and all lamb is grass-fed.

Scotty Bons

Known for its scotch bonnet pepper that is omnipresent in island cuisine, you can build your roti, rice bowls or post at this restaurant near Eglinton and Warden that specializes in halal scratch cooking.

Burgers n’ Fries Permanently

This newbie restaurant blasted onto the halal scene with wild burgers and poutines at their first Toronto location, right on Ossington. If you want to try something different in halal, Burgers n’ fries should be it.

[theeincrediblekid]

We’re not quite in India yet, but we are in Vancouver, BC. At Indian restaurants I always try to find a regional specialty to order that I’ve never had before. I’ve been to House of Dosas many times, but I’ve never tried the Vegetarian Kothu Roti before. It reminds me of chilaquiles: roti and eggs and veggies scrambled up with a lot of heat. #kottu #kothu #kotturoti #kothuroti (at House of Dosas)

[noshandnibble]

Masaladobo - Indian Mexican Restaurant Review - Vancouver

The genre of “fusion” in Vancouver cuisine has largely passed. What was once a popular term for places like Azia or The Change were feeble marketing attempts at mixing two things together and for the most part, soured the term among restaurant lovers. In comes Masaladobo. The word “fusion” appears nowhere on their website, but it’s apparent from the About page that they are blending Mexican and Indian cuisines in a fast-paced downtown neighbourhood. Do the two cultures mix into a great meal or do we have another generic example of fusion cuisine? Read on to find out.

Food:

I came here for a media opening event prior to a regular meal. I had the following during my regular meal:

Chicken Konomole Tacone ($6.50)

Masaladobo Chowder (Medium - $8)

Masaladobo Wings (1lb - $14)

Oceanwise Ceviche ($14)

The tacone is one thing that makes Masaladobo unique. A tacone is a taco hand roll that reminds me of an Indian roti roll but with the taste of a tortilla and Mexican shell. The chicken konomole here was gorgeous on arrival with chicken, and lots of colourful vegetables. This tacone tasted pretty good too with its juicy meat and crunchy veggies. You get a better deal on these if you order multiples (2 for $12) and I’d argue a couple of these are good enough to fill a person for lunch. The shell was borderline too charred for me though so be sure to confirm with your server how charred you like your tacone.

Chicken Konomole Tacone

We had to get the Masaladobo Chowder because I’m always attracted to items that bear the house name. This Oceanwise chowder came with pacific fish confit, smoked chili-coconut broth, masala roasted corn. This is a vegan chowder but just because it’s vegan does not mean it’s tastes bad. This was very savoury and if you love curry, this will taste very familiar to you. One problem with the chowder though was its serving tempurature. This was barely room tempurature on arrival, and I like to think the twenty seconds I spent photographing food does not significantly affect the dish's tempurature.

Masaladobo Chowder

The Masaladobo Wings were the chicken wings version of the chowder. Presentation-wise, these were prettier and obviously very shareable for cantina hour (happy hour). The meat was juicy and the sauce had lots of savoury curriness to it. The heat level options for the chicken wings are 0, 2, 3. Spice-intolerants will have to do with 0 or 2 because 1 is not an option here.

Masaladobo Wings

Finally, the Oceanwise Ceviche was another beautifully-plated cantina hour dish. Fun fact: During cantina hour (2pm-close), all food items are 2-for-1, which means you can get both the wings and ceviche for $14! The ceviche here was unique as the tortilla chips made everything holdable and provided a satisfying crunch. Dipping sauce from these chips was hard so I recommend you grab a fork and lather as much as you can.

Oceanwise Ceviche

Features:

Masaladobo takes over the former space of Cannibal Cafe. While the eclectic postery and colours remain, it’s a new chef behind the counter and the menu is all new. Seating comes in the manner of bar stools, high booths, and regular booths, and there’s a bounty of windows that lets a flood of light in (and likely why it was so easy to take photos of the food). I’ve never had a problem with the vibe of Cannibal Cafe and I personally think the downtown neighbourhood needs more eateries with the kind of interior Masaladobo has.

Inside Masaladobo

Service:

Service during our dinner visit was excellent. Our server had lots of spunk, made it easy to get into conversation, and came to check on us a couple times during the meal. Water is self-served by a jug at the side of the restaurant. For cantina hour on a Tuesday it wasn’t terribly busy so I’m guessing most people don’t yet know they can enjoy a double plate of wings for $14 on any weekday evening yet. Stay tuned to see how busy Masaladobo can become once everyone is aware of cantina hour!

Inside Masaladobo

Final Thoughts:

One-liner: Fun, creative Mexican-Indian blends of food in an unpretentious downtown environment Highlight: Konomole Chicken Tacone Price per person: $12-$20 Would I go back? Yes.

Enjoyed this review of downtown Vancouver eats? Check out my overview of St. Regis’, located just a couple blocks away and their new dinner menu!

[mjfhmg]

Week 5 - Malaysia

Walking Malaysia

We spent a lot of time in Malaysia walking around, both in the cities and beyond.

In Penang, we walked in the city seeing the interesting combination of Chinese, Indian and Malay culture. The second day in Penang, we took the local bus to the national park. The park was beautiful with white sand beaches, well maintained trails with few other tourists as well as wildlife (we saw monkeys and a monitor lizard less than 200 meters from the park entrance).

From Penang, we went by bus south to the mountainous area called the Cameron Highlands. While the town we stayed in was rather touristy and lacked interesting food (except for the roti canai place we ate at four times in the 48 hours in Brinchang), we appreciateded the hiking trails which started just a short walk from our hotel. We had one day there and left from our hotel around 9am to hike up to a nearby peak, enjoying tropical greenery and birds along the way. We had the trail to ourselves until reaching the top where the peak could also be accessed by car. From there, we hiked down the road past lovely views of fields of tea plants along the rolling hills to the Boh (Best of the Highlands) tea plantation. There, we had a cup of tea and desserts and learned about the history of the company before walking back to our hotel.

The next day, we took a slightly nauseating bus ride (the road out of the mountains was very narrow and winding) from the Cameron Highlands to Kuala Lumpur (KL). As part of the city’s effort to encourage tourism, they offered four different free walking tours. Given Hannah’s genetic disposition for free or inexpensive things, we participated in all four of the free tours. Each tour was around 3 hours and provided history and information about the buildings and areas around the city. The group size ranged from 5 to 20 people and the tour guides were friendly and helpful, occasionally treating the group to an interesting snack from a street vendor. We also went on a food tour and walked to the iconic Petronas towers and through the various markets.

Weather

The weather in both Penang and KL was hot (highs around 32C/90F). We tried to avoid the heat a bit with afternoon breaks in our air conditioned hotel rooms.

Religion in Malaysia

While Malaysia is multicultural and members of different religious groups have freedom to worship, Islam is the official religion, and the country has a larger Muslim population than other countries we visited in SE Asia. Given where our hotel was in the Cameron Highlands, the morning call to prayer broadcast by loud speakers from the mosque also served as an alarm clock, making sure we did not spend our vacation sleeping past six. In addition to the Muslim population, there is also a large Hindu community, given the large Indian community in Malaysia. We were in Malaysia during Thaipusam, a Hindu festival. We did not directly see any of the celebrations but when visiting Batu Caves in KL, the temple was crowded with both tourists as well as worshippers.

Overall impressions of Malaysia

Malaysia, and especially KL, really highlighted the contrast between the glitzy, ultramodern high-rises and shopping malls, and the older shophouses, open air markets and more traditional village dwellings. The rivers flowing through KL are still polluted and dirty, but the government is working on a long term project to clean them up and create a pleasant waterfront area. There is a multicultural society, but the cultures don’t mix very much.

Tips for SE Asia travel

While we may not be travel experts yet, we did figure out a few things that made our travel easier.

Prepaid SIM cards with pretty generous data plans are easy to get in all the countries we visited. Having internet access when we needed it made navigating unfamiliar places less stressful.

When we didn’t have internet access having a map and navigation app that worked offline was very handy. We heard about Maps.me from some other travelers and it worked very well for us. In addition to basic navigation it also has many points of interest and even hiking trails included.

When public transit was too confusing or nonexistent, and taxis were expensive, we found that Grabcar was a nice alternative. It is essentially a cheaper version of Uber, but specific to SE Asia.

Where to next

We left Southeast Asia and now are in New Zealand for 3.5 weeks. Hard to believe the trip is about halfway through. Hopefully the unusually snowy Vancouver winter is done by the time we get home.

[curryrotikitchen]

[curryrotikitchen]

[curryrotikitchen]