The Indian Kitchen

"All you can eat $8.99" is the only thing I've known about the Indian Kitchen for years. Heavy curries are not the kind of thing I usually aim to eat in large quantities, so my only interactions with the Indian Kitchen were seeing that sign time and again as I frequented the sushi place next door. However, when I recently returned to Thornhill , my goto Indian place had closed down, and this was my only choice. We went for dinner, so I cannot speak for the affordable lunch buffet, but our experience certainly exceeded expectations.

Neither of us had been to the place before, and when we entered only one other table was filled- suspicious. We flipped through the menu, and they have great variety of both curry, vegetarian and non curry options. I ordered the goat curry with basmati rice and my dad ordered the tandoori lamb with naan bread and roti.

The last time I had ordered a lamb curry I wasn't a big fan, but this was several years ago, and I was feeling adventurous. My daring paid off because the dish was delicious! The meat was tender enough to fall off the bone and be gorged by my teeth. This was my first time visiting an Indian restaurant since becoming gluten free, and I thought resisting the naan was going to be torture, but my curry went so great with the rice that I didn't even mind missing out on one of my favourite treats.

The menu helpfully ranks the spiceyness of each dish, so those with brave souls or for the faint of heart can both find the perfect dish. By the time we were leaving the restaurant was beginning to fill up, so I guess we had just been a little keen, this is a little treasure of Thornhill that will remain hidden no more!

Love at Ahora

Ahora is tacky. I would not have noticed from the small sign outside if it hadn't been pointed out to me. I warily climbed down the stairs to a brightly coloured and rectangular room cut up by the food counter and kitchen, and a small area of raised seating in the back. The restaurant was not overly full, but the sounds from the kitchen spilled out into the dining area making it noisy and heated. We were seated at a table with menus, but then had to go up to the counter to order food (They did not tell us this, I just had knowledgeable friends that saved me hunger driven anxiety trying to flag down a waiter).

We ordered nachos with chicken to start, and I ordered the Tostada salad (my favourite Mexican treat).  Most of the menu items were under $10 which is great for those of us who are unemployed, and the portions are big enough to fill a fairly heavy appetite. The nachos arrived promptly, and had the guacamole and salsa layered right in with the cheese, chips and vegetables, making many of the middle bottom chips soggy. This sounds a little unappetizing but the soggy chips were actually my favourite because they had soaked up all the flavours. The chicken was nice and smokey, and not extra charge for including guacamole like the nachos I had had earlier that week! These immediately dashed any questions I had about the quality of food, and I excitedly awaited my meal.

The Tostada was kind of like a mix between my beloved market tostada and a taco salad. It came in a large ruffled hard corn tortilla shell and was filled with beans, chicken, salad, guacamole and salsa. The beans were at the bottom and began to leak through the shell, so it was like a race to the finish. It had many of the same ingredients as the nachos, and had both similar and distinct tastes. Even though I had just eaten half a plate of nachos, I still polished off the Tostada. By the time we finished our meals, the restaurant had filled up and we shuffled back out into the scorching heat, stuffed and satisfied, to make way for the next customers.

Dairy Free: No (cheese and sour cream)
Gluten Free: Yes! Just choose the corn, not flour, tortilla and shell options

Arriving at Multicultural City

My favourite thing about the food scene in the GTA is the readily available mountain of affordable, high quality(well...high quality taste), ethnic food.  My usual go to is Sushi, but on the afternoon of reuniting with one of my closest friends, we decided to go for something a little different: middle eastern.

Me Va Me is a small chain that just opened up a new location in Thornhill Woods. This location has a classier decor so we ventured up the road for this festive occasion. They had a new menu addition since the last time I had been there: hummus plates, so I decided to be adventurous and ordered the hummus with grilled mushrooms. Rachel ordered the classic chicken kebabs, with salad and rice.

The salad came out first and being very generous, Rachel shared some of it with me. It is topped with shredded carrots and beets over a mixed green and cucumber salad. It is all moderately covered in a nice light dressing. The vegetables are always fresh and they don't over do it on the dressing. This is probably my favourite house salad in the city.

Next the main courses arrived. I had a generous portion of both hummus and mushrooms

Hummus and Grilled Mushroom Plate

 The hummus was a little too creamy, and didn't have as much texture as  I would have liked (considering that they claim fame for their hummus). It was not quite as good as the infamous Hummus Bros in the UK. Despite the texture the taste was still great, and I'm sure it would be even better on a pita that I unfortunately had to pass up (no Gluten Free option). There were three different kinds of mushrooms which was very exciting for us hobbit like folk, and a few grilled onions tossed in to the mix.

If I was hungry I would still opt for the Chicken or Lamb kebabs over the hummus plate, but if you're just looking for something light and fresh the Hummus plate is a great option.  The place is almost always full of locals and  provides a laid back environment, great for reconnecting with old friends. Seating gets a little crowded though, so I wouldn't recommend a first date!


Gluten Free: Many options but you have to forgo the free pita at the start
Dairy Free: Many options as well, just ask about sauces

Last stop for seafood

It was 9pm, and after a day of walking around Vieux Quebec it took all my self control not to gorge away (or even nibble at) the bowl of French crusty bread the waiter, dressed all in white, placed on our table. We were stopping over in Quebec City for a couple days, and decided to try out a restaurant called Le Contintental (or: The Continental for us Eglish speaking folk). The menu looked great, but it had very few reviews anywhere online. In a moment of uncharacteristic daring, we decided to give it a try.

Even though I had eaten mussels, scallops and lobsters just a few nights before, I was feeling nostalgic and recalled that the French also make a great shellfish; so I went for one of the daily specials:  the steamed lobster. It arrived out of its shell on a small mound on the plate. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't show off my lobster cracking skills developed over my six years in Halifax, but this was not the establishment for such barbarianism, and with a full lobster shell there would not have been room on the plate for my green and red display of vegetables, next to a mound of creamy orange mashed sweet potatoes.

My parents ordered the Duck l'orange for two, which was flambe right next to our table! After the amazement that the fire did not burn the already cooked food, they spoke very highly of the duck.

To the untrained palette, it may seem like an easy task to steam a lobster, but many a home lobster cooked meal has gone astray due to a lack of steaming or boiling skills. This was not the case with my shelled lobster at Continental. It was not dry, and it hit that perfect spot where butter wasn't necessary because the meat was so sweet and juicy by itself (of course I used a little butter anyways).

I was very excited to eat the sweet mashed potatoes, but was a little disappointed at how creamy they were. I am a rara avis in that I prefer mashed potatoes that are a little grittier and more flavorful rather than creamier (maybe it also has to do with the lactose intolerance) and I could taste the butter in these more than I could taste the potato. The vegetable medley was very nice (though a little small), and they had a nice selection of sorbets for desert that I was much too full to try.

Perhaps most impressive, was the astute service throughout our entire meal. We had multiple waiters: one for wine, one for water and one for food and the service on all three fronts was attentive and speedy. The bill was a little pricey but worth it for the traditional French dishes, live cooking and wonderful service. However, be prepared to feel much too young and under-dressed for the establishment .

We left the restaurant full, satisfied, and ready for a great night's sleep.

Gluten Free: Yes, with a little self control and menu navigation
Dairy Free: hard pressed, especially in the side dishes, but you can substitute those if necessary  

A Jane's Farewell to Nova Scotia

My posts since I have arrived back in Halifax have been all about lasts', and this is the last of the lasts' post. My very last meal in Halifax and Nova Scotia. After this meal I would drive from Halifax back to Toronto. As usual, we were running late getting out of the city, so we wanted something quick and on the way. After several weeks in Newfoundland, and a week back in Halifax gorging myself, I also wanted something a little bit healthy, so we settled on Jane's on the Common; a cute little joint on Robie St. on the North side of the commons. Jane's is very famous for its weekend brunch menu, but any good Haligonian will know they also have a killer lunch.

The menu kindly points out the Gluten Free and Vegan options, so it is easy to navigate for those with dietary restrictions. I was with my parents who are both usually meat and potato kind of people, but they both found satisfying options, and I went with the Harvest Vegetable and Quinoa Stew; a stray from my usual smoked salmon and potato latke choice.

Jane's has never disappointed me and this excursion was no exception. Quinoa is a grain I discovered a few years ago from a very stealthy healthy roommate, I was intrigued and delighted by it, but it really became my best friend when I had to go gluten free. It just goes well with everything and has more protein and fibre than other grains! This stew (term used lightly, could also be called a Quinoa Salad) was perfectly spiced, and paired excellently with tender orange squash and red kidney beans. Some highlights were using red and white Quinoa, as well as a tofu "cream" as garnish, giving it a delightful creamy taste without the sore stomach! This is one of my favourite restaurants in Halifax for going Gluten or Dairy free, just remember to arrive early if you are going to try the brunch!

Gluten Free: Yes (many options)
Dairy Free: Yes (many options)

Shellfish Galore

The Five Fisherman, located in a haunted building on Argyle Street, is a favourite haunt of tourists and lucky locals alike.This night was to be my last dinner in Halifax before heading out of town the following afternoon, so I was determined to eat as much shellfish as possible. The Five Fisherman makes this task fairly simple, as along with their salad bar, there is also a mussel bar included with every entree. I filled up on three plates of mussels before the main course arrived, steamed perfectly and bathed in garlic butter (they also have a marinara sauce, lemon butter and plain butter for the more adventurous dippers).

These are just mussels I made on my own once, the Five Fish is not really the kinda joint you bring a camera into

After I was sure I could eat no more mussels, the main course arrived, Scallops stuffed with Lobster meat. I wish I did have a camera because it was very elegantly prepared, and had a nice creamy white sauce on top. I find that whenever two foods are combined together (see. mcgangbang) their flavours just kind of amalgamate, so I ended up picking out the lobster and eating the two separately for most of my bites. I don't think you could eat this the wrong way, it was delicious.  I finished off with some sorbets (your average sorbets but a nice end to the meal) and a blueberry tea rimmed with sugar (ver. tasty!)

This is not a cheap place to dine, but if you have a love for mussels and lobsters and other shellfish and steak, it is worth a trip. And for those of us winos, they have a great wine list!

They do not cook in a gluten and dairy free environment, but ask for all allergies and sensitivities after taking your order to try and accommodate as much as possible.