Fried Cauliflower at Brick and Whiskey

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Elevated bar food - these fried cauliflower pieces were crunchy, tender, and not bitter at all. Plus the portion was huge. #yeg #yegfood #yegfoodie #yegeats #latergram

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Mar 23, 2019 at 2:29pm PDT

Fried Cauliflower at Rebel (9112 142 Street)

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Fried cauliflower - small pieces with big flavour. The sea salt mostly fell to the bottom, but the garlic aioli dip was perfect. #yeg #yegfoodie #yegfood #yegeats

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Sep 9, 2018 at 10:51am PDT

Fried cauliflower - small pieces with big flavour. The sea salt mostly fell to the bottom, but the garlic aioli dip was perfect.

The Pho Files: Veggie Pho at Pho Delight

A weekend lunch at the Pho Delight side of the duel Friends and Neighbours (10838 82 Avenue) allowed me to indulge my curiosity about the place's vegetarian pho. This is not to be confused with the Buddha Pho, which is the same thing except spicy. This was definitely one of the heartiest vegetarian versions of pho I have ever had. It included lots of tofu for protein, as well as almost a garden's worth of carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms (just a few), kale (the first time I have ever seen it in pho), and brussels spouts. I was a bit leery when I noticed the latter, as I absolutely hate brussels sprouts. However, I bravely put one in my mouth and was surprised by a rich, almost roasted flavour with very little bitterness. That says something to me, that when I can enjoy an ingredient I normally hate then a dish is indeed very well done. There was also quite a bit of celery, which was superfluous as most of it sank to the bottom. The broth was also vegetarian yet rich and flavourful. The noodles were a bit difficult to retrieve at first because of all of the vegetables weighing them down, so as a result many of them broke before reaching my mouth. This is just a minor criticism. Vegan and vegetarian lovers of pho need to try this.

Aloo Gobhi Grilled "Pannaani"

Naanolicious, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I made my first of what I am sure will be several visits to Naanolicious (10331 82 Avenue). Owned by the same group that runs New Asian Village, Naanolicious has lots of different kinds of naan breads as well as fusion dishes (naan pizza type creations, butter chicken fries, and a few items where roast beef is involved).

I had a grilled naan sandwich filled with aloo gobhi (spiced potatoes and cauliflower). Mouth-watering it was - and the naan was fantastic. I did not know cheese would be melted all over it, so I had to have the sandwich re-done (which happened with no problems) and I really did not need the tomato or cucumber - I like my Indian food straight-up. The serving of Bombay potatoes was small - I wanted more!

I will be back - I am curious about those butter chicken fries.