Vegan Buffet at Abyssinia

I was on 95 Street for an evening meeting last week and noticed that Abyssinia, an Ethiopian restaurant practically next door to my meeting, had a vegan buffet on Wednesdays and Fridays for only $15 starting at 5 p.m. As it was a Wednesday, I decided to give it a shot. Eight hot trays featured dishes including yellow chick peas, red lentils, kale, spinach, mushrooms, cabbage, squash, and carrots and potatoes. There was also a heaping plate of injera bread, and a bowl of rice. The dishes were spicy but not overwhelming, and a few could have been hotter in terms of temperature (but on the other hand, that also kept the spice heat level down). My personal faves are the carrots and potatoes, the yellow chick peas, and the squash, the latter having a sweetness that cut the spice. I would recommend going a little later than 5, as a few of the dishes as well as the rice were not available yet, and I was already full by the time they were out. For $15 this is an excellent value and a great introduction to Ethiopian food.

Dinner at Guru

I had lunch at Guru recently, but have never had supper there until this week with my father who loves Indian food, but doesn't get the opportunity to have it often. He ordered the Guru Daal, which was a colourful and flavourful combination of lentils. I had the Palak Paneer, which had smoky undertones and was made with pine nuts. It was the most uniquely flavourful Palak Paneer I have ever had. We shared a saffron rice, and he had an order of roti and naan for me. An order of naan is actually two pieces - we could have shared that too. As it was we had plenty to take home to enjoy later. Plus, our server was very personable. The prices are high end but the portions are large an the quality incredible.

Chai, Samosa, Dahl Combo at Remedy

I stopped in to the Jasper Avenue location of Remedy on Friday to grab a chai and some samosas before heading to film a rally. I decided to get the combo of one large chai, a dhal soup, and two samosas. I have never had the dhal soup before. It has a yellow lentil base, is very spicy, and if it was colder outside, would certainly have defrosted me. Many of the luscious lentils settled at the bottom of the bowl, which made the soup get thicker the further down I got. My samosas were packed with potatoes and spices, but were almost cold by the time my plate got to me. I have a feeling they were sitting while the soup was being prepared. I forgot that the chai would be waiting on the counter, but it was still warm when I finally got up to get it. I was also full for the rest of the day. At $12, this is a combo with value and flavour.

Vegging Out: Lentil Nut Loaf at Blue Plate Diner

I don't think I have ever had supper at Blue Plate Diner - just brunch and lunch. So, I was glad to finally get the opportunity over the weekend prior to a function. I decided upon the vegan lentil nut loaf. I was surprised by how dense the loaf was. It almost had the consistency of a good meatloaf (something also on the dinner menu), with a thick wine and miso gravy to keep it moist. Besides the exture, I loved the taste: not too nutty, with accents of flax. Combined with roasted vegetables and potatoes, and I had a very full meal. I would recommend this dish to vegans of Edmonton, or anyone who would like to try a vegan dish that will leave you as satisfied as meat.

Daal and Naan

Daal and Naan, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I had two events to get to on Whyte Avenue this afternoon, and Naanolicious was almost smack dab in the middle of them.

Daal is one of my favourite East Indian dishes, so I was happy that a version of it is on the restaurant's menu (Dip Into the Lentil). A generous portion of the thick, lentil stew is served with a butter naan - it's a perfect pairing!

A Naanolicious Marathon

Due to various circumstances, I found myself dining at Naanolicious numerous times in the last week or so. Here is a look at some of the dishes I tried.

I have had the butter chicken fries numerous times, so I wanted a different version of the restaurant's take on poutine. Dal, with its creamy lentil base, is one of my favourite Indian dishes, and it was wonderful on the fries. Frankly, I could just go for a bowl of dal with some naan bread, and I believe there is a dish along those lines on the menu.

The next day, I went for a serving of vegetable korma fries. The creamy curry sauce was the base for the vegetables and paneer cheese, which I adore. Very flavourful! And, it went well with the buttered naan I ordered on the side.

I tried one of these stuffed mushroom caps ("Mystical Mushrooms), which was a flavour burst. The crunchy coating was made from lentils, with a garlic and cream cheese filling surrounding the mushroom. More than one would have been a little too rich for me.

The Tandoori chicken was permeated with flavour - I just wish the pieces were a little bigger! I paired with it with the Aloo Tikki, fried potato cakes literally drowned in chutneys and yogurt. The flavour of the cakes themselves, while delicate, still came through, and they also remained crispy.

Craisin Paapri is a cold dish that makes an excellent snack. It is almost like a chickpea salad. The chickpeas are served amongst a flavourful combination of chutneys, yogurt, spices, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, crunchy samosa chips, and finished with a generous portion of craisins (dried cranberries) on top. This would have gone well with a naan, to scoop up all of the goodness.

Vegan Goodness: Veggie Combo at Abyssinia

Veggie Combo, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I was at Abyssinia Restaurant this past week for a work-related meeting and had the Veggie Combo. Opting for rice instead of the traditional Ethiopian injera bread, I actually thought the rice worked very well with the dish, which included collard greens, two kinds of lentils, a salad, and a potato and carrot mix. It wasn't too spicy and was actually quite refreshing. And at only $13, it is also quite affordable.

Dharma Dahl Bowl at Noorish

Dharma Dahl Bowl at Noorish, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I wanted something warm. Something comforting. I found it at Noorish, where I lunched yesterday.

The Dharma Dahl Bowl was incredible. This was my first time having dhal. It was a thick lentil soup (or stew) with tomatoes and eggplant. Spicy, but not too hot, and finished with cilantro. The brown rice on the side went well in terms of flavour and texture. I thought the chili oil would be too hot, but it actually reminded me more of sesame sauce and I used it generously on the rice.

Pity this is only served on Tuesdays. I could go for this any time.

Yoga Yummy

Yoga Yummy (yellow lentils) #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Naan-o-licious has some new menu items, Yoga Yummy being one of them. A very cute name for a rather sophisticated dish.

The base is yellow lentils which are made into a puree. Organic vegetables and a healthy dose of cilantro balance out the texture and flavour. The heap of plain white rice in the middle helps to absorb the lentil sauce.

I was actually hoping for the lentils to be in more of an intact form. Still, the colour and flavour they gave the dish was excellent. The portion size was also easily enough for two - I could not finish on my own.

Lentil Curry Soup at Two Rooms

Lentil Curry Soup, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

A warm Saturday afternoon in Edmonton is the perfect time to sit on a cafe patio with beer and people watch.

I met a friend for a late lunch and that is exactly what we did at Two Rooms Cafe (10324 Whyte Avenue). In addition to our beers - of which Two Rooms has quite a selection - we each had a bowl of lentil curry soup.

The portion was quite generous, and as a light lunch, it fit the bill. It was absolutely packed with lentils. I just wish I could have tasted more of the curry. While there was some heat, the flavour was not that distinctive.