Donair Platter at PrimeTime

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Post-rally beef donair rice platter. Loved how the beef was cubed instead of sliced - made eating it a lot easier! And, crispy sides all around. #yeg #yegfood #yegeats #edmonton #edmontonfood #edmontonfoodie #yegdt #donair #yegdonair

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@apaulagetics) on Jun 25, 2019 at 7:55pm PDT

Paneer Tikka and Chicken Biryani at Y Not Indian

Paneer tikka and saffron rice. #yegfood #yegeats #foodporn #yeg

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Apr 5, 2018 at 12:35pm PDT

Y Not Indian is the restaurant that has replaced my dearly departed Naanolicious. The restaurant interior looks very much the same, and the menu has a few familiar items like stuffed naan break and wraps. Staff and service are very friendly, and prices are reasonable. I tried the paneer tikka the first time, and found the cheese moist and full of flavour - paneer can often be dense and dry, but that was not the case here. Paired with saffron rice, it was a very satisfying dish.

Chicken biryani #yeg #yegfood #foodporn #yegeats #biryani #whyteave

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Apr 21, 2018 at 6:16pm PDT

I had the bone-in chicken biryani the next time. The chicken was tender and delicious and the rice which enveloped it had a symphony of flavours. It was a bit spicy for my taste and the chicken was completely buried within the rice making it a little difficult to eat in terms of avoiding bones. I would probably go for the chicken tikka or tandoori chicken instead.

Two Paneer Curries from Namaste India

Tried Namaste India yesterday, via @skipthedishes! #yeg #yegfood #yegeats #foodporn

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Nov 16, 2017 at 4:56pm PST

My brother and I ordered from Namaste India through Skip the Dishes last week. We each ordered a paneer curry. I had the palak paneer, which is my favourite. It was very creamy, with a smoky taste I really enjoyed. He had the butter paneer - chunks of the pressed cheese in butter sauce like what is used for butter chicken. It was quite rich and tangy. On the side was saffron rice. We ordered two servings, but one would have been more than enough. We also shared a plain naan and veggie samosas. The samosas came cold - I am not sure if this is how they are served in the restaurant, but it did not hurt the flavour at all. Overall the food was very fresh and satisfying.

Soups at Rice Bowl Deluxe

Trying out the new Rice Bowl Deluxe in the west end, and thought the pho was fab. #yeg #yegfood #yegpho

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Oct 30, 2017 at 3:27pm PDT

Rice Bowl Deluxe has a new location in the Lynnwood area. On my first time there I had the pho. I was surprised that the flavour profile of the broth was as rich as it was. It came with the basil leaves and beansprouts already inserted. Although the bowl looked small-ish for the price, it was deceptively large, with lots of sliced beef (I held the beef balls - never been a fan of their texture). There also also several kinds of green onion cakes available. I had the flat kind, and it was quite full of onions and a great side to the soup.

Laksa soup with tofu and a green onion doughnut. The soup was hot and spicy! (Even though the menu did not indicate it as such.) New Rice Bowl Deluxe in Lynwood. #yegfood

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Nov 2, 2017 at 12:11pm PDT

On my second trip, I had the Laksa soup with tofu as my protein. The soup already comes with tofu puffs, which absorb the flavourful mild curry broth. The sliced tofu that was added was a huge portion, along the the noodles. This was a very thick, rich soup and wonderful on a cold day. I had a green onion doughnut as well, which was crunchy but not greasy.

Bibimbap at Washoku Bistro

Tried bibimbap (vegetarian) for the first time ever. It was incredible. My server mixed it together before I could take a picture. #yegfood

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Aug 15, 2017 at 7:43pm PDT

I visited Washoku Bistro for the first time for a business lunch, and was impressed with how the menu had both Japanese dishes (mostly sushi) as well as Korean ones. I had the vegetarian bibimbap, my first time trying the dish. It was a beautiful, sizzling bowl of rice, vegetables, and a fried egg which my server mixed together in front of me. The egg, which was not fully cooked when the dish was brought out, finished cooking while being stirred in the extremely hot bowl, and made some of the rice very crispy. In fact, the food stayed very hot to the end. When my server saw I did not care for the hot sauce it was served with, she brought me a soy sauce which I liked much better. The sauce could also have been stirred in with the egg. I really enjoyed this dish and would love to try the beef variety too.

Chicken Kebabs at Kebab Express

Chicken shish kebab combo. #yegfood #eatalberta150

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Jul 2, 2017 at 4:29pm PDT

I was at the Blues On Whyte Block party this past weekend, and had Sunday evening supper at Kebab Express (10355 82 Avenue). The seating allowed me to enjoy my meal while still having a clear view of the street stage. I had the chicken kebab combo platter. The chunks of chicken breast meat were grilled to perfection. They were served on a bed of white rice that had a slightly salty flavour, almost like butter. A small side of salad added some lightness to the plate. Of course, there was pita bread and a yogurt dip (I was expecting garlic, but this was very light and refreshing). At close to $18 it was not cheap and the portion was not huge, but it really hit the spot.

Kaey Wot at Langano Skies

Ethiopian food for supper. #yegfashion

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Apr 22, 2017 at 5:50pm PDT

I love Ethiopian food, even if the spices can sometimes be a bit much for me, so I was delighted to finally try Langano Skies. It's conveniently located next to one of my favourite bars, so after the music was over, this was the supper destination. I ordered something that seemed basic - Kaey Wot, which is tender beef in a spicy sauce, and I opted for brown rice instead of the injera. We also took advantage of an appetizer special, and had the lentil sambusas (which are like samosas, but with a lighter outer shell). Those had a definite "wow factor." I could probably make a meal out of some of the appetizers. The food was incredible, but I will definitely take the spice level into consideration next time and ask the server's advice about something milder. Which should be no problem, because the service here was excellent.

Chicken Souvlaki at Urban Greek

Chicken souvlaki #yegfood

A photo posted by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Apr 22, 2016 at 12:48pm PDT

I am often in the area of City Centre, and wanted to try Urban Greek on the recommendation of a friend. However, whenever I am around the line up is so long that I don't have time to wait. Until last week - I was able to quickly place an order and get one of the few tables available. I had the chicken souvlaki entree, which came with two sides. I chose rice pilaf and Greek potatoes. The rice was nicely done with vegetables, but the roasted potatoes ruled the plate: perfectly cooked with garlic tzatziki sauce on top. The one skewer of chicken was densely packed and seasoned to perfection, with yet more tzatziki on the side for dipping. Fast, reasonably priced, and delicious - I will be back, if I can beat the line up!

Grilled Chicken and Rice at Maki Maki

I have been visiting Maki Maki for pho on a regular basis lately, but wanted to try something different on a lunch stop there this week. Most of the vermicelli bowls had pork, which is a no-no for me, but I noticed grilled chicken and steamed rice with vegetables. The chicken was incredible, with a deep grilled flavour infused with lemongrass. The rice was plain but plentiful, and did well with the soy sauce on the table. The vegetables were just a few cut pieces of fresh tomato and cucumber, and was more like a garnish. The chicken was definitely the star of the plate, and I hope Maki Maki can make a vermicelli bowl with it.

Teriyaki Rice Bowl at Original Joe's

I had a "girl date" with two of my best friends last week. We chose the 124 Street location of Original Joe's as it is centrally located and near one of our homes. I had the teriyaki rice bowl and was somewhat disappointed. The rice was just plain, boiled rice. While there was plenty of chicken and sauteed vegetables, the spicy yogurt dominated - my mouth sort of lost its sense of taste at one point, and was just burning. I think this is a healthy dish and a good-sized portion, but it needs to be toned down a few notches.

Thali Box at Naanolicious

The new Thali Box lunch at Naanolicious could be Whyte Avenue's best-kept dining secret. Served only until 2 p.m., this is like the East Indian version of a Bento Box, and features rice, naan bread, a chicken dish, a vegetarian dish, and salad. The specific dishes are the chef's choosing, so you're getting both a surprise and something like a buffet - but brought directly to your table, and always fresh. My Thali Box had rich butter chicken, a lentil dish which was superb, saffron rice, a cucumber-yogurt salad, a shredded cabbage salad, and garlic naan. At only $16.95 the price point is excellent for the amount of food you're getting. It's not on the menu - you have to ask for it, and you'll be glad you did.

Chicken on Rice at Nha Trang

I am usually willing to give a place a second chance, so even though I was not blown away by my pho last week at Nha Trang, when having supper here was convenient this week, I decided to try something different. My chicken on rice was a large, thick, boneless thigh that tasted a little bit grilled but really did not have much flavour. Plus, the skin was not crispy at all - it was thick and gummy, and I had to peel most of it away, which was not pleasant. The portion was rice was huge though. My spring rolls were cold on the inside. In fairness, they originally brought me ones filled with pork - I had specifically asked for the vegetarian ones - and the replacements were brought out rather quickly, so perhaps they were not in the fryer long enough. However, I also had to take an important phone call during this time so if they were hot, even for a fleeting while, that time had passed by the time I got to them. Still, I am underwhelmed.

Yellow Curry at Viphalay

I was happy to learn that the 95 Street location of Viphalay is open for lunch from Tuesday to Friday. Better still, there is a special lunch menu with a variety of affordable options ($15 range). I had one of the curry combos. The yellow curry was just spicy enough, with a familiar, rich texture and flavour. It was full of potatoes and carrots, as well as tofu (my choice of protein). The abundant liquid went well with the side of coconut rice (jasmine was the other option).

Chicken Shawarma Plate at Argana

I've read rave reviews and heard glowing testimonials about Argana Donair (4547 118 Avenue NW), located in the Beverley neighbourhood in northwest Edmonton. So, I was thrilled to finally try it out last weekend. I had the chicken shawarma plate, which featured a mountain of chicken roasted in-house on top of aromatic rice, with fries and garden salad. The fries were almost superfluous, as the chicken and rice were the stars of the plate. The chicken was tender with some acidic notes and the salad helped balance the plate with a bit of lightness. A hearty and affordable meal that is worth a trip to the north side.

Teriyaki Chicken Dinner at Ichiban

I have had the teriyaki chicken lunch special at Ichiban (8750 149 Street NW) several times, but never the supper portion. I enjoyed a couple of breast's worth of lightly battered chicken in a mildly sweet teriyaki sauce, with a generous scoop of white rice and salad, with miso soup to start. A definite step up from fast food chicken rice bowls

Vegging Out: Sweet and Sour Nuggets at Padmanadi

A business lunch brought me to Padmanadi last week. I had the sweet and sour chicken nuggets, one of the lunch specials that comes with rice, spring rolls, one lemon shrimp, soup, and tea. The nuggets were small bullets of Padmanadi's delicious vegan chicken in the sweet and sour sauce that my favourite vegan shrimp dish comes with. There was plenty of sauce for the rice. Very filling for $12.95.

Karhi Pakora

Monika, who owns Naanolicious, has been talking to me about trying some of her mother's traditional East Indian cooking. I had the chance when I went to the restaurant for supper this past weekend, and one of the specials was created by her mom. The Karhi Pakora is something I would never imagine: vegetable pakoras in a light yoghurt curry sauce flavoured extensively by cilantro and turmeric. I find pakors, being fried, to be quite heavy and can usually only eat two or three of them in one sitting. However, in the sauce, they deconstructed into smaller bits of dough and potato. It was surprisingly one of the lightest dishes I have ever had at Naanolicious, and the abundance of the sauce made rice a perfect pairing. I encouraged Monika to add this to her vegetarian menu.

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.

Kadhai Paneer at Guru

I visited Guru for the first time in ages, to join a friend for lunch. The lunch menu has a number of pre-plated vegetarian and non-vegetarian options that are served with rice, fruit salad, and naan. I opted for the Kadhai Paneer, which is fresh cubes of cheese in a tomato-based sauce. The paneer was firm and absorbed the flavour of the sauce nicely, which was spicy without being overly hot. The finely diced melons mixed well with the rice and the sauce, adding an element of sweet coolness. And the naan was perfect: hot, buttered, and full of bubbles. At $17 this was not an inexpensive lunch, but it was not overpriced either. To drink we had the masala chai ($5), made to order and very aromatic.

Mango Butter Chicken at Naanolicious

It's Saturday evening. You guessed it - I went to Naanolicious for supper. Believe it or not, there are still a few menu items I have not yet tried. The mango butter chicken dinner is one of them. A generous portion of creamy, delicious butter chicken is served with basmati rice, a wedge of mango, and a shot glass with mango puree, to sweeten things up to taste. If you like butter chicken, you can't go wrong with this.