ciao! reviews
of sweet and crunchy house-cured
cabbage and tangy buttermilk dress-
ing. To up daily veggie intake, add on
house-marinated vegetables bursting
with vinegary zip. An impressive beet
salad sees the prairies’ go-to root veg
tossed with crackling quinoa puffs
(Nick’s is 100% nut-free), creamy feta
and a tasty light dressing. The option
to add chicken makes it hearty enough
for lunch.
While Nick’s detailed eye and cheffy
touch has clearly been applied to every
inch of the lunch menu, dessert is in
the hands of his hard-working mother,
who joins him in the kitchen daily to
whip up delicious baked goods and
greet customers with friendly banter.
Head back to work with one of her
rich, chewy chocolate chunk cookies
and a full belly, ready to face the rest
of the day.
Nick’s on Broadway is open Mon-
Fri from 11 am to 2 pm, Sat-Sun
Closed.
Greek Fare
Extraordinaire
Chicken souvlaki,
lamb chops
and the best
avgolemono soup
in the city make this
a “MUST VISIT”!
TUXEDO
VILLAGE
Family Restaurant
2090 Corydon Ave. 204. 897.6565
28
ciao! / feb/mar / two thousand nineteen
yafa cafÉ
Neighbourhood . . . . St James
Address . . . . 1785 Portage Ave
Phone . . . . . . . 204-221-1636
Entrées . . . . . . . . . . .$10-$18
People of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and
other Arab nations have been trading
spices and perfecting recipes for more
than 2,000 years, but closer to home,
increased cravings for quick, healthy
and inspired food options have made
Middle Eastern fast-casual eateries like
Yafa Café ever more popular.
This brightly-lit West Portage Ave
space arouses all senses. The herbal
fragrance of smoke from hookah
pipes, sans tobacco or nicotine, fills
the air. Orange and blue walls and
sitar-laden tunes are the backdrop to
a colourful crowd of diners.
The key to Levantine cuisine is
an abundance of fresh produce and
spices. Grilled breads, smashed bean
dips and spit-roasted meats are simply
made and eating requires little more
than a dish and a pair of hands. Begin
with a spread of traditional dips. Foule
Mudammas, an Egyptian staple made
from fava beans, is chunky and hearty,
offering an earthy hint of cumin.
Bitter olive oil and warm red pepper
paste swirl atop creamy white Labneh.
Mutabal is a zingy pur é e of smoky
roasted eggplant, nutty tahini and
tangy yoghurt. Lebanese Tabouleh
salad is a bright accompaniment to
a perfect falafel – crunchy yet soft on
the inside.
Savoury manakeesh, a beloved
dish known as the pizza of the Arab
world, is a chewy baked flatbread
topped with meats or spices. A thin
layer of peppery tomato paste covers
the Za’atar-Shatta variety, which is
then sprinkled with thyme, marjoram,
sumac and sesame. The Sfeiha option
is topped with rich, finely ground beef
and invigorating mint, with under-
tones of citrusy sumac. The “Spinach
Triangle” is a calzone-like formation, a
folded pillowy white pita bread stuffed
with tangy spinach.
Like appetizers, main courses are
also shareable. Koshary is a robust veg-
etarian dish of rice, black lentils and
chickpeas topped with super-spicy
tomato sauce and sweet caramel-
ized onions. A house specialty, the
Makloubeh is a chicken dinner liter-
ally turned upside-down. Dig through
aromatic rice and crunchy toasted
almond slivers to find juicy baked
chicken, served bone-in and skin-off.
It’s easy to get carried away by the
six-page food menu, but the tasting
journey should not end there. Yafa
boasts an extensive coffee and drink
menu. Sip a comforting honey car-
damom latte whilst indulging in a
Warbat, a flaky pastry with a vel-
vety delicious eggless custard filling,
bathed in floral orange blossom syrup.
Yafa Café is open Sun- Thu 11
am-11 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-1 am.