Eating up the Hill: Chicken shawarma platter – better is definitely possible

Ottawa is Canada’s capital, in terms of government and in terms of shawarma. We have a longstanding Lebanese community that has ran shawarma shops across the city going back several generations. So when I saw that a chicken shawarma platter was newly added to the Parliamentary Cafeteria’s rotating daily specials, I was intrigued and trepidatious.

Going down to order it today, the first thing I noticed was a heating tray of chicken breasts caked in seasoning. I guess investing in a shawarma spit that would be used every six weeks would be too much to ask for, but I thought maybe they would have shaved it off site or something.

Anyway, they sliced the chicken breast like you would a chopped steak, and then put it in a takeout container with some turnip, tabouleh salad, a small handful of pita chips, a cup of what I presume was a garlic sauce (ingredient list unclear) and a cup of humus. No pita bread on the side or a green salad, as would be traditional for a platter. Sometimes potatoes too, though I usually pass on the carbs. This is half the price (and size) of a typical shawarma platter though, so sacrifices must be made.

Bringing it upstairs with a Diet Coke, I dove in. I sampled the chicken breast on its own. A little dry. Caked in seasoning, from which I got no heat but notes of cinnamon. The ingredient list confirmed this, as well as cumin, paprika and chili powder. It was OK, but I can’t say it screamed shawarma to me. Some quick googling confirms this is traditional, though could have used more pepper. But without being toasted on a spit, it's not shawarma meat.

I dipped the chicken in the garlic sauce and the pita chips in the humus. Both were fine. I ate but didn’t care for the tabouleh salad, but I don’t care for any tabouleh salad. I get the green salad when buying a platter. I wouldn’t have gotten the turnips but wanted to show you the full offering – I ate one to confirm I still don’t like them,

I appreciate the effort, but the caf just doesn’t do well with ethic food. They do a passable Chinese food offering which I’ll have tomorrow. They used to have a gyro sandwich which I made passable by having them heat the pita on the grill – I guess not enough people knew this trick as it’s off the menu rotation. 

So if you want shawarma, leave the building, walk a block and get the real thing. In Ottawa, better shawarma is always possible.

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Eating off the Hill: Berlin streetfood comes to Ottawa with Wolf Down

Ottawa is the town where shawarma is king. Don't believe me? We have Shawarma King and Shawarma's King within a few blocks of each other -- yes, two different reasturants. Ottawa has a new challenger though for meat sandwich supremacy -- ironically, nearly across the street from Shawarma King -- and it's straight out of Berlin: Wolf Down.

Located at 380 Bank Street (and James) in Centreton, this new start-up is dedicated to one dish, and it's classic Berlin street food: the döner sandwich. You can also have it in salad form, should you for some reason choose to. You can choose your protein:  chicken, beef or tofu; your veggies: lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion and cabbage; and your sauce: secret (a mayo herb combo, basically) or spicy. But that's about it; other than your drink, that's the menu.

I've been to Berlin twice in my 40-ish years, and it's a great city. And I have fond memories of what I recall as the döner kebab. Brought to Berlin by Turkish migrant workers, this quick and easy lunch soon took the city by storm. My first trip to Berlin was in 1994, as part of a three-month exchange stay in Germany during high school. The German government took the Canadian students to Berlin for a few days and, after a morning of touring, would drop us off somewhere central and peel us each off a 10 (was it euros or marks in 1994?) to go find lunch on our own. I remember always buying a doner kebab from a truck for 5 and turning a nice profit on the meal.

My next trip to Berlin was as part of a work conference with German software company IDS Scheer (no relation, I don't think) in 2008 and, that trip, I was all about the currywurst: chopped sausage mixed in a curry ketchup. So good.

But back to Wolf Down. While it will set you back $11 instead of $5 (granted, some inflation in 25 years is inevitable), it's still pretty good value that will leave you satisfied. The Art-Is-In Bakery sesame-crusted bread has a nice chew, the veggies are fresh and plentiful, and the meat (I had the beef) is well-seasoned. It's another take on the donair, familiar to Halogonians -- same meat, different veggies and bread. And, important for me, a different sauce -- I'm not a fan of the sweet donair sauce.

The feel of the reasturant is industrial, and it's wide-open -- but with limited seating. There's certainly space for a few more tables to be added, and it was pretty busy on this second day of opening, as the Ottawa rain chased people inside. Ordering is quick but prep takes a little while. And, something I didn't see on the web site -- they're cashless.

Also of note, my bottle of water came in a little Wolf Down cozy. I don't know if I was meant to keep it; I left it on the counter just in case. But a cute touch.

I enjoyed my sandwich, and will likely be a regular, particularly as it's two blocks from my condo. A welcome, and healthier feeling, alternative to the ubiqutous Ottawa shawarma. I would like to see them expand on the Berlin theme though, and, if they decide to add a second menu item, please make it currywurst. Then you'd never get be out of there...

An industrial vibe.

A close-up before I began wolfing it down.

Veggies are great, but I love the point when you're down to mostly delicious beefy goodness.

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Eating OFF the Hill: Centretown Donair & Pizza

While I did sample several authentic Halifax donair while I was there last spring, word on the street was there's a place in Ottawa that offers the nearest thing you could get outside the Nova Scotia capital. So one weekend, rather than heading to Bank or Elgin in search of nourishment, I went west over to Bronson and Centretown Pizza & Donair.

It's casual and unfancy, with a TV showing football, a quiet bar, and basic seating in sufficient quantity. They have the usual pizza items, but I was here for the donair, which featured prominently on their menu, with promises made on its Halifax-style authenticity.

I ordered the large donair, easy on the onions, and a pop. It took a little longer than I'd expect given there was only one other table there (a family on a birthday outing) but eventally my foil-wrapped donair came.

It was...it was fine. Tomatoes, easy on the onion as ordered, a generous quantity of meat, and sweet sauce. The meat was OK, but could have been more seasoned I felt. Tony's took the prize in that regard. This one was probably on par with Johnny K's. I don't have enough experience to fairly judge its authenticity, but it was fine I guess.

It did solidify one revelation for me, and that's why I rate shawarma over donair: I don't care for the sweet sauce. Give me the garlic sauce any day of the week. Maybe if you could give me the garlic saunce on the donair, that would work for me. But I've decided the sweet sauce is not for me, it doesn't fit with what I want from a pita meat sandwich.

Until that fateful day, I'll stick with shawarma.

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Eating up the Hill: Mixed Grill at Paramount Fine Foods

For those who keep Halal, the opening of a franchise of the popular Toronto-based chain Paramount Fine Foods at the Rideau Centre is a welcome sight. It's a needed addition to the downtown Ottawa Halal options, which are basically limited to Afghani Kabab Express, Nando's, and 100 different shawarma places.

I have visited locations in Scarborough several times, and recently had a weekend lunch at the new Rideau Centre location. It featured an open kitchen, tall ceilings, and an open vibe, and wasn't overly busy on this Sunday afternoon. I wasn't seated too near the door, but the draft whenever it opened onto Rideau Street would be very annoying in the winter.

Besides traditional Middle Eastern fare, they seem very big on fries. Fries as a side. Fries as a main, topped with chicken shawarma and garlic sauce, or shawarma poutine. The kids really seem to like them. I'm not a kid. No fries for me, fusion or otherwise.

I opted for the mixed grill, which is centred around a skewer of striploin beef, one of shish tawouk (chicken breast)  and one of kafta (seasoned ground beef). I went with the basmati rice over the fries, being an adult. It also came with humus and garlic, grilled tomatoes and onion, a small slice of grilled pizza (if there's a fancier name for it, I don't know it) and a large Saj bread.

My first thought was I'll never finish all this. You'll be relieved though, and possibly not surprised, to learn that I managed to do so anyway.

I'll start with the meat. The steak was of high quality and nicely seasoned, and I have come to really enjoy kafta. The chicken, though, was somewhat bland and disappointing. Some of the meat I ate on its own, but most I had with a piece of the Saj bread (which was good but a little too much flour garnish) and some humus or garlic sauce and some vegetable and rice. Like a one-bite sandwich.

I would have liked more humus and garlic sauce, given the amount of meat I had to work with. The rice needed a little something more, and made me miss biryani. The roasted onion was good, but there was no elegant way I could fine to remove the peel to get at it.

It was a good and filling meal, but at $32 with a diet coke and a tip, too expensive for what it is. Wouldn't have minded a little more heat either -- I can handle my spice. I'll be back, but may stick to a wrap.

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Dion being held captive?

Breaking news from Ottawa....Stephane Dion is being held captive by extremist elements in his caucus...they've barricaded themselves in the Railroad Room...they're demanding Chicken Shawarmas from Maroush, $5 million and a plane ride to the socialist paradise of Cuba in exchange for his release...Send help!

OK, not really, but you'd think so reading this release on the Conservative Party's Web site (emphasis is Harper's):

Stéphane Dion supported the measures when he was in Cabinet during the Chrétien and Martin governments. However, since assuming the leadership of the Liberal Party, Mr. Dion has fallen captive to extreme elements in the Liberal Party and has flip-flopped by withdrawing his support for these anti-terrorism tools.
...
Stéphane Dion should ignore the extremist elements in his caucus, reverse his flip flop and allow his MPs to vote for the renewal of the ATA.

Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh or cry, you know? Tell me Steve, who specifically are the “extremist” members of the Liberal caucus, would you be kind enough to name names? Next time I'm at a Liberal function, if there are any extremist elements there will someone please introduce me? I bet they're just misunderstood and really only need a friend.

Honestly, does anyone outside of the political bubble take this nonsense seriously? Disagree on renewing these anti-terror provisions, sure, there's plenty of room for disagreement among reasonable people. But soft on terror...insinuating links to terrorism...blathering about conspiracies and extremist elements?

I guess $100/month really isn't enough for child care because the Cons have their toddlers writing their talking points instead. How long will it be before we start hearing accusations of baby eating, or the capture of 101 dalmatians to make Dion a new coat?

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