This week, I wanted to try and learn about Middle-Eastern food, and Middle-Eastern culture. So today, I decided to go to the restaurant called Parallel. Parallel is well known in Toronto for being producers of high-quality and home made sesame butter, one of the crucial components for making tahini.
First, let's learn a bit of background about Middle-Eastern style food. The Middle-Eastern area of the world (Northeastern Africa to Southwestern Asia) was influenced over time by the many flavours and many kinds of cuisine that travelled through it. It all started in the 500s BCE, as the first Persian empire introduced the main dietary staples: rice, poultry, and various types of fruit. Merchants brought foods like figs, dates, and nuts, and spices were traded around. Indian spices, such as cumin, turmeric, and garlic, along with others like clove and peppercorn, were all very valuable and widely-used spices in the cooking. One interesting fact is that since neither the Jewish people nor the Muslim people ate pork, most would either eat lamb/mutton and beef, or would be vegetarian. One of the most common food types you would find of a Middle-Eastern situated country in the North American region would be Shawarma, as it is a very popular type of food in the middle eastern regions, and popular around the world too.
Anyway, we had a variety of very tasty food. I took a photo of the whole menu, and here is how it looks. It is mostly vegetarian and it appears to be inspired by Israeli and Lebanese cuisine.
Anyways, my family decided that we wanted to try a couple of things at the restaurant. We first tried their falafel. For those who do not know, a falafel is a chickpea fritter.
The falafels came out of the fryer hot, and when they arrived at our table, we saw that they were green! We learned that this was because the falafel is made with kale, cilantro and parsley as some of the main ingredients. The pink sauce on top was a very tasty beet tahini sauce. I found that these falafels were very tasty, but they could have used a little bit more time frying, as the outsides were not as crispy as I had hoped. Still though, a good falafel. I would certainly have it again.
As you all saw at the beginning, we also got some hummus to go with the falafels. The hummus was a very good sauce and counterpart to the falafel, so they went well together. It had a good amount of creaminess, while not overdoing anything. However, I wish that they had not left some of the chickpeas whole, because I certainly prefer the hummus as a smooth dip/spread. Either way, the hummus was tasty.
Another dip that we had was the eggplant carpaccio, and this dish was foreign to me. I had never heard or known of a dip like this, however I have tried dips like baba ganoush before, and that is a dip that features eggplant. However, this was a mind-blowingly good dish for me. It had the perfect amount of seasoning, sweetness, and a little splash of acidity with some added lemon. You could even add some to your falafel or your other foods because, it works so well. I would highly recommend you try this, if you are an eggplant person or not.
The parallel salad is their take on a kale salad, with beans, goat cheese, and walnuts, it too has a perfect amount of acidic flavour to go with the creaminess the goat cheese brings. It is a great twist on a salad, and every bite has an equal amount of flavour, so you will constantly be enjoying it with every bite. The salad is a great way to get some greens on your plate too!
Out of all of the food we ate, the cauliflower was certainly the best. If you have ever eaten roasted cauliflower (which I hope you have), you are going to love this. If you have not, you are also going to love this... roasted cauliflower, with walnuts, tomato, and beet sesame butter, all working together in perfect tandem to create a food that you won't want to share. The crispness of the cauliflower and the flavours going around transform this into a fantastic appetizer/snack that you can't resist. They are really good. Like, REALLY good.
As you can see from this meal, the chickpea and the sesame seed are two key vegetarian components in Middle Eastern cuisine.
My overall restaurant review:
Anyways folks, thanks for stopping by, as your support is very important to me. I really appreciate all the support you can give.
Thanks for reading!
Sam
Bibliography:
Middle Eastern cuisine. (2019, October 23). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Eastern_cuisine
Kenneth, & Feldmeier. (2019, September 27). Bringing the History of Middle-Eastern Cuisine to Los Angeles. Retrieved from https://www.kcet.org/shows/the-migrant-kitchen/tracing-the-history-of-middle-eastern-cuisine-and-setting-roots-in-los.
(The hummus we had at our visit to Parallel)
(The two Ozery brothers, standing in front of their restaurant, Parallel.)
Anyway, we had a variety of very tasty food. I took a photo of the whole menu, and here is how it looks. It is mostly vegetarian and it appears to be inspired by Israeli and Lebanese cuisine.
(Everything looks tasty...)
Anyways, my family decided that we wanted to try a couple of things at the restaurant. We first tried their falafel. For those who do not know, a falafel is a chickpea fritter.
(The falafels, which are interestingly green.)
The falafels came out of the fryer hot, and when they arrived at our table, we saw that they were green! We learned that this was because the falafel is made with kale, cilantro and parsley as some of the main ingredients. The pink sauce on top was a very tasty beet tahini sauce. I found that these falafels were very tasty, but they could have used a little bit more time frying, as the outsides were not as crispy as I had hoped. Still though, a good falafel. I would certainly have it again.
As you all saw at the beginning, we also got some hummus to go with the falafels. The hummus was a very good sauce and counterpart to the falafel, so they went well together. It had a good amount of creaminess, while not overdoing anything. However, I wish that they had not left some of the chickpeas whole, because I certainly prefer the hummus as a smooth dip/spread. Either way, the hummus was tasty.
(Eggplant Carpaccio, a tasty appetizer.)
The parallel salad is their take on a kale salad, with beans, goat cheese, and walnuts, it too has a perfect amount of acidic flavour to go with the creaminess the goat cheese brings. It is a great twist on a salad, and every bite has an equal amount of flavour, so you will constantly be enjoying it with every bite. The salad is a great way to get some greens on your plate too!
(Lastly, the cauliflower. *Insert Homer Simpson drooling noise here*)
As you can see from this meal, the chickpea and the sesame seed are two key vegetarian components in Middle Eastern cuisine.
My overall restaurant review:
Four chilies! That's an awesome review! And deservedly so, as a great food spot deserves a great review. I would happily return to Parallel, as it is a nice spot for some unique, delicious eats. If you want to check out their website, be sure to find it here.
Anyways folks, thanks for stopping by, as your support is very important to me. I really appreciate all the support you can give.
Thanks for reading!
Sam
Bibliography:
Middle Eastern cuisine. (2019, October 23). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Eastern_cuisine
Kenneth, & Feldmeier. (2019, September 27). Bringing the History of Middle-Eastern Cuisine to Los Angeles. Retrieved from https://www.kcet.org/shows/the-migrant-kitchen/tracing-the-history-of-middle-eastern-cuisine-and-setting-roots-in-los.
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