an arabian night
i'm always amused whenever folks ask me what i eat, once they discover that i'm a vegetarian, and have been one for eight years. their responses usually range from, "well, mi kyaan gi up mi chicken" to "so 'ow yu manage widout eatin' chicken", to the inevitable "ohhhh, mi did t'ink seh is ongle vegetable yu did eat", when i reel out a list of items that i consume. sometimes, i just cut a long story short by saying that i don't eat flesh foods and dairy. okay. that's not entirely true about the latter. sometimes i cheat. okay, okaaay! so, i have a weakness for cheese. eh, sue me. and i'll have an egg once in a very blue moon. eh, double sue me!
so what's two vegetarians like chinue and myself to eat during kingston restaurant week (krw)?
not to fear. this past sunday evening, we went to habibi latino in the marketplace off constant spring road, about a ten-minute drive away from half-way-tree square, if there's not much traffic. it's a delightful, little restaurant that features lebanese dishes with a latino touch. even the female servers were decked out in middle eastern garb in colours that mirrored those used in the decor. the layout of the restaurant featured rich crimson hues, plush cushioned seats, tasselled cushions to rest on, and soothing lebanese music in the background. we chose to sit indoors, although one has the option of outdoor dining under umbrellas in the courtyard.
these luxurious drapes over the ceiling gave one the feeling of dining in a tent.
although we didn't choose from the krw special menu, we still got our money's worth. what's more, it even worked out much cheaper! how good is that?
i liked the falafel and the tart sauce that accompanied the vegetables.
the sambusek with cheese was also tasty. the cheese was seasoned with herbs and had a delicate flavour. but as to what kind of cheese it was, i couldn't tell.
perhaps darius, or someone else, could give me some idea of what it could have been.
since i'm a legumes gal, i had the frijoles y arroz, which was simply black beans and vegetable rice, along with a fattouch salad that was served with pita chips.
a simple, yet hearty comfort food. unfortunately, i found myself becoming almost stuffed when i was only half-way through! chinue had to resort to cheering me on to the slow finish. the strange thing is that i was starving before we got there, so i couldn't understand how i got filled up so soon! oh well, that didn't deter me from reaching the finale - dessert!
while chinue had flan, i went for the baklava. the flaky texture and nutty flavour completely won me over. but another strange thing happened. for those of you who watched ratatouille, do you remember the scene when the mean food critic, anton ego, was transported back to his childhood when he tasted the dish that bore the name of the animation? well, that happened to me when i tasted a piece of chinue's flan! i doubt that i even knew what it was that i had eaten way back then, but when that bit of pastry melted in my mouth, the years fell away. isn't that something incredible?
so, would i go back again? you can bet on it!
who says vegetarians can't find anything sensible or delicious or even exotic to eat?
what's even more, we're going to yet another restaurant this evening. i can hardly wait!
