House made hummus 
I have not visited the Regent Park/Trefann Court areas, despite living in Toronto for five years. Lately I have been overcome with an intense longing to adopt a cat from the local Toronto Human Society. It was a Friday, and my adoption plans had been delayed due to administrative issues. Naturally, I went on a food adventure to divert attention from my disappointment.
Hidden in the newly developed Canary District, just east of the Distillery District, is a Middle Eastern eatery, Souk Tabule. It is the newest of four restaurants in the Tabule Middle Eastern cuisine series and is advertised as a “fast casual” restaurant. Whether this means that it is McDonald’s glorified relative or not, I could not verify. However, I definitely would not be mad if this becomes the new trend in the fast-food industry. Souk is arabic, and translates into “market”, which reflects the fast casual style of the restaurant. Fittingly, the joint also sells its own spice blends, juices, and cookbooks.
Middle Eastern cuisine is a new concept to me, so I came into this experience as a tabula rasa. I arrived at the restaurant at around 6pm on a Friday, and the restaurant was already full of busy bees winding down for the weekend. The room was spacious and decorated with pattern-designed ceramic plates on a cyan-white themed background. I ordered three things from the menu: hummus for starters, beef shawarma over rice, and basterma egg scramble from the brunch menu.
Okay. Now, let’s talk hummus. I am no hummus expert. Supermarket hummus is probably the only hummus I’ve ever had, but hummus from Souk Tabule is quite special. The hummus was smooth as silk, interjected briefly with the roughness of chickpea debris, along with a constant waft of garlic. The spread was highlighted with notes of lemon, which made it more tangy. There was also an inviting tinge of heat from the chili oil spread on top, and the dish was rounded with a delicate sprinkle of parsley. That was good. Next is the scrambled eggs. It’s not just the incredibly creamy texture, but the rich egg flavor (not entirely sure whether it’s due to the free-ranged hen or some kitchen sorcery) is like stubbing your toe on the corner of a table in the night. The egg hits you hard, and leaves you craving for more (on second thought, maybe stubbing your toe is not a good analogy here..). The hummus and the scrambled eggs still wander in the hallways of my mind, and are ushered to the forefront whenever I think of Middle Eastern food.
Tasty food, modern design, relaxing environment: What else could you possibly ask for on a lazy Friday afternoon?
Eat, Eat and [ ] 