ChaBaa Thai

This month the Dining Divas decided to visit the Chabaa Thai restaurant located at 1546 Queen Street in Halifax.

Dawn chose the Prawn Spicy Noodle which is stir fried rice noodles with green beans, egg, bamboo shoots, eggplant and sweet basil. The noodles weren't too soggy and it had the perfect amount of spice. Dawn was in the mood for noodles and she was not disappointed. To drink, Dawn had mango juice.  The plate was well presented, and looked beautiful with the fancy cut vegetable garnish.

Deb decided on the Panang Curry Beef with Spring Roll.  This was a lunch special. It is beef stir fried in red curry and coconut milk with lime leaves, green beans and peanuts. It is served with rice and a fried spring roll. The waitress said it was spicy, but Deb didn't find it too spicy and she enjoyed it. She loved the fried spring roll and the sauce that came to dip it in. Deb usually pours the dipping sauce over her rice to give it more flavour. She also ordered Thai iced tea for her drink. It was sweet and had a vibrant orange colour and she would order it again.

For dessert they ventured to The Sweet Hereafter located at 6148 Quinpool Road, Halifax.  Dawn chose the Gluten free option, Turtle Cheesecake. It is just what it sounds like, a Turtle Chocolate.  It was decadent and very enjoyable.  Deb ordered the Almond Delight which is like a Mounds coconut bar. It was very good, more dense than creamy with pieces of coconut in it. It had a chocolate sauce on it and a chocolate covered almond on top. There was whipped cream on the side.  It was worth the stop.  The restaurant is dedicated to cheesecakes. It's decorated lavishly like a red velvet boudoir. There were even a couple of husbands sent to pick up dessert. They seemed quite pleased with the choices available. It may be a nice choice for Valentine's Day.  They have gluten free and vegan options available.

Dawn and Deb would happily visit these spots again, and would recommend them to our family and friends.

www.chabaathairestaurant.ca

www.sweethereafter.ca



Dawn and Deb

The Dining Divas

Mezza

This month the Dining Divas traveled to Halifax to see a show and eat at "Mezza".  This is an award winning Lebanese restaurant located at 6386 Quinpool St.

Dawn started with Falafel, which was light and delicious. For her main, she decided on the Spicy Lamb Kebab which is described as "rectangular pieces of lamb, marinated in our special rub, skewered with peppers and onions".  With that, she enjoyed a Lebanese Ksara red wine. The Kebab was nicely plated and was served on a bed of rice with roasted potatoes.  The lamb wasn't too spicy, it had an understated flavour.  It was very enjoyable. For dessert she had the rice pudding which was creamy and well presented. For some reason things seem to taste better when they are served looking beautiful.

Deb decided not to get an appetizer this time as she wanted to save room for dessert.  She chose the chicken kafta kabob which is tender chicken, vegetables and Lebanese herbs, minced together to create a twist on traditional Lebanese kafta. It came with roasted potatoes, basmati rice and vegetables which were green beans, a slice of roasted red pepper and broccoli. It also came with a garlic dip which was really good.  For dessert, Deb ordered the crème Brule which was creamy and yummy.

We would definitely recommend this restaurant to our family and friends. The
restaurant is beautifully decorated.  This is a feast for the eyes and the belly.

www.mezzarestaurant.com

Dawn and Deb

The Dining Divas

Cafe Istanbul

This month the Dining Divas traveled to Halifax to dine at "Cafe Istanbul", a Turkish restaurant located at 5986 Spring Garden Rd.  We were going to see a Serena Ryder concert at the Rebecca Cohn auditorium, and this was a great way to start the night.

Dawn started with Falafel, which they make in house. It was lovely, light and tasty.  Dawn said that it was the best falafel she had ever had, and she orders it everywhere we go.  For her main, she decided on the Beyti Kebab which consisted of Lamb tenderloin on a bed of Turkish rice with a side salad. The plate was full of food and it tasted wonderful.  It didn't allow any room for dessert unfortunately.

Deb chose the Cheese Borek which is deep fried phyllo pastry triangles filled with feta cheese.  They came with a salad underneath and a salsa and dipping sauce. They were crispy and airy at the same time and she loved them.  For her main, she ordered the Halloumi wrap which was a pita wrap with grilled Turkish goat cheese with tomatoes and onions on it. It was delicious and so filling and it came with a Turkish salad. The Turkish salad was made with thin slices of cucumber, tomato, red onion, green pepper, and lettuce. It was so fresh tasting.

They decided they would return on a night when they could stay and see the belly dance show they have on Saturday nights. The wait staff was very pleasant and accommodating, even though they were extremely busy.  We would definitely recommend this restaurant to our friends and family.


www.cafeistanbul.ca

Dawn and Deb
The Dining Divas

The Green Elephant Cafe

This month the Dining Divas traveled to Kingston, to "The Green Elephant Cafe".  It is a small cafe that is open 7 am-5 pm most days.  It offers an assortment of coffee K- cups for purchase and you can also try one before you commit.  The menu consisted of soups, salads, sandwiches, and sweet treats.  The breakfast menu looked interesting, but we were there for lunch.

Dawn decided on the Ham and Cranberry Sandwich on Gluten free bread with a cup of soup.  The soup of the day was a potato bacon soup.  There was just one to choose from.  The sandwich was made with real ham, romaine lettuce, swiss cheese, maple toasted almonds, and a homemade cranberry cream cheese spread.  The spread really made the sandwich tasty, but she couldn't taste the maple almonds.  For a drink, Dawn chose a steamer.  They had a number of different flavours, and the macaroon flavour sounded good, but left a bad aftertaste.  The steamer was only lukewarm unfortunately.  The soup was good but really a small portion. They offered ice cream and sundaes with different toppings like toasted coconut and almonds.  Dawn felt she really could have made her sundae more interesting at home.

Deb had a Ghirardelli hot chocolate with whipped cream but like Dawn’s steamer, it wasn’t as hot as she would have preferred.  She ordered the Clubbed Elephant sandwich on a tomato wrap and had it toasted Panini style. It was made with chicken, bacon, lettuce and cheddar cheese with garlic butter and mayo.  Deb really liked that she could have it as a wrap and done Panini style, but found that the garlic butter made it a little greasy.  It also came with a side serving of coleslaw.  For dessert Deb had a carrot cake muffin with cream cheese icing and it was good.  By the time she finished eating, Deb was pleasantly full.

The pictures on Facebook made the food look really good.  It may be worth trying out their breakfast menu as the waffles look yummy. The bathrooms are very clean and are newly renovated. The staff is helpful and pleasant, and the cafe was busy.  The Divas were a little disappointed as we had higher expectations for the place and it wasn’t as good as we were hoping for.  Certainly if you are in the area, we would recommend this spot as the food is good and the people are very friendly.  It has only been open for a couple of months and we may give it another chance in the future.

Front and Central

This month, the Divas stayed close to home and visited 'Front and Central' located at 117 Front Street in Wolfville.  It is the former location of 'The Tempest.'

Deb decided on the smoked pork belly, pumpkin gnocchi, baby bok choy, ginger & maple jus.  Considering Deb cuts every bit of fat off her meat that she can, this may not have been the best choice; but she wanted to try something she had never had and this fit  the bill.  At first, she was not sure about it because there is a lot of fat, but after a few bites she got used to it and even grew to like it.  The pumpkin gnocchi had a spicy taste and was delicious.  The ginger and maple jus made everything taste so good.

For dessert Deb chose the eggnog panna cotta, soft rum fudge, ginger crumble, brown butter gelato, cranberries.  Her absolute favourite part of this was the soft rum fudge.  They could have just given Deb this and she would have been perfectly happy.  It reminded her of the flavour of the rum and butter chocolate bars she used to eat as a kid.  The entire dessert was yummy.

Dawn decided on the pan roasted maple glazed char, butternut squash risotto, smoked tomato chutney.  The Char was delicious, not over cooked, the risotto creamy with loads of flavour.  The dish was well presented.  The waitress offered to pair a nice wine with the meal, but Dawn chose the Columbia Crest Merlot.

For dessert Dawn had dark chocolate orange ganache, milk chocolate orange meringue, white chocolate orange mousse, orange pâté de fruits.  It looked great on the plate and she wasn't disappointed,  it was wonderful.

This restaurant has an interesting menu with knowledgeable staff.  The atmosphere was inviting with the fireplace and warm colours.  With the obvious tendency to compare it to The Tempest restaurant whom they replaced, they have large shoes to fill, with its popularity.  They are making a good start, well worth trying.  Dawn and Deb would recommend this restaurant to friends and family, especially if you are celebrating a special occasion.

www.frontandcentral.com

Dawn and Deb
The Dining Divas

Athens

For our second excursion this month, The Dining Divas traveled to Halifax to dine and see ‘The Sheepdogs’ in concert.  We decided on Greek food as it is one of our favourites.  Quinpool Road seems to be the place to go for Greek food and the ‘ Athens Restaurant’ came well recommended.

Dawn started with a falafel appetizer which she shared with Deb, it was really good and the Hummus had a nice garlic flavour. Dawn's favourite Greek entree has always been Moussaka, and the béchamel sauce was just right. The Moussaka came with a side of Greek salad, lemon rice, and roasted potatoes.  It was a lot of food so she stopped before it was gone so she would have room for dessert. The rice pudding brule called her name, and it was also nice and creamy with a caramelized topping.

Deb ate the rolls which were warm and so good, like homemade, and the butter was soft and spreadable.   For her main, Deb ordered the Briani which is roasted vegetables in an herbed tomato sauce topped with feta cheese.  It came with warm pita bread, Greek salad, roasted potatoes and lemon rice.  Deb really enjoyed this meal, even though she couldn’t possibly eat it all.  It is a very generous amount of food.  For dessert, Deb ordered Ekmek which is shredded phyllo, Grand Marnier syrup, and custard topped with whipped cream, toasted almonds, crushed pistachio and a maraschino cherry.  It was yummy, but again, a very large portion that Deb couldn’t finish.

This restaurant did not disappoint.  The menu is so varied that if you had a large group of people, they would all be satisfied.  The food was very good and there were generous portions.  We would definitely recommend this restaurant to our family and friends.

www.athensrestaurant.com

Dawn and Deb
The Dining Divas

The Heartwood

This month The Dining Divas traveled to Halifax to dine and hear Jian Ghomeshi talk about his new book. The Heartwood Bakery and Cafe is located at 6250 Quinpool Rd. It specializes in organic Vegan food. The cafe is small but has a number of booths and 4-5 tables. The space looks more expansive because of the strategically placed mirrors. They did a wonderful job on the decor.

Dawn started with the Thai peanut yam soup, it was warm and spicy. They have some great Gluten-free options available. For her main, she decided on one of the versions of their heartwood bowls, which was rice with veggies and spicy peanut sauce. The peanut sauce was not too spicy, very enjoyable, and comforting on a cold night. They even have organic wine and organic beer! Dawn chose a Spanish organic red that was great. For dessert, she had a gluten-free, vegan pumpkin cheesecake. Dawn thought It was nice to go somewhere where the options are there on the menu and you don't have to explain yourself to the world.

Deb ordered a carbonated peach juice, and for her main meal she ordered the Bean Melt.  It was like an open faced sandwich - it was actually two slices of bread with a very generous portion of beans with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese on top, and that was topped with bean sprouts.  It was a very large portion and Deb could only eat about half of it as it was very filling.  For dessert, Deb ordered the Coconut Banana Pie and she loved it.  She finished the entire thing except a little bit of the crust.  They use maple syrup in their desserts, and that may be why Deb enjoyed it so much.

All of the food is plated really nicely and looks so good.  The waitress was friendly and knowledgeable.  We would recommend this restaurant to vegetarians and carnivores alike.  We really enjoyed it and are looking forward to going back and trying more menu items.

www.heartwoodbakerycafe.ca

Dawn and Deb
The Dining Divas