I’m an omnivore; I’ll eat anything—but I have a particular fondness for meat. Juicy, chewy, charred or chilled, raw, roasted, braised or broiled. These incisors weren’t meant for attacking bananas, no sir. I like meat; I like it a lot.
Naturally I started to salivate at the sighting of a new restaurant on 109 Street. The name, Noorish, caught my eye—sort of like Moorish and nourish all in one. I imagined spicy kebabs, roasting goats, the scent of garlic wafting through the air like incense. Then I got closer and saw that Noorish described itself as a conscious eatery and superfood elixir bar. A what?
That’s right folks; Noorish refers to itself as “a vortex of positive energy, euphoric culinary concoctions, and enlightening events to noorish the body, mind and soul.”
Okay—I can be “down” with that whole enlightenment thing. Us meat-eaters have souls too.
I sought out Noorish’s culinary concoctions on a Saturday. At 1 pm, the staff—noticeably overwhelmed by the response of eager health food eaters—was scrambling. The line at the order counter moved slowly but I took a deep breath, blew it out through my nostrils and took the opportunity to peruse the environment.
Big chunky, wooden tables and chairs, hanging glass lanterns—Arabic, Eastern and Moorish influences are evident. Teas brewed, blenders whirred, and instrumental music filled the air.
The menu, printed on plain paper, confirmed my suspicions that I’d be going meat-free here.
Noorish offers raw, organic vegetarian and vegan dishes only. I was definitely in unfamiliar territory so naturally, my inner-carnivore demanded I go with what I thought would be the biggest, most filling dish possible because everyone knows vegetarian food can’t be filling, right?
If there was vegetarian crow, I’d be eating it right now.
The Laughing Buddha’s Belly Bowl ($16) is a large bowl, half filled with steamed quinoa in a Thai green coconut curry, flavoured with fresh basil and mixed with an assortment of vegetables (bell peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant and green onions), and topped with a lime wedge for your squeezing pleasure. First thing that hit me was the aroma of the basil and the coconut curry; second thing that hit me was the flavour of the nutty quinoa and the tartness of the onion mixed with the mellow squash and eggplant. There was a whole bunch of goodness going on in this bowl, and I soon realized that quinoa is more filling than it looks. I washed my food down with a delicious, refreshing citrus smoothie but only got through half of the bowl. Buddha definitely got the last laugh there.
Our other menu item was the Bodhi Tree Burger—a sprouted chickpea burger topped with walnut basil pesto, herbed cashew cream, avocado and tomato slices, a tahini drizzle and vegan cheese, served on a nutty bun and accompanied by a wilted kale salad—a tastebud-popping mixture of kale, shredded beats, hemp hearts, sprouted quinoa, tomatoes and carrots and tossed in a lemon miso dressing. This was one heck of a nutritious and flavourful meal. I have never before met a veggie burger worth eating twice but this burger, despite its $17 price tag, is definitely worth returning for.
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| Fruit Smoothies |
So, did Noorish make me leave my wanton, meat-eating ways behind? No (or maybe I should say, not yet), but it did make me want to incorporate more vegetarian options into my meal planning, and that’s a good thing.
By the way, I was still full nine hours later.
More details of my meal at Noorish can be heard
here on CBC Edmonton AM with Mark Harvey.
