Food notes

By the time this issue arrives on your doorstep, spring will be in the air (hopefully!) and we’ll all be getting out to visit old haunts and to see what’s new in the neighbourhood. Please share your favourite Sandy Hill food experiences with IMAGE, we want to hear from you!
editor@imagesandyhill.org

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Bamm’s Snack Shack
74 Cobourg St.

In February, Ashley and Matthew Atton announced that they will be hanging up their aprons this May, after three years of bringing culinary happiness to Lowertown and Sandy Hill. Bamm’s has grown so popular that it’s become hard to keep the kitchen stocked, and they’ve decided to take a step back to focus on their family for a while rather than moving to larger premises. The restaurant, which has been a community gathering place as much as a great spot for lunch, will be sadly missed, but it will be super interesting to see what these two do next. In the meantime, take advantage of the next couple of months to experience the best donuts in town. —Paula Kelsall

Chelia
99 Mann Ave.

It’s been exciting to see the cornucopia of sweets and bread on display at Chelia during the month of Ramadan. We’ve especially enjoyed trying khobz al bey, a very moist cake made with almond meal and saturated with a light, fragrant syrup. The bakery smells wonderfully of fresh bread, for which it seems to have many regular customers. We’ve heard good things about the sourdough, and the large, olive-studded fougasses look spectacular. —Paula Kelsall

 

 

Foodinator
322 Somerset St. East

It’s been about a year since we last visited Foodinator, and on a recent visit we found some new items on the menu. There’s a selection of dim sum now, as well as Thai-style curries with a choice of sauce and protein. Our takeout lunch featured dishes from an impressive variety of culinary traditions: a creamy yellow curry with tofu and vegetables; Japanese teriyaki beef with sautéed peppers, broccoli and mushrooms on the side; steamed shrimp and chive dumplings; and dry pot cauliflower. The vegetables were bright and crisp, the sauces were flavourful, and it was a generous amount of food for four people with enough leftovers for a couple of tasty lunches. — Paula Kelsall

 

La Zone 23
113 Mann Ave.

The young couple running the new restaurant on Mann Avenue bring Mexican and Algerian traditions to their menu. The restaurant is named after his family’s home province, as Algerian provinces have numbers as well as names. Interestingly, both Mexico and Algeria have a popular food called tacos, which have very little in common. Algerian tacos are wraps, with a choice of marinated chicken, beef or merguez sausage folded into a large flatbread along with fries and a cheesy sauce. It’s a big sandwich full of comforting textures, enough for two modest appetites. Mexican-style tacos are also available at la Zone 23, along with burritos, burgers, and quesadillas, and there’s a selection of tasty-looking grilled meats on skewers, served in a generous platter with salad and fries. —Paula Kelsall

 

Sushi Lab
317 Chapel St.

There’s an enjoyably clandestine aspect to picking up an order from Sushi Lab, the new takeout and delivery business operating out of the kitchen at allsaints event space. In the parking lot behind allsaints, you scan the QR code on the sandwich board, then wait until someone pops out with a bag full of food. No smart phone? Maybe you’d better stay home and order through a delivery service. In any case, you’ll get a very pretty assortment of tasty morsels. We particularly enjoyed the black and green dragon rolls, the grilled eel nigiri and the tamago roll, which featured smoked salmon and tempura shrimp rolled in a thin outer layer of omelette. Sushi Lab is currently open for pickup and delivery only, Wednesday through Sunday from 4:00-10:00 p.m.    — Paula Kelsall

 

Wow Sip
159 Montreal Rd.

While not in Sandy Hill, I felt this gem of a discovery on the other side of the Cummings Bridge worth a mention. After a long day spent in the emergency department of the hospital and waiting for prescriptions to be filled at the pharmacy, our stomachs and souls needed feeding, so we hesitantly decided to pop into Wow Sip on Montreal Road. The boarded up door almost made us turn away, but once we opened the door and caught a whiff of the aromas inside, we thought we might be surprised—were we ever! Our first challenge was to choose an item on the lengthy menu, and decide whether to go for authentic Indian dishes or some interesting-sounding fusion dishes. We opted for the “award-winning” butter chicken and the chicken tikka masala. You can choose your spice level (I chose zero and it was perfect — fragrant and flavourful). The very tender chicken dishes were accompanied by light and crispy papadum, fresh and not too thick naan, and lightly onion-fried basmati rice—many options to soak up the copious amount of sauce in the bowl! Vegetables were very scant and that would be the only critique, for those looking for a balanced meal. Otherwise, if you want authentic Indian cuisine to fill your belly and satisfy that carb craving, this is the place! Not to mention the staff were very attentive and welcoming, and with only one other table filled on a Sunday evening, it was certainly quiet (though I hope they will get busier, because they deserve it!).    — Christine Aubry