Fun Feasts

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/11/2020 (863 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

 

This week more than ever we were looking forward to supporting local restaurants as they once again closed their doors as Winnipeg moved into code red, and pickup and delivery orders became more important than ever.

 Winnipeg is home to SkipTheDishes with over 2,500 employees right here in the city, and they’re proud to help support local businesses by bringing some of the world’s most popular dishes right to your door for you to try from the comfort of your own home. With no better time than the present, this week, we continue our reviews with Free Press staffers of Skip’s samplings from around the world from local restaurants. Here’s what they had to say.

 

The Grove

Reviewed by Winnipeg Free Press Insiders and fans of oak trees, neighbourhood pubs, and things that survive time

This week our crew was thrilled to be able to order from a local, neighbourhood pub. And despite a current situation of an imposed code red, it was nostalgic to be able to eat food from a place where we once saddled up to the wood.

In fact, over nibbles, one of our team members recounted their gratitude that even though we cannot gather like we once did, thanks to Skip, we can eat like we did.

We have to support these businesses now so that when the world opens back up, they exist. The Grove serves up great food and a selection that’s easy to get behind, harder to resist. Our order included the Dorchester burger; topped with a fried egg, chimichurri sauce and served with chips – it was so perfect on a Harvest moon, we thought Neil Young might deliver it himself. Other dishes included the mushroom soup, Tubby pizza, and chicken pot pie. We figured we’d be remiss not to order a couple of Torque Witty Belgians — after all, we were staying put — turning home into a watering hole, ‘where the music’s playin,’ where in our minds, we went out and felt the night.’

 

Gaijin Izakaya

Reviewed by Winnipeg Free Press Insider, dad and drummer, Rob Waite

“Over the weekend, we ordered in sushi from Gaijin Izakaya. The Skip driver left our food in the correct contactless drop off location on time and the order was correct. It was packaged well and included more than enough soya sauce, ginger and wasabi. (Our experience previously was that there never is enough of these condiments in a delivery/take out).

Myself, my wife Sandy, and our daughter Brookelynn dined. We found the rolls to be fresh and delicious. My daughter is vegetarian and found the menu offered her plenty of options. In fact, she said they had, “cool ones” that other sushi restaurants don’t usually offer.

The salmon baku dan maki- was delicious, spicy, and crunchy. Some of our other favourites included veggie California roll (so good we didn’t even miss the crab), veggie baku dan (full of yams) and Sandy’s pick of K-town chicken roll.

Drum roll…over all it was a hit and arrived at our home in good time! Ba dum, dum, dum.”

 

Ramallah Cafe After Hours

Reviewed by Winnipeg Free Press Insider, creative mastermind, culturally savvy, music genius Jane Chartrand

“In a time where we’re stuck at home lamenting the finer things in life like travel, live music and time spent with dear friends, a delicious meal is a soothing balm to help transport your mind to warmer shores, filled with songs and laughter. 

Listen – we ordered an absolute feast from Ramallah Cafe After Hours, including falafels, tabouli salad, and two different shawarma platters.

The falafels? Wow. Honestly the best falafel I’ve ever tasted, and that is high praise from me, as I usually find them too dry. Not these ones. Coated with sesame seeds, crunchy and crispy on the outside, and soft and flavourful on the inside, they were served with a spicy hot sauce for dipping, but were equally delicious dipped in garlic sauce, which we ordered extra sides of. They turned out to be the shining star of the meal.

As for the generously portioned platters, the mixed shawarma wrap was tender, juicy, and seasoned to perfection. Featuring beef and chicken, it was a great option for indecisive types who don’t want to miss a thing. It came wrapped in a fresh and chewy shrak bread that was soft yet durable enough to hold the many ingredients together. Fries that came with the meal were hot and crispy.

The chicken shawarma platter featured a generous portion of tender chicken on a bed of rice, drizzled with tahini and sprinkled with fresh parsley. It featured a side of fantastic hummus with a drizzle of oil, that was a creamy, garlicky delight. Surprisingly, the platter came with a Greek salad, and to be honest, I didn’t even try it as I was too excited about all of the other offerings. Which brings me to the tabouli…

The tabouli salad was herby, lemony, and bright, with a hit of umami from the finely diced tomatoes. A perfect accompaniment to the dense and creamy garlic sauce (my favourite sauce on the planet) and the spicy hot sauce. Full disclosure – when I eat shawarma, I like to mix my tabouli in with my meat and rice and then put dabs of garlic sauce throughout, so I can savour all the flavours together because they all pair so well. Unbelievable!

Our meal offered a pleasant escape fromthe confines of home and allowed us to take an exceptional culinary journey – I’m not surprised to discover that Ramallah Cafe After Hours has a 9.2 rating on SkipTheDishes. In my books, it gets a 10.”

Check back each Saturday as we continue to highlight some of our city’s most popular restaurants, and a few hidden gems for you to discover to transport you around the world this winter.

As pandemic protocols shift and change, please check restaurant updates and hours of operation regularly.