It's the time of the year where everyone starts getting it: THE COLD. It sneaks up on you, prowling around the perimeter of your body until it springs onto your head like a ninja. My co-worker and I have been battling the awful head cold all week, although it seemed to hit her harder than me. After watching her get increasingly more sick during the middle of the week, I went home and gargled with warm salt water and drank mugs of hot tea with lemon and freshly crushed ginger.
Yet, despite my home remedy efforts, that Friday evening felt particularly difficult in terms of my energy levels so D took me out for dinner at Noorish, the new raw food and vegan restaurant/yoga studio which opened up recently on 84th Ave and 109 Street. When I first saw the developments of the place starting to take form, I was excited, but I also wondered how it would impact the business for Remedy Cafe, which is just across the street. However, upon entering, it was clear that Noorish attracts a different sort of crowd. A quick sweep of the place revealed a mostly older crowd of established professionals and senior couples. There were 2 tables of families with small children and not a dreadlocked student in sight. Although there were a few university students, the atmosphere is decidedly unlike Remedy, so it was a relief to know that there is no direct competition with our favorite place for chai and wraps.
Let me just say that Noorish is a beautiful space. There is lots of warm wood all over and it is classy, exotic, and comfortable all at once.After settling our things down on a table by the window, D and I felt excited to try the food. After some consideration, we both decided on the Bodhi Tree Burgers (apologies for not having any pictures!). The burgers arrived and I was surprised. I had no prior experience with a raw food meal and of course my expectations were different. The burgers consisted of avocados, sprouts, and tomatoes on a "bun" which was really a cracker made from soaked nuts and what I assume, also pureed vegetables. Although not your conventional burger of buns and a patty, it was DELICIOUS. I loved how the creamy chunks of avocado contrasted with the crispy bites of the cracker. It was flavourful and a lovely change from a huge burger. I had chosen the soup as my side, and that night it was, I believe, the sopa de lima (Mexican lime soup), although it had more tomatoes in it. The soup was amazing. It was tart and hearty and I also loved the crispy strips of tortilla chips on top. The meal was filling, but didn't push our tummies to the edge of bursting. I can say that the portions were good and I was very impressed with the meal.
Because of this, we decided to try the desserts and their chai. I was eager to see how Noorish's chai would compare to Remedy's legendary formula and I was not disappointed. It was less sweet and less creamy, but the ginger flavor was stronger and quite delicious. D and I had chosen the walnut brownie and again, we were not disappointed! The brownie was dense, moist, and chocolatey, but the best part was the vanilla cashew cream on top. We scraped that plate clean, it was so good.
Noorish is a wonderful place to sample delicious raw vegan food, but our only concern was the price. For example, our two chais and a walnut brownie set us back a whopping $25! That means $9 for a cup of chai! Although we know that only fresh organic food is being used, we also know that preparing raw food dishes requires a lot of work (D's sister had tried preparing raw food dishes at home and found it very time consuming, albeit very healthy and delicious as well), so perhaps the prices reflect that. However, D and I have decided that we will most likely visit Noorish only for their desserts, or maybe just for a cup of their yummy gingery chai.
View Noorish's menu here.
Yet, despite my home remedy efforts, that Friday evening felt particularly difficult in terms of my energy levels so D took me out for dinner at Noorish, the new raw food and vegan restaurant/yoga studio which opened up recently on 84th Ave and 109 Street. When I first saw the developments of the place starting to take form, I was excited, but I also wondered how it would impact the business for Remedy Cafe, which is just across the street. However, upon entering, it was clear that Noorish attracts a different sort of crowd. A quick sweep of the place revealed a mostly older crowd of established professionals and senior couples. There were 2 tables of families with small children and not a dreadlocked student in sight. Although there were a few university students, the atmosphere is decidedly unlike Remedy, so it was a relief to know that there is no direct competition with our favorite place for chai and wraps.
Let me just say that Noorish is a beautiful space. There is lots of warm wood all over and it is classy, exotic, and comfortable all at once.After settling our things down on a table by the window, D and I felt excited to try the food. After some consideration, we both decided on the Bodhi Tree Burgers (apologies for not having any pictures!). The burgers arrived and I was surprised. I had no prior experience with a raw food meal and of course my expectations were different. The burgers consisted of avocados, sprouts, and tomatoes on a "bun" which was really a cracker made from soaked nuts and what I assume, also pureed vegetables. Although not your conventional burger of buns and a patty, it was DELICIOUS. I loved how the creamy chunks of avocado contrasted with the crispy bites of the cracker. It was flavourful and a lovely change from a huge burger. I had chosen the soup as my side, and that night it was, I believe, the sopa de lima (Mexican lime soup), although it had more tomatoes in it. The soup was amazing. It was tart and hearty and I also loved the crispy strips of tortilla chips on top. The meal was filling, but didn't push our tummies to the edge of bursting. I can say that the portions were good and I was very impressed with the meal.
Because of this, we decided to try the desserts and their chai. I was eager to see how Noorish's chai would compare to Remedy's legendary formula and I was not disappointed. It was less sweet and less creamy, but the ginger flavor was stronger and quite delicious. D and I had chosen the walnut brownie and again, we were not disappointed! The brownie was dense, moist, and chocolatey, but the best part was the vanilla cashew cream on top. We scraped that plate clean, it was so good.
Noorish is a wonderful place to sample delicious raw vegan food, but our only concern was the price. For example, our two chais and a walnut brownie set us back a whopping $25! That means $9 for a cup of chai! Although we know that only fresh organic food is being used, we also know that preparing raw food dishes requires a lot of work (D's sister had tried preparing raw food dishes at home and found it very time consuming, albeit very healthy and delicious as well), so perhaps the prices reflect that. However, D and I have decided that we will most likely visit Noorish only for their desserts, or maybe just for a cup of their yummy gingery chai.
View Noorish's menu here.
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