Showing posts with label chili fish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chili fish. Show all posts

Tawa Grill (Halifax)


Never did I think I’d be having Indian food in Halifax. Yet, while walking around the Brewery Market, waiting for the Alexander Keith’s tour to start, we stumbled upon the intoxicating aromas of Tawa Grill and eyed the pans of delicious food laid out across the tables.

Tawa is a Nepalese Indian restaurant with an extensive menu of Indian and Hakka specialities. And since it’s located in Halifax, many traditional dishes include seafood such as the chili fish ($16.50). Flakey tender pieces of cod were tossed in a sauce that had just enough heat to salivate the tongue without scorching. Arriving piping hot, the fragrant ginger, garlic, green onions, bell pepper, and chilis combine into a wonderful sauce covering the still crispy fish. You’ll need an order of plain basmati rice ($5) to balance off the dish’s saltiness.

For diners who love saucy dishes, the creamy tomato-based curry in the kaida chicken ($16.50) is lovely for slathering on rice or dipping naan into. Of all the dishes, it held the least heat but still incorporated enough spices for flavour. There were generous chunks of chicken steeped in the gravy, but I would have liked dark meat better as the chicken breast was a little tough.

Tawa’s shrimp biryani ($17.99) was huge and while the shrimp were overcooked the rice was moist and flavourful. I couldn’t get enough of the dish and had bowl after bowl despite being stuffed.

You will not leave hungry. Even their naan ($3; two orders in picture) was sizeable and seemed like it was coming from a never-ending basket. Do yourself a favour and start with one then add on as needed.

Perhaps what ultimately convinced us to go into Tawa Grill was the number of south Asian diners. Couples, groups, and families alike were at tables diving into shared dishes. All hot, fresh, and teeming with flavours. Halifax does Indian great. 

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Halifax, Canada
 Address: 1496 Lower Water Street (inside Brewery Market)


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Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


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CLOSED: WB Chinese Cooking 味佰•时尚烤鱼 (Toronto)



WB Chinese Cooking


As soon as the temperature dips below 10˚C, the comforting call of hot broth beckons me. Noodles in soup, bubbling hot pot or thick French onion soup … they are all attractive; a cozy comforter for my stomach.

Sichuan boiled fish is perfect for fighting the cold. Arriving in a chafing dish filled with inches of broth and a thin layer of chili oil, the fish and other ingredients comingle together amongst a handful of chilies and develops into an intensely flavoured dish. With four chili broths to choose from, the “incense and hot flavor” version sounded delicious and despite its three chili rating wasn’t overpowering. If you avoid the red peppers, the broth had enough spice to tantalize the taste buds but didn’t leave them numb.


We opted for the most expensive fish being offered, the green sea bass ($39.99), but on another visit I’ll try the tilapia ($22.99) to see if you can even determine a difference. Splitting the fish in half, the broth went into all the crevices and since the fish was intact (i.e. head, spine and tail) the bones added additional flavour to the stock. Just be careful while picking through the dish for stray ones.

Our waitress suggested adding other ingredients ranging from $1.49 to $2.49 per item. It definitely added to the experience and made the dish more substantial – ours included beef slices ($2.49), fried tofu balls ($1.49), fresh tofu ($1.49), napa cappage ($1.49) and vermicelli ($1.49). The vermicelli wasn’t the thin ones found in Vietnamese restaurants, but rather a thicker glass noodle that helped soak up the broth.

WB’s other menu options were tasty as well. The griddle cooked prawns ($13.99) were served in a wok warmed at the table; it helps to keep everything hot but also means finishing them quickly to avoid overcooking. At least a dozen shrimp were included in a savoury light sauce that had just a hint of spice.


The steamed chicken with chili sauce ($9.99) would be more aptly described as “sesame chili” given the predominant sauce was the nutty sesame one at the bottom. Mixed with the floating chili oil, they elevated the plain tender chicken into a powerful tasty dish. We thoroughly enjoyed the sauce, even spooning it onto steamed rice.


Service at WB was surprisingly helpful and friendly; each table is equipped with a paging system so you never feel forgotten. However, ordering can be a pressuring period as they continuously suggest add-ons and extra things such as cold drinks to increase bill totals. Moreover, the restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so head over early to avoid a long wait.

When the mercury drops it’s not always bad news. For me, it means cozy sweaters enter the closet and hot soups can be ingested without breaking a sweat.

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1883 McNicoll Avenue

Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!
Other Gastro World posts similar to this: