Steppe-ing Out

With my sublet winding down, I will switch to only visiting favourites soon. But I wanted to give another new place a try since Hana Ramen was a bust. On Tuesday, the College streetcar took me directly from my apartment to Jarvis. I walked south down Mutual, one of those side streets that I have passed by many times. Its old homes and mature trees was a callback to the heydays of Granby Village (a small enclave within the Garden District neighbourhood). The surrounding, derelict areas have now been mostly replaced with condos and commercial buildings.

Charcoal Kebab House, a recent replacement for Tenda Sushi, was housed in an older 90s loft conversion called The Merchandise Building. This Uyghur restaurant sat in an unlovely spot next to the entrance to the indoor parking garage. But the interior was nicely decorated with cloth on the table, cushy chairs, paintings of people and scenery, and a bust of Mahmud al-Kashgari.

The single-page menu got straight to the point. There were 2 main categories: kebabs and noodles. So I got a lamb kebab ($8.95) and Uyghur Soman ($23.95). The kebab was excellent: spiced with cumin, soft, juicy and went great with NangBing (flatbread). I would say that 2 skewers would make a reasonable, lighter meal. When the Soman came out, it resembled spaghetti-os as the hand-pulled noodles were diced into little pieces. I only finished about one-third of the plate due to the large portion size. The noodles had great chew, the sauce tangy but not too acidic (its richness was closer to a stew in mouth-feel), and the tomatoes, celery, and spinach added bursts of freshness. To me, the beef/veal didn't add much to the dish only because it wasn't as wonderful as the kebab. Forget your typical Italian diner, get your pasta from places like this.

Since Kebab House was closer to Dundas St., I took that streetcar back to the East End. Regent Park and the surrounding areas have been revitalized, but the run-down sections and its indigents still peeked through here and there.