Wanderlusting through take out--Persian dining at Shatter Abbas

kebab platter from Shatter Abbas

So, what does a Wanderlusting Mama do in winter, during a lockdown? While this whole pandemic continues to bring different degrees of difficulty for everyone, we can all agree that this has been truly challenging. 

I have definitely not lost the desire to discover new places, try new things. But I will also continue to say that some things are more important than others, particularly safety. These days, I just try to embrace everything that we miss out on during the pre-Covid times—board games, movie nights, and freshly baked bread for breakfast or goodies for snack! Outside of that, I continue to discover new places to eat with take out or curbside pick up!

Hubby and I recently binge-watched Tehran on Apple TV+. Of course, I had to look for some Iranian/Persian food! So, I ordered food from Shatter Abbas which started as a family-owned restaurant, from its first location in Thornhill.

Order for pick up was quick and straightforward. Their website has an updated take-out menu which describes the dishes--great for non-Persians like us who are not quite familiar with the traditional dishes. We got the Kebab Platter which included two skewers of the more popular koobideh (ground beef) and two skewers of joojeh (marinated chicken leg and breast). These came with oh-so-fragrant saffron basmati rice, grilled whole tomatoes and peppers. The kebabs were so tender and juicy! So nicely-seasoned and perfectly grilled. It went so well sprinkled with the sumac powder they included. A dash of this tangy spice gave the grilled meat a pop without the overpowering effect its acidic counterparts (lemon, vinegar) would have provided. I went to Google to get a little more insight into this interesting spice I've never tried before! Sumac powder is ground fruit of the sumac plant commonly found in Africa, North America and some countries of the Middle east. It is not only used for cooking but was also used medicinally as an astringent, antiseptic and tonic. I am now on the search for recipes to make with sumac powder at home!

portion of kebab platter @Shatter Abbas

generous serving of Saffron Basmati rice from Shatter Abbas

We also ordered the Ghormeh Sabzi, known to some as Iran's national dish. It is a stew made with fresh herbs, beef cubes, kidney beans and Persian dry lime. Again, wonderful with the saffron basmati rice. The Persian dry lime gave the dish a subtle sour taste popping through the fragrant herbs. One of the herbs used is fenugreek, another ingredient we do not stock in our home. It adds a hint of bitterness to the stew for balance.  We do not know how authentic Shatter Abbas' version is or what should be the standard. While it was not a hit in our family (well, compared to the kebabs), it was still an interesting dish we will not soon forget with its unique flavours. Will definitely try again in another Persian resto just to compare.

Ghormeh Sabzi from Shatter Abbas

The fam decided this was a great discovery and that we will include koobideh and joojeh as some of our favourite dishes. Shatter Abbas, we will be back! 

Braised Chicken goodness: dining at Ssangkye

Red sauce jjimdak @ Ssangkye Braised Chicken

There have been many restaurants in this Yonge/Steeles location that have come and gone, but our fam thinks that Ssangkye Braised Chicken is here to stay.

Their menu is simple. With limited offerings, they are then able to make their specialty the best. They serve jjimdak, a dish containing pieces of braised chicken mixed with a bunch of sides and served bubbling hot.

A variety of sides is mixed into the dish. There are flat glass noodles, Korean dumplings, rice cakes and veggies. For the braised chicken, you have the choice of either bone-in or boneless. We ordered the bone-in as we figured it would be tastier bone-in, but when we go back, we have decided that boneless is better for us. It was difficult to remove the meat from the bones with only chopsticks and a spoon. So, unless you are prepared to use your hands (and it is very saucy), I suggest you order boneless.

There are several sauce options for the jjimdak. The Black Sauce is soy-sauce based while the Red Sauce is gochujang-based. There is also the White Cheese option where they put mozzarella cheese onto either the Black or Red Sauce versions.

Then, you have the different sizes (S,M,L) and spice level.

We ordered the Red Sauce jjimdak and it was delicious! The sauce was quite rich with some hints of sweetness. The sauce was spicy (and required a few bottles of water), but it was not an attack on the taste buds. In fact, the sweet and spice blended amazingly. The large serving was a good size for our family. We did order some rice on the side as the dish did not come with anything else--apart from salad and pickled radish, which was a perfect spice break in between bites.

jjimdak @Ssangkye Braised Chicken

Service was friendly but not very fast. It was a good comfort meal, however, and I highly recommend this place. 

While we all cannot wait to get back to dining out, for now they have take out and delivery.