Paramount Fine Foods: a taste of the Middle East

In my quest to have my kids try out different cuisines, we headed off to Paramount Fine Foods for some Middle-Eastern food. The branch downtown is always packed! I had been to the Thornhill location only once before but hubby and the kids had not been there yet. So we decided it was time for the rest of the family to try this place.

We went for early lunch one Saturday. We ordered some falafel (fried ground chickpeas made into balls) for appetizers.

My two girls and I decided to share a couple of Chicken Shawarma (grilled, shaved chicken meat) plates and hubby ordered the Lamb sandwich. While waiting for our order, the kids entertained themselves in the play area, which was located in one corner of the restaurant. Aren’t play areas great energy consumers?  They let kids unleash their restlessness prior to eating, allowing them to settle down during the meal. For me, having a play area also classifies the place as truly a family restaurant.  While the kids were playing, hubby and I browsed through the huge section of desserts. All sorts of Arabic sweets lined up one side of the place. They all looked so good, it was very hard to pick! Good thing our appetizers and bread arrived, allowing us to postpone the decision for later.

The falafels were good-sized (for $0.99 each), crunchy on the outside and moist inside. The tahini sauce (from sesame paste) perfectly complemented the dish. Included in our meal was fresh, hot pita bread which was wonderfully puffed. It was hard to resist not playing with our food!

Then, our Chicken Shawarma plates and Lamb sandwich arrived. The servings were quite generous. We were stuffed and even had leftovers at the end. Hubby said the Lamb sandwich was satisfying, but I think the Chicken Shawarma was a good choice for the kids. The chicken was nicely grilled and the marinade was not too spicy. And as it was already shaved chicken, I did not need to help the kids cut the meat! I got some rice to go with the chicken which DD#2 loved. DD#1 opted to have her chicken with the puffy pita. The garlic sauce was so yummy, it was worth the bad breath! After all, we would have some dessert later to top it all off, right? The girls enjoyed their meal and ate quickly so that they could go on the play area again!

For dessert, we finally picked several types of baklava (priced per kg)—with cashew, with pistachio, and with both. This lovely pastry coated with honey and crushed nuts were absolutely wonderful. We even got some more to take home. Complimentary Arabic coffee nicely capped our lunch.

It doesn’t matter now whether it was the cuisine or the play area (or both) that got the kids to enjoy their meal. I am just all too glad they are willing to try new things because we will be back.  We have to try the manakeesh and their hummus next time (and maybe order the Chicken Shawarma again)!