WINNIPEG SQUARE - TASTE OF SRI LANKA & VINH LONG

I'll admit that reviewing places in a food court is a bit of a stretch.  However, somewhere within the cavernous Winnipeg Square food court, amongst the droves of business people guiltily eating greasy pizza or candy coated Chinese, there are two of the best and most affordable lunch options in this area of downtown.   

Taste of Sri Lanka has the distinction of being the only place that serves Sri Lankan cuisine in Winnipeg (besides it's sister location at The Forks).  Their options are similar to those of many local Indian restaurants (butter chicken, chickpea curry).  But their vegetable dishes and huge rotis are where they really shine.  On this last visit I had eggplant curry and chickpea curry over rice ($8.50).  This may just be the best eggplant dish in the city.  Tamarind and chiles give it a nice combination of sweetness and mild spiciness and it is cooked to the point of caramelization, taking on meltingly soft texture.  The chickpea curry is quite subtle in comparison but adds meatiness and helps to cut the richness of the eggplant.  Served over rice with a pappadum, it makes for a very filling lunch.

Unlike Taste of Sri Lanka, Vinh Long serves a cuisine that is becoming more commonplace in certain parts of this city than Chinese restaurants.  They serve a small menu of Vietnamese standards (pho, salad rolls, vermicelli bowls, several vegetable dishes) but I almost always stick to the deluxe vermicelli bowl  ($7).  There's no variation from the standard vermicelli bowl that you'll get most anywhere. It contains vermicelli noodles, shredded carrots, lettuce, cucumber, pork hash, charbroiled pork, two pork spring rolls, peanuts, and a side of nuoc cham sauce.  The spring rolls retain their crispiness and the pork usually has nice char on, though it can sometimes come in a large clump that is a little too fatty for my liking.  Compared to some other vermicelli bowls I've had in Winnipeg it's pretty average, but that may be an unfair comparison considering the high quality of Vietnamese restaurants in this city. Regardless, it's well priced and refreshing lunch option, especially considering the options down here.

360 Main Street
Lunch hours during the week

FALAFEL QUEEN - Food Truck Tour Stop #3

It has been a few summers since the ever elusive Pyramid Falafel truck vanished from Broadway.  I first noticed that Falafel Queen had stepped up to fill Broadway's falafel void last summer.  Besides their namesake, Falafel Queen offers a few other Middle Eastern sandwiches as well some food truck standards.  Based on the picture on the side of the truck they're almost obligated to serve fries.

On this visit I had the falafel sandwich ($6).  I've had a few great falafels in my day (usually while traveling) and my fair share of bad ones.  Falafel Queen's falafel does not rank amongst those bad experiences but is it good enough to justify its royal status? No.  The falafel is fairly large for the price and is served wrapped in a full pita.  The falafel balls aren't much better than pre-made ones that can be procured from the grocery store and don't seem to be fried to order so the sandwich is comes barely warm.  The pita is stuffed with lettuce, red cabbage, a few slices of cucumber pickles, tahini, and most confusingly, entire slices of lemon, rind and all.  If it were not for the lemon slices, the experience would be far more bland, as the citrus sparks some much needed life into the sandwich.  However, taking a bite and coming away with a mouthful of lemon is far from a pleasant experience.  There is Sriracha available to use if you so desire, but the falafel comes so tightly wrapped that it would be impossible to apply it evenly without making a huge mess.  I would suggest requesting that they make it spicy so they can take care of this before it gets wrapped.  Overall, Falafel Queen satisfies a craving but a conservative and quickly made sandwich turns the the truck into a convenience rather than a destination.

Broadway Ave. between Carlton St. and Hargrave St.

Five Great Winnipeg Lunch Spots

The dining scene in Winnipeg continues to fly under the radar so hopefully this list (and this blog) gives some exposure to a few great restaurants that also represent the complexity and variety of what we have to offer.

By the way, it’s no coincidence that the majority of these restaurants are vegetarian/vegan and that they are all inexpensive.

PUNJAB SWEET HOUSE

Punjab Sweet House to me is the definition of a hidden gem. Located deep in the Maples, they offer all vegetarian cuisine and sweets (obviously). The buffet is what to get, and as far as I know it may be your only option if you’re looking to dine in. Unlike most Indian or Pakistani buffets in the city the items vary on each visit but you can always count on chana massala, creamy lentil dahl, usually a dish featuring paneer and at least two other vegetable dishes (mushroom curry or aloo gobi are also pretty common). Fresh, unlimited chapatti is also included. There are a handful of great Indian places in the city, and a lot of mediocre ones too, but I cannot give enough praise to Punjab Sweet House for keeping things delicious, inexpensive, and offering a change of pace from the usual buffet offerings. I’ve also recently heard that they’ll be opening up a second location on Pembina for those of us that would rather drive really far south than really far north. As an added bonus, if you can’t make it for lunch you can still get the dinner buffet for the same price ($8.95 the last time I went).

88 Mandalay Drive

(204) 663-1600 

HARMAN’S CAFE

I’ve had a long relationship with Harman’s dating back to its first location adjacent to Harman’s Pharmacy at the corner of Portage and Sherbrook. I was devastated when they closed and tried to find another Ethiopian restaurant to to replace it to to no avail. Needless to say, I’m elated that they are back. The food is still excellent, as is the service. If I’m going for lunch one combination plate is enough to satisfy two people and ensures that you don’t waste any injera. If you’re going that route you’ll pay little more than $5.00 per person. If you don’t want to appear cheap, or you’re starving, then the full combo plate is still only $10.00. I am far from an expert when it comes to Ethiopian cuisine and you can expect a proper review to come soon but rest assured that there is nothing I’ve had here that I didn’t like whether it was meat or vegetarian.

570 Sargent Avenue

(204) 774-6997 

DELICIOUS VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

If you’re here for lunch Monday to Friday the lunch special should really be your only option (you can order off the menu but it would be more expensive and you can do that at dinner anyways). You can always count on the special being tofu accompanying a different sauce and vegetable (tofu with broccoli, tofu with hot tomato, tofu with satay sauce and mushrooms, etc.). That comes with a spring roll as well as a choice of fried rice, white rice or chow mein. In my opinion, the best part of the lunch special is the soup. In my youth, hot and sour soup was my #1 favourite food and the hot and sour soup here (especially at lunch) is the stand out for me. The soup is honestly a meal in itself. You can get wonton or consommé but get the hot and sour if it’s your first time. Also under $10.

1467 Pembina Highway

(204) 477-1530

PEASANT COOKERY

Thus far, this is my local food discovery of the year. I’ve tried a few of the dishes and a few more of the cocktails here in the past but the burger is in a class of its own. I know that Winnipeg has a long tradition of burgers but, whereas those burgers are a harmony of ingredients (mainly garlic and onion based chili coupled with a ton of condiments), this is the first burger I’ve found where the beef is not cooked to death and is truly the star of the show. Be warned that with the brioche bun this thing is very rich and though I could never imagine having another bite once I’m finished, I tend to crave another within hours. I’d suggest asking them to skip the lettuce as it tends to wilt pretty quickly. If you’re not dining alone, pay a few dollars more to share a salad instead of adding on fries or mixed greens. The priciest lunch on this list, but it’s a steal when you consider what you would pay for a burger of this quality in a bigger city.

283 Bannatyne Avenue
(204) 989-7700

NHU QUYNH

Winnipeg has a surprising number of excellent Vietnamese restaurants. But, though there may be a few up and comers contending the crown, I still think Nhu Quynh is the best. Though they have an extensive menu, I’ll admit that I haven’t strayed far from my old favourites of pho and vermicelli. I’m in the process of a pho tour of Winnipeg so I’ll save a full review of Nhu Quynh for that. In keeping with the recurrent theme of this list, this lunch will also cost you less than $10.

609 Ellice Avenue

(204) 786-1182