Another comforting hearty dish for all my chicken lovers.
Professor Archer was raving about Yemenis food. Coincidentally there is a new Yemenis restaurant that popped up in my neighbourhood. My brother and I enjoy exploring new cuisines together. Yemenis cuisine is a new frontier for both of us. Professor Archer had recommended “chicken on rice”. Are we in for a treat?!?
Monasaba is located in the strip mall plaza off Dundas St, between Glen Erin and Erin Mills. The front banner is black with white lettering. The interior is unassuming. The door entrance is wrapped with white decal and easy to miss. [A good sign of a great restaurant] Great eateries come in all different shapes and sizes. Like a transformer, they too are often more than meets the eye, hiding in plain sight.
Upon opening the entrance door, we step into the greeting room, facing a beautifully coloured stained-glass window. You’re now enveloped in the subtle, seductive smell of aromatic essence of chicken. Slow clap for Professor Archer. My mouth starts to salivate. My taste buds start to tingle. My concentration starts to short-circuit. Eager to pry open the next door, holding me at bay from the source of this enchanting flavour. Sounds of families and children seep through the space between the door of the greeting room, further ramping up my excitement. It’s an emotional experience like you’re walking into a rambunctious family celebration.
The restaurant layout is designed like a great ancient middle eastern dining hall. It’s open and spacious. Warm light flood the dining area. There were several tables of large Arabic families enjoying their communal meals. The tantalizing smell is now almost unbearable. Lining up eagerly in front of the order desk, the delicious aroma is beginning to rob me of my patience. “I want the chicken now!” said my internal Gremlin. 😼
The customers in front of us were equally excited. Great food will do that to anyone. No mass hysteria here but there’s a definite buzz in the air.
Ding! 🛎
It’s our turn to order. “I would like the Mandi Chicken [chicken on rice] please. Also a side of Kibdda Qolaba (lamb live). Also, what would you recommend for starters?” Deep down inside, I wanted it all. For drinks, we ordered a raisin juice and spiced milk tea. We were clearly Yemenis food newbies and geeking out over the strange dishes. I love Canada. We are the champ of sampling so many different cultural foods. The server handed us our table number, lucky #8. All signs pointed to an amazing dinner ahead
“Winner winner chicken dinner!” -21
We found an open table and braced ourselves for the most difficult part of any great meal, waiting for the food. We conversed about our day, while failing to resist the allure of the waves of chicken scent that was drifting towards us. Every time a plate of chicken made it past our table, I drooled. Make adjustments to your expectation, don’t expect your meals to fly out of the kitchen like an Asian restaurant. These trying times are most susceptible to prayers.🙏
My prayers have been answered. A young man walked our meal to us. This time I triple checked to confirm the trajectory of his path. The first to arrive at the table was the infamous chicken. Its yellow complexion rested on similar shades of yellow rice. The dish is dressed with sprinkled with roasted almond slivers, tiny jewelled raisins and crispy fried onions. It’s quite a visually unassuming dish. Yet you can consider it low fashioned beautiful.
It’s Chow Time 🚨
The fork barely made contact with the chicken and I knew instantly it was going to be falling off the bone tender. The meat begins to gently slide off the bones. Casually plopped itself onto the rice bed like it was relaxing after a very long day. Falling apart in slow motion, the dish is warm and inviting. Emotions begin to stir inside me. Gluttony now replaced by a sense of wonder. I begin to assemble my first bite. Carefully including pieces of the hilariously soft, mighty, thunderous chicken, accompanied by the hulking, shy, sophisticated rice, watched over by the dangerously, sweet, black raisins, befriended by the precise, sharp, white almonds, all lead by the righteous, under-appreciated, captain fried onions. My hand begins to tremble as I assembled a spoonful of tasty golden items, ready to snap my mouth out of existence. Finally confronted by the source of the powerful chicken aroma, I knew this experience was going to be undeniable. It felt like an eternity between the moment I walked through the front door until now, finally ready to dig in.
The spoon chauffeured the golden companies towards my mouth. Time skips, animal instincts override and now my mouth is occupied by deliciousness. The succulent tender chicken is overflowing with its iconic turmeric umami flavour. The rice is soft, plump and takes on the flavours of the chicken perfectly. The almond offers crunch and nuttiness, varying the mouthfeel. The raisin highlights subtle sweetness to round out the slight natural bitterness of turmeric. The fried onion harmonizes the chicken and rice, unifying the dish as a single unique flavour. Augmented with a side of tomato salsa, the dish offers a continual play of different tastes. It’s a dish that successfully captured the essence of grandmother's cooking because you can habitually vacuum down buckets of it.
In Conclusion
Yemen, your food is beautiful. It makes me wonder why have we not crossed paths before. Monasaba has made a fan out of me. I’ll be revisiting in the near future, hungry for more. Professor Archer, thank you for underselling Yemenis cuisine. It’s made an unforgettable impression on me.
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