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Taste of our Town - Shiraz Middle Eastern Cuisine
Shiraz
Fusion cooking is a term in the restaurant business that is thrown around a great deal. Fusion restaurants are the food industry’s buzz concept over the past few years, some have been successes and others failures. Shiraz Grill, in the No Frill’s Plaza in Oak Ridges, is a true success of this concept. Shiraz deserves to be recognized as one of the most unique restaurants in the area. There is an exceptional mix of dishes that combines Middle Eastern, Indian, and Persian cuisine. This family owned and operated establishment has been in business for a year and a half and has attracted clients from all over the surrounding community because of their authentic and homemade dishes. The fare can only be described as an explosion in flavour that does not cost very much money. In fact, a great way to describe this restaurant is affordable and classy! The restaurant owners Mahnaz and Hamid want to provide “fantastic food everyone can afford!â€. This is something they have been able to perfect in my opinion.
As for the look and feel of the restaurant, it’s a great establishment. It’s like you are walking into a chic restaurant along Queen Street in Toronto. I would highly suggest this location for all those people out there looking for a great place to bring that special person. The menu allows you and your companion the opportunity to try a wide range of foods that will make your palate dance, but won’t break your budget. As well, the atmosphere has been refined and clearly a significant amount of care and detail has gone into the design of the interior and the overall ambiance. The restaurant has a big city flare, stylish features, and a touch of elegance that was brought to light through the passion of the owners and through the plans of a professional designer.
First glance at the menu, you start to ask yourself if they can sustain the restaurant with their set prices. Once you see the amount of food you receive you really start to question this fact. We started our meal with a Falafel Tapas, which was a wide selection of dips ranging from Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant with garlic), Roasted Red Pepper, to Hummus. In addition to the dips, the appetizer also had a fresh mushroom salad, orange infused couscous, and a chick pea salad. Accompanying these were delicious chicken shawarmas, which are shredded pieces of rotisserie chicken seasoned and served in a tortilla cup with tasty toppings. This is a fantastic way to start a meal, a light introduction into the flavour expedition we were embarking on.
If the appetizers were the opening act of a meal, the main dishes were the show stoppers. There was a wide array of options to choose from on the menu. We were served a few classic kabobs, the chicken and beef which are common, however they also have a traditional chicken kabob, which is served with the chicken pieces still attached to the bone. This increases the flavour during the cooking process. The curry choices we had were absolutely delectable. There are a few options on the menu, but we were treated to the fruit chicken and cashew chicken curry, these were really out of this world. The fruit chicken curry has a sweet taste while having a touch of spices that provides a kick for all you spice lovers. The cashew chicken is a delightful milder option that delivers a powerful palate pleasing experience through the mix of nuts and seasoning. If you enjoy special dishes such as veal liver, Mahnaz and Hamid have had people drive for miles for their distinctive liver! This is grilled to perfection and served in a mouthwatering pomegranate sauce with mushrooms and onions and can make a liver lover out of almost anyone.
What really sets this restaurant apart is the true care and attention to detail they take in every dish. Everything is homemade from the salad dressing to the curry and everything is made to order. They also add true touches of simple elegance through simple actions such as adding a stick of cinnamon to the basic black tea. They want each customer’s experience to be something they remember, they offer $25 service and atmosphere for a $10 meal! The generous portions don’t leave you feeling like you need a nap since the cuisine isn’t heavy on the carbs! The dinners are served with complimentary house salad and dessert, the lunch specials are served with soup and a house salad on Monday to Friday from 12 – 2:30pm. Their healthy and fresh approach to cooking is a true culinary delight and I hope you will take the opportunity to visit Shiraz. For a reservation or if you would like some take-out they can be reached at 905-773-2334.
