Eating ahead...

The first time I traveled to North America was way back in 2004! (4 years is history for a 29 year old, right?). I had a lot of my friends warning me that as a vegetarian traveling to the west, I will find it really difficult to survive. I was mentally prepared for the worst but I was in for a pleasant surprise when I landed in Syracuse, NY, USA. Wherever I went, I had soups, salads, pizzas, burgers and wraps (all vegetarian) readily available to be consumed. Not only that I had quite a variety to choose from, everything that I ate was really tasty! As if all this was not enough, there were those universally liked french fries and onion rings- the kind that you will never get to eat back home!

Ever since, I have been excited at the prospect of visiting a new country- apart from meeting new people, experiencing a new way of life and visiting new places, eating new kind of food has also fascinated me. I am one of those few people in my office who does not bother to carry any food stuff on my visits to NA. I have always been the "take life as it comes" kind and the back up plan on my mind was a diet of cookies, biscuits, ice creams and toast that where available in plenty everywhere I went around in NA.

When I was asked to travel to Halifax during Nov 07, I was as excited as traveling to any other city in NA. But, only when I landed here did I realize that I was right in the middle of a city full of restaurants. What more could a foodie like me ask for?

That is the reason why I thought I should post something about the kind of food that I ate in Halifax, now that I am on my third visit to the city. I have survived mostly on the food courts of the Scotia Square Mall, thanks to its proximity to my work place and the hotel I stay in. I would not call it a real big mall because it has more of office spaces than shops and most of its shops are of the boutique kind. But, it does boast about a fairly good food court and you have quite a lot of options to choose from. My favorites have been the following:

• The Dill Pickle- Run by a very amiable Lebanese family, this is your essential soup, salades, sandwiches place. However, it is the hot, fresh and tasty breakfast that attracted me to this one. Sample their Omlette, Home fries and Toast combo or the scrambled vegetable wrap. They are awesome!
• Ray's Lebanese Cuisine- Falafals, Fatayars, Potatoes, Stirred Vegetables, Lentils and Rice- that more or less sums up their vegetarian menu. However, the food at Ray's has that quality that keeps you calling back for more
• Mama Grati's- The sheer variety of coffee that they serve is more than enough for this one to be on your list of favorites. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the sight of all those out of the world salads make your mouth water! Their selection of soups is extremely good as well- hot, spicy (!) and very, very tasty!!!
• Taste of India- Last but not the least comes home food so far away from home. I would not call this Indian food at its best but it is definitely the best Indian food that you can get in Halifax. It is quite homely except for the fact that you see the same spread day after day. Still, I would not mind tasting the dal, chana masala and mixed vegetable curry with the yellow rice at least twice a week!

Right across Scotia Square Mall is the Barrington Place shops that houses 2 of my favorite restaurants- Sam's Macchiato- that serves wonderful coffee and excellent omlettes and egg-o- renos and located immediately next door is Boston Pizza- I can go on and on and on about Boston. I have not eaten such tasty pizzas in any other place. Rich crust, lots of cheese and a generous dose of veggie toppings served hot for you- do you really want anything more? Plus, their garlic bread basket and sweet potato fries taste fantastic! For an Indian traveler, Boston Pizza is not really cheap- but who cares for the couple of extra dollars you shell out when you get such heavenly pizzas served by celestial beauties? (added attraction!)

Well, I am not including the McDonald's- Subway group in here- they would be the favorites of any traveler to the West- thanks to their standardized menu, easy on the pocket rates and universal availability. Now, let me take you to the few restaurants that I visited along with the client and that left a lasting impression on me:

1. Great Wall- This is Chinese at its North American Chinese best! Hot Spring rolls, choice of veggie soups and that wonderful vermicelli dish cooked with all vegetables- though the choice is limited, they are enough to make any vegetarian go ga- ga over the food! I keep visiting this place just for the spring rolls- they are awesome
2. Baan Thai- You talk about Chinese food and how can Thailand be left behind? Honestly, I never had the guts to try out Thai food before since I was not sure whether they really offered anything vegetarian! But, my visit to Baan Thai changed all those misconceptions- more spring rolls and vegetable noodles and fried rice make it a safe option for all vegetarians. They are extremely tasty as well!
3. McKelvie's- Primarily a seafood joint, the reason why McKelvie's figures on my list of favorites is because of the variety of pastas they serve- you can ask them to make any kind of pasta available on the menu without the meat and let me tell you, all of them taste fabulous! And if that was not enough, the excellent ambience and the old world charm about the whole place add to its value. And they serve fabulous spring rolls too :-)
4. OCarroll's Restaurant and Irish Pub- This one is a favorite not because of the food but because of the ambience and the wonderful Irish live music that plays on and on and on. That said, the veggie burger rich in cereals is quite a treat, the sweet potato fries and nachos are absolutely stunning starters and the pizzas and the pastas are fresh and tasty! Those martinis have wicked names that stay in your minds for a long period of time...

Any prospective visitors to Halifax- now you know where to eat especially if you are a veggie. That said, I will have to confess that while I am typing this out from Halifax, I am really looking forward to the "puttu- kadala" that my dear mommie will cook for breakfast (hopefully!) this Sunday morning when I am back home- sweet- home!

So, from one foodie to another, it is bon appetit till I discuss food next time on this blog ;-)