Tarboosh Restaurant – 3050 Confederation Pkwy, Mississauga, ON L5B 3Z6
Country: Lebanon
Must-try dish: Falafel 
Dinner guests: Mad Max 
The high: Perhaps the best falafel in the Greater Toronto Area. 
The low: Tabbouleh was not available that night. 

The decision to go for Lebanese food began with indecision in what the group was feeling for dinner. Mediterranean food tends to make us happy because there’s consistently a variety of tasty small plates to share, most of which don’t create a heavy feeling after eating. 

Not only does Lebanon have world-class food, it also has a wine region growing in popularity called the Beqaa (Bekka) Valley. There are excellent wines coming out of there, namely the Chateau Musar winery, which can be difficult to find in Canada, but if you do see it, immediately order a bottle.

Mad Max took the reigns on this order and set out to get a number of appetizer-style dishes for the trio to try as much as possible without losing the ability to walk. 

This is what made up the evening’s menu: 

• Hummus
• Baba Ghannouj
• Foul Moddamas
• Kibbi
• Fried Cauliflower
• Falafel
• Fatoush Salad 
• Shish Kabab Skewers
• Kafta Kabab Skewers

The Falafel was the most fluffy and moist that had ever hit any of our mouths, so it easily took the must-try dish of the night. You never know what you’re going to get when you order this deep-fried ball, but Tarboosh mastered this recipe.

The other dishes that stood out are the Baba Ghannouj, the Fried Cauliflower, the Fatoush Salad and the Kafta Kabab Skewers. The Baba Ghannouj – a velvety eggplant-based dip was hard not to love and quickly disappeared. Perhaps two orders would have been more appropriate? The Fattoush Salad helped to cleanse the palate before getting into the heavier meat dishes, also adding some texture to the meal with the crunchy bits of pita in almost every bite.

Lebanese food is easy to love because of the fresh ingredients, approachable seasonings, and barbecued meat. Mandrea Bike looks forward to the next taste of Lebanon, hopefully with a bottle of wine to come along for the ride. 

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)