I've walked by this food cart, located right beside TD Bank, almost a hundred times. Every time I'd walk by, I'd ask myself why I still haven't tried this cart out. Well, while on our way to another food cart, a colleague and myself noticed that there were two huge banners along the side of the cart advertising Chicken or Lamb or Mix over Rice with a free soda or water for $4.99. What?! Is it the 20th century?! I can't even remember the last time they've had a mixed platter at that, AND a free soda for $5. Drawn in.
I quickly told the guy to give me a mixed platter, and he responded with a question, "Onions and peppers?" Hell yea, glad to see they didn't chintz out in that respect. He took a couple pieces of the orange chicken from the grill, and a piece of lamb from a container and sectioned it off on the grill, signifying my portion. Sorry folks! No doner kebab here. The lamb is basically pre-cooked and ready to be thrown on the grill for warming up. I was a bit let down at that point, and then my excitement went down when I noticed the scant portions. It looked like only a 1/3 to 1/2 meat portion size of what I'd usually expect from a standard halal cart. I waited and watched as he squirted a red liquid into the meat, my guess is to moisten up the meat. He then placed some chopped lettuce and sliced tomatoes into the Styrofoam container, then carefully scooped two spoonfuls of yellow rice in. He then threw the meat, onions and pepper on top and as per my request, drizzled a good amount of white sauce and a dollop of hot sauce. I asked him to drizzle some more hot sauce, but he warned me that it was hot. I asked him to add some more. He bagged it along with my soda, some napkins and a plastic fork, and we were on our way.
Opening the platter, I was delighted to see that it actually looked fresh and quite good. Breaking it down: – The standard lettuce and tomato salad was fresh and crisp without any sign of browning.- – Lamb was tender and moist with good flavor. Not too salty, but just the right amount of spices and crispiness along the outer edges. But for some reason, it tasted slightly like hot dog. That may been because the lamb was sitting in the same container as the hot dogs. – Chicken was orange in color, similar to tandoori style chicken. Tender and moist as well, but some pieces were slightly gristly from the fat. Tasty, though I'd probably go for the lamb if I came back. – The yellow rice was the real star of the show. It had tons of flavor and I would attribute it from what I believe was from cardamom. Yum!! I couldn't stop eating it. – The white sauce was a bit of a letdown, thin in consistency and tasting almost like mayo but watered down. – The red sauce had some very good heat, not for the faint-hearted, and carried some real flavor. If you like spicy, don't forget to ask for a little extra.
Overall, it made for a very satisfying halal platter, considering I was able to get a mixed platter of lamb and chicken, along with a can of soda, all for $5. Meat portions are scant if you're looking for the most bang-for-the-buck, but hopefully the yellow rice infused with cardamom and the hot sauce make up for it.
I've walked by this food cart, located right beside TD Bank, almost a hundred times. Every time I'd walk by, I'd ask myself why I still haven't tried this cart out. Well, while on our way to another food cart, a colleague and myself noticed that there were two huge banners along the side of the cart advertising Chicken or Lamb or Mix over Rice with a free soda or water for $4.99. What?! Is it the 20th century?! I can't even remember the last time they've had a mixed platter at that, AND a free soda for $5. Drawn in.
I quickly told the guy to give me a mixed platter, and he responded with a question, "Onions and peppers?" Hell yea, glad to see they didn't chintz out in that respect. He took a couple pieces of the orange chicken from the grill, and a piece of lamb from a container and sectioned it off on the grill, signifying my portion. Sorry folks! No doner kebab here. The lamb is basically pre-cooked and ready to be thrown on the grill for warming up. I was a bit let down at that point, and then my excitement went down when I noticed the scant portions. It looked like only a 1/3 to 1/2 meat portion size of what I'd usually expect from a standard halal cart. I waited and watched as he squirted a red liquid into the meat, my guess is to moisten up the meat. He then placed some chopped lettuce and sliced tomatoes into the Styrofoam container, then carefully scooped two spoonfuls of yellow rice in. He then threw the meat, onions and pepper on top and as per my request, drizzled a good amount of white sauce and a dollop of hot sauce. I asked him to drizzle some more hot sauce, but he warned me that it was hot. I asked him to add some more. He bagged it along with my soda, some napkins and a plastic fork, and we were on our way.
Opening the platter, I was delighted to see that it actually looked fresh and quite good. Breaking it down:
– The standard lettuce and tomato salad was fresh and crisp without any sign of browning.-
– Lamb was tender and moist with good flavor. Not too salty, but just the right amount of spices and crispiness along the outer edges. But for some reason, it tasted slightly like hot dog. That may been because the lamb was sitting in the same container as the hot dogs.
– Chicken was orange in color, similar to tandoori style chicken. Tender and moist as well, but some pieces were slightly gristly from the fat. Tasty, though I'd probably go for the lamb if I came back.
– The yellow rice was the real star of the show. It had tons of flavor and I would attribute it from what I believe was from cardamom. Yum!! I couldn't stop eating it.
– The white sauce was a bit of a letdown, thin in consistency and tasting almost like mayo but watered down.
– The red sauce had some very good heat, not for the faint-hearted, and carried some real flavor.
If you like spicy, don't forget to ask for a little extra.
Overall, it made for a very satisfying halal platter, considering I was able to get a mixed platter of lamb and chicken, along with a can of soda, all for $5. Meat portions are scant if you're looking for the most bang-for-the-buck, but hopefully the yellow rice infused with cardamom and the hot sauce make up for it.