Last Chance for Noorish - Third Time's the charm

I have posted before about Noorish. It is a new-ish cafe that opened up in Garneau. New meaning that has been around about a year now. I went to Noorish on opening night. At the time, there was really only a couple vegetarian restaurants in Edmonton, and it was so exciting to have a new one.

third time was the charm

You can read my first review here. To summarize it, I liked the food, I did not like the management of the restaurant. Nice people, but seemed to have no clue how to manage a restaurant. I have stayed away from Noorish for quite a few months now, when a friend of mine suggested it for dinner tonight. I figured  if they have not gotten their shit together by now, they probably never will.

What is Noorish? Well, to me it is a hipster hang out, trendy and for the DINK's of the world with lots of disposable income to invest in all the latest health crazes. They are a raw, vegan (Mostly, I think they have cow's milk for coffee), heavy on the gluten-free cafe attached to a yoga studio. The serve elixirs and healthy warm and cold beverages, a small menu of typical cafe food (Think burger, stir-fry, salads, etc)

Was not a busy Tuesday night, so that may have helped them stay on top of service
That said, I here this place still gets packed, get a reservation if you go

My final overall impression? The good is tasty and filling, the staff is friendly. The menu is predictable and over-priced. If I was doing a star rating, for me, I would say 3 stars out of 5. I think it depends on your wallet and what you're looking for though... some would probably give it much more than what I do, but then... It's my blog and my rating system...

First, the cons. The menu, to me, is same as what I find everywhere. They have some salads and a soup and a sandwich, burger, pizza and some stir-fries... I am always looking for something different. The menu does not stand out because even though they are raw.. I can get similar food anywhere. For me, there is nothing on the menu that I HAVE to go back for.

Usual stuff.. burgers, sandwiches etc, etc. I did notice a kids menu.
I don't remember that from last time!

Prices - $8 for a drink (elixirs), $18 for a stir-fry or a small plate of nachos. $12 for hummus and 10 crackers. I am sorry, but I am not seeing the value. Maybe it's because of the ingredients they use... or that they know their target audience will pay to be there, but when you combine and somewhat predictable menu with high prices, it does not make me want to come back. I wish there was a couple things on the menu that were a little more economical... at least then there is a choice for the budget conscious. My friend and I had two appetizers, spit one dessert and I had a green tea. Total? $30 before tip. That is no entree, no alcohol. Let's just say, I didn't really feel like I got my money's worth even thought the food was yummy.

Hipster Vibes - Ok, this is a personal preference thing for me... but I feel going into that restaurant, that I really should have worn a fedora and many, many accessories that have no business being worn together. For some reason, I can expect this from places that are dressy. I know when I go to a fancy restaurant in jeans that I will stand out.. but with these hipster places, I am always surprised. You never know when you're going to land in one. For some reason when I end up in a hipster-type spot, I feel uncomfortable and judged... I don't know why, I just do. Something about trying so hard to have a laid-back, mellow comfy vibe, makes me uncomfortable... I am so glad I don't own my own business and can just blindly judge rather than try to create that feel without offending anyone.

Now that I have done my complaining, what did I like about this place?

The staff - yes, they were a little (A LOT) unprepared the first time I went, but regardless, they seem like nice people there. I was greeted when I came in, and offered three times an explanation on what the restaurant is about. Maybe that was overkill, but I appreciated that they want to tell people dining more about who they are. Our server was very friendly, offered opinions on the menu. Even warned us of a deceptively filling dessert that was good to share. They even happily split the cheque for us, which surprisingly puts some restaurants off. Good staff can be hard to come by and it is nice to be treated like a person and not just a table number.

The Store - part of the restaurant is selling hard to find herbs, health foods and books. I really like that, especially for a place into the vegan/raw culture. Some things seemed priced well, others were kind of high for me, but they have things that you probably can't find elsewhere... like raw chocolate, goji berries, herbal smokes, hard to find teas and lots of herbal mixes. Lots of other stuff too. It's nice to know that I can get some of these things if I am looking for them.

The Food - I know I spent a lot of blog space above complaining about the menu, but overall the food is good. Definitely not for everyone. My restaurant bestie, James, does not like the food here, but I do. Nothing to me stands out as a have to have item on the menu, but everything is tasty, healthy and filling. I am not sure why but it is missing that something that will make me go back. At the same time, I know I won't be disappointed eating there either. Strange.

What did I have tonight? first Hummus and crackers. The hummus is really good. Very homemade tasting and the crackers are very filling (Made from sprouted seeds, dehydrated.) I took the left over hummus home and totally plan to have it with a bagel tomorrow.

The hummus, it was good enough to take the left overs with me

We also split a plate of nachos. Surprisingly the nachos were one of the crackers on the hummus plate which if I had known that, I probably would not have got both of these, but nevertheless, they were also pretty good. They make this homemade chili cheese that looks kind of like cheese that came out of a tube, but tastes much better. It comes with a goji berry salsa, a raw version of refried beans (I forget what it was made of) and a vegan, raw, sour cream. The salsa and sour cream were by far the best part of this dish. They were good on their own and even better when you combined them. I would definitely order than one again.

By far the best part of these is the 'sour cream' and salsa,
preferably together.

For dessert we split a chocolate mousse cake. The server promised us it would be something you could split and when we got it, it was this little, tiny piece of cake. I thought for sure we would need a second dessert, but it was surprisingly filling. half, was more than enough. it actually reminded me a bit of the raw ice cream I made. It came with a raw chocolate sauce, caramel and berry compote and I normally hate chocolate and fruit together, but this was so, so good.

Most important part.. dessert.

So, I think for me, Noorish is not my favourite place in the city, but it isn't because of the people or the food. It is the prices and the menu choices that knock it off the top five. That said, I would not be unwilling to go back. I know the food tastes good and in the end, that counts for a lot.

So there you go, justifying my three stars. Points for food (taste and quantity), funky store and friendly staff. Points off for over-priced and lack of creative menu options. i won't be going there every weekend, but I think I will be back there again some time soon.

More than all I am glad they sorted out their management issues. Regardless of any negative, it is really good to see more vegan and raw restaurants popping up in this overly meat-centric city.

Oreo Stuffed Cookies

One of the happiest days of being vegan was the day that I learned Oreo's contained no dairy. What does that say about them? Well for one, there is not much natural to them... definitely would not consider these a health food! It also says to me, that once in a while it's a perfect treat for me. I have no control when it comes to Oreo's, and really most cookies. I generally keep them out of my house because if they are here, I eat them until they are gone and never feel good after.

Not long ago, my boyfriend, Tony, sent me a picture... See below. I took it as a challenge and I am pretty sure it was meant to be interpreted that way. Really, how could I not try to make these knowing that they were vegan and knowing that I am a self-proclaimed cookie master! Tony did a little research for me by tasting different cookies with Oreo's and we determined that, yes, chocolate chip is the way to go. Lucky for me, I make a mean chocolate chip cookie... so why not put them on cookie steroids by stuffing another yummy cookie inside!

These cookies are monsters. Basically, consider one cookie, three cookies. Yummy chocolate chip cookie on the outside and warm Oreo in the middle. I can't think of something better to have after a long day...

How did I make these? It's actually pretty easy. You can take any chocolate cookie recipe you have on hand.. just remember that it will really only make half the number of cookies, so double if you want lots, but these cookies are pretty filling. I don't think I would recommend eating more than one in a sitting.

I used my chocolate cookie recipe found here

Now, when you have your dough ready, make each cookie dough into a ball. Press down with your hand or a spoon and then place an Oreo on top. Now take a second cookie and place on top. Make sure the cookies are large enough that they wider than the Oreo. Next, grab the dough and press the edges together to they are sealed.

Make your cookie dough, place an Oreo on the dough..

Place the second cookie dough on top and seal.

Pre-heat your oven to 375 F (Or if using a different recipe, just follow their cooking instructions). Bake the cookies to the recipe, mine took about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them for when the edges go golden brown... That means they're ready. Also, space the cookies out well, they can spread a bit.

Let them cook on a rack for about 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a plate.

there is an Oreo hiding in that cookie!!

Let me just say, oh man are these amazing. I wasn't too sure about the combo at first, but who ever came up with this Picture Tony send, they are genius. I am so glad Tony sent these to me now. He is finally coming up to brave Canadian winter and see me on my birthday... maybe he'll luck out and I'll make these for him so he has a snack for when he gets off the plane. He is the best for coming all this way just to celebrate my big 3-0, I should return the favour. What better way than a double threat cookie!

This recipe got me thinking... what else could you stuff inside a cookie? Fruit, obviously. I did that once with a sugar cookie and strawberries... they were good. What about peanut butter? Jam? Icing? Pumpkin? My brain is going a mile a minute.. mostly because I just test tasted these cookies and I am on an obvious sugar high... I think this will not be the last of stuffing food into cookies.... But what to try next?

I have nothing to talk about.

This weekend has been kind of a boring one. If it wasn't for getting out to a concert on Saturday night with my friend James, I pretty much could have stayed in bed for a full 48 hours. Something has happened to my will power this week. I don't want to do anything, I don't want to talk to anyone and I kept the curtains down. It snowed all day today and that just made things worse. I hate having no energy. Everything seemed like a struggle. All I could think to myself is, one more hour lying on the couch.. and then I will go do something, anything. I get like this every year. Something happens when the seasons change. First I get a little excited just because I know I'll be able to cook soups and stews again.. but then not long after, that burst of energy fades and I fall into a major funk.


I have not cooked anything today... really I have done nothing today worth posting. I have been planning all week to fit in some blog time to express my displeasure with Starbucks. Right now I am blogging in Second Cup, so it seems fitting to go with my mood, tonightis the night!

For the longest time, Starbucks gave free soy milk with a registered card. About a year ago, they brought in a new loyalty program. I could still have my free soy, but only after I reach gold status... i.e. make 30 transactions. I love to have a coffee in the morning and a fancy coffee at lunch, so it didn't take me long to get on the gold plan with them. Since then, I have been happily enjoying my latte's without having to pay for soy.

As of this month, Starbucks has suspended the free soy! To be honest, it was really the only thing keeping me a loyal customer. I am now going to Second Cup because I figure if there is not monetary reason for choosing my coffee shop, I might as well support a Canadian company.

But, this brought about a lot of anger... Why the fuck do I have to pay an up-charge of $0.50 - 0.75 for a 1/4 cup of milk!? I get mark-ups. I really do. I know the food industry needs to do this to make money... but, why oh why are we picking on people that don't drink cows milk. It isn't all vegans.. there are a lot of people out there that are allergic and plenty more that just prefer soy or almond to dairy.

It's not like these coffee shops are going out and spending $3.00 - 5.00 for a small container of non-dairy milk. There are obviously contracts in place and I am sure they are getting a good deal. Plus drinks at these coffee shops are already building in for the cost of milk.. that's why dairy milk drinkers don't pay more. It makes no sense to me at all. Especially if you look at the menu and order something that does not normally come with milk. To add dairy milk to this there is a $0.50 fee.. So why is it that something like a latte which has steamed milk built in the price needs an up-charge?

Honestly it makes me think long and hard about how much do I really need to have a fancy overpriced drink at lunch every day. I don't, not at all, but I use coffee shops as my way to get a break. A break from work, from everything. Now I am second guessing whether I should even be going anymore.

I think the thing that makes me so mad about Starbucks in particular is that they seem like the type of company that would discount up-charges and get ahead of the locally owned coffee shops with a more competitive price. They know though that their customer base is addicted.. and will probably pay regardless of the price. Sad, I know I probably will go back.. but I will be thinking twice before I do

Ah well, honestly as mad as I am... it's not like I have to buy their product.. I don't even have to buy something that requires milk in it. I just had to get it out there, that I noticed the change and I am not a happy customer.

So.. I think that ends my mini-rant of the day. I have been sitting on this one for a couple weeks. I thought it my let my rage boil and make for a better post, but I am already getting over it. That said, I have not really been back to Starbucks since. I am really enjoying Second Cup. I like the coffee better, the tea and they have a way better selection of treats. Granted none are vegan... except possibly a veggie roll. I am looking into that one.

I feel a little guilty about not posting anything all that informative today. I do have a new smoothie to try tomorrow though. I absolutely love smoothies. When I bike to work, smoothies were an absolute must to my day. They make everything a little better. It is a rare morning I am in a bad mood after my morning smoothie. I make mine in a magic bullet which does a mediocre job. It is not good at crushing ice, but I find that very few blenders are capable of it. If anyone knows of a good blender out there (Vitamix, I know, but hoping for a cheaper alternative) I normally make a green smoothing in the morning, but once in a while I change it up and make something that I would say is closer to a snack smoothie. Here is one I am planning to make tomorrow.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
Serves 1, couple minutes to make

• 1 small banana, chopped and preferably frozen
• 1/2 cup milk (almond is what I used, but any kind works)
• 1/4 cup coconut water
• 1-2 tsp ground chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter (natural if you have it, if not then you may want to tone down the sweetener)
• 1 tbsp sweetener (I used agave)
• Ice (I usually do 3-4 cubes, but depends on the size of blender)

Instructions are very simple, put everything into your blender and blender for a solid 2 minutes. More if necessary. The nice thing about a magic bullet is that you are blending in the cup. it helps with portion control and with mess. Once less thing to clean up is great in my world.

Why do I love this smoothie? It is loaded with potassium from the coconut water, chia and banana. It is very hydrating, coconut water is really good for keeping hydrated. It is also good on a hangover. I don't get a hang over often, but if I do, this is a great smoothie to cure it. In the past I was a believer in powerade to cure my hangovers, but really it is the sugar, salt, potassium that is doing it. This smoothie has all of those and tastes way better than those dumb sports drink.

This is an awesome smoothie for after a workout, or in the morning. Some people like to add protein powder to their smoothies and I this would be a good one for it. I usually don't though. I just don't enjoy the taste of protein powder. I hear though protein powder in the morning is a good way to keep sugar cravings down, so I am considering trying it. Just need to do some research on what type to get.. Seems there are a lot more vegan ones out there these day!