Now, one of the biggest challenges I've come across since I began this whole thing is the feat of choosing health-conscious restaurants. My boyfriend Raph and I have (pretty consistent) weekly dinner dates on Friday nights (a long-standing tradition dating back to circa 2005), and where to dine has always been a pretty easy choice without all these dietary limitations in place. However....things have changed. There are still certain basic criteria we have to meet in terms of meal standards (for example, it has to taste good. It has to be a decent-sized portion. It has to feel like a meal fit for a TGIF celebration.) But now... it ALSO has to be free of unnecessary fat and refined sugar, and ideally rich in vitamins, minerals, and all that other nutritious stuff that constitutes a healthy meal. So nothing fried. No burgers. Limit empty carbs and calories as much as possible. This eliminates a LOT of options, including most of our old standards. (I mean, sure, you can technically find a salad pretty much anywhere you go...but you quickly discover that there are certain places that just have no business serving salad. You stop going to those places for a healthy meal pretty quickly.)
So, we've had to get extra creative and explore new territories. This is the part where I tell you about my new faaaaaaaavourite cell phone app: Urbanspoon. Available for iphones AND blackberries, this golden piece of software genius operates somewhat like a slot machine: you choose the area you're in, the cuisine you'd like, and your price range. You press "spin". And it will provide you with a restaurant option that fits your criteria. Or, if you'd like, you can just press "spin" without specifying what you're looking for, and it will give you a totally random option. Then, you can check the "audience satisfaction" percentage for that restaurant, and based on that, decide if you're going to give it a go or spin again. It's fabulous. THE best way to discover new restaurants, since it has pretty well every single one in the greater Toronto area stored in its database.
This is the Friday-night restaurant choosing method that Raph and I default to when we're stumped for food ideas. Which brings us to yesterday. I was in a particularly adventurous mood, and was looking to try something completely out of my comfort zone...something I had never even come close to trying before. So we spun the Urbanspoon slots a few times, got a few clunkers, and then... "Restoran Malaysia". "Hmmmm...what is Malaysian food?", I wondered. I was thoroughly intrigued, realizing that this was a cuisine I had no mental concept of, let alone ever having sampled it before. Bingo. Perfect. I propose the idea to Raph. He is game for this experiment too. So we excitedly head there in avid anticipation.
Upon arriving, the interior looks nice... sort of a Thai-esque design. It smells good. That's a good sign. The waiter hands us our menus. I open it up....wow. I look for something that sounds mildly familiar to orient myself to this unfamiliar list of selections, but for the most part, it's ALL new. This amps up my spirit of excitement, because I know I'm in for a culinary adventure here...for better or for worse. I'm grateful that each item has a list of all the ingredients involved (they must be aware that many people aren't exactly savvy in Malaysian cuisine.) It takes me a good 20 minutes to decide on something, and eventually I choose what they call the "traditional Indonesian chicken"...partly because I want the authentic cultural experience, and partly because it's the first item listed on the menu, which I somehow deduce to mean that it must be a good choice. I order coconut rice on the side. We get some spring rolls as a backup, just in case the chicken proves to be too adventurous for my taste buds. It arrives...
Hmmm, okay... it kind of looks like a meat dish you'd get at an Indian restaurant. I smell it first, to warn my mouth what it's in for. Then, I try a bite. It takes me a minute to process the taste. "Wow..." I say to Raph... "it's...interesting!" It's really like nothing I've ever tried before. There's a hint of coconut which is Thai-esque, but also a blend of Indian-style spices, and some other flavours I can't really pinpoint. Oh... and it's hot. They had the chili-pepper code on the menu to signify levels of spiciness...this had one out of four, but me and my overly sensitive tongue are still alternating bites with sips of water. As I eat more of it, I decide that it's pretty tasty, but not something I would necessary order an entire bowl of. Still, I'm satisfied to have tried something totally out-of-the-box.... and happy I survived another restaurant trip with my healthy diet intact. Chalk another one up to Urbanspoon.
Until next time,
xo Janine
That restaurant is worth a shot. I recommend everyone go at least once and make your own assumptions. I for one have experienced far worse. This was no where near being bad. I really enjoyed it! Just watch out for portion sizes. They are quite accomodating. Janine and I were no where near half way through when we called it quits. One coconut rice order is more than enough for two people as well.
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