Spending a Day Enjoying Toronto’s Little Araby
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer
The aroma flowing out from the freshly baked fatyir bi za’tar (thyme pies) were mouth-watering as my daughter and I sat down to have our breakfast at the Arz Fine Foods on Lawrence Ave. E. – on a strip called by Toronto’s residents who originate from the Middle East, ‘The Arab Quarter’. There was no question about what our breakfast would be: The tasty thyme pies as well as the famous Middle Eastern breakfast dish ful (cooked fava beans). As we munched on the pies, along with the ful, I wondered why the Arab immigrants had made a few of the blocks along Lawrence Ave. E. Toronto’s ‘Arab town’.
I put this question to Jack Boyadjian, Vice- President of the Arz Fine Foods on Lawrence Avenue East who had sat down to chat with us. Without hesitation, he related the story of how his family 16 years ago had opened a bakery on the ‘Arab strip’. In the ensuing years, the business had prospered to such an extent that they moved to this larger place – still along the strip.
Jack, a Lebanese of Armenian origin, reminisced, “When we were looking for a spot in Toronto to open a Middle Eastern business, we found that the two Arab grocery businesses on the strip, the Green Valley, now long gone, and Nasr Foods; were prospering. We had also found that a large Middle Eastern community lived in the area, so we moved in.”
Labelled by its fans as ‘a mecca of Middle Eastern delights’, the Arz is a popular shopping centre, expanding on an ongoing basis. Like a fair number of other Arab Middle Eastern shops on the strip, some 60% of the customers are of Mediterranean background while the remaining 40% are other Canadians.
Besides the Arz , there are some 40 or more other outlets that cater, in the main, to a Middle Eastern cliental. Of these, some 32 are food establishments, which include Middle Eastern groceries, cafes and restaurants, all located on Lawrence Ave., beginning at Victoria Park Ave. to a few hundred feet past Warden Ave. – 95% concentrated from just before Pharmacy Ave. to just past Warden Ave.
Vying with the Arz as the most important food outlet on the strip is Nasr Foods, owned by the Palestinian Nasr family, the pioneer Arab business on the strip. Nasr’s early success, beginning in 1975, was responsible for drawing other businesses to the area. They opened shops next to each other, forming the largest ‘Arab Quarter’ in Ontario – the ‘Chinatown’ or ‘Little India’ of Toronto’s Arabs.
Sated from our fine Middle Eastern breakfast, we decided to walk off the calories by strolling the strip window-shopping for Arab food utensils and artisan products. Making the rounds, we found that only the Arz and Nasr carried a good supply of these products. However, in searching for these goods, we made a thorough exploration of the strip for future purchases of these and Arab food items.
Feeling hungry again, we walked to the nearby Nasib’s Shawarma and Falafel, who we knew was noted for his Shawarma and falafel sandwiches. We ordered falafel sandwiches and true to what we had heard, the sandwich was huge and the falafel patties were light, crispy and tasty. The owner, Emad Bahloul, of Palestinian origin, said that his food has become so popular with Canadians that his customers were now 50% other than those of Middle Eastern origin. “I use a secret ingredient in my falafel. This is what draws my customers,” he beamed, proud of his product.
With the succulent taste of the falafel in our mouths, we decided to shop for Arab foods for a party we intended to host the next day. Since we had already explored the strip in the morning, we knew where to shop. From the Babil Middle East Market, owned by Abu Riyad, an Iraqi, we purchased Iraqi date syrup and dates; and from the Lebanese Bakery, cheese and meat pies as well as kubbah (meat and bulgur patties).
Walking back on the north side of Lawrence, we stopped at the Lotus Catering & Fine Foods, a busy establishment owned by an Egyptian family, to check their offerings. The always jolly Mabrouka Saleh, the owner’s mother explained, “We are very busy because not only do we serve Arab-Canadians, but all other Canadians as well. Also, our tasty dishes bring us repeat customers. Just try these!” The hospitable Mabrouka offered us tidbits of some of her fascinating speciality Egyptian appetizers.
Next door, we stopped at Bassé Mixed Nuts, owned by Johnny, a Syrian, to purchase roasted and candied nuts as well as dried fruits. Struggling with our bags now somewhat heavy, we walked to Samara to buy freshly ground Arab coffee, before walking to Hassan & Bros Meat Market to buy a leg of lamb which we intended to barbecue for our party. As is usual when buying meat in all Arab stores, Hassan , the Lebanese owner, cut the leg in perfect chunks for the barbecue.
When passing Challal Pastries earlier we had forgotten to buy Arab pastries so we walked for a few minutes more then crossed Pharmacy Ave. to Patisseire Royale. Here, we purchased some baklawa, the king of Arab sweets, before returning home to deposit our purchases and rest.
Revived, we decided to dine at the Ameer Family Restaurant, located at the eastern tip of the strip. In the midst of cozy decor and served by a very friendly staff, we dined on grilled fish and very juicy and tender boneless marinated chicken which came with a garlic sauce. When we told Hassan, the Lebanese owner, that his garlic sauce was excellent, he smiled, “Everyone loves our garlic sauce which we usually serve with our grilled chicken.”
Happy after our fine meal, which only cost less than $40. for the two of us, we crossed the street and walked for a few minutes to the Oasis Restaurant. Here, as customers in the next room were puffing on their arghilles, (water pipes), we sipped on our Arab coffee and discussed with its Lebanese owner, Hussein Ayoub, as to why he chose the strip. Reflecting he said “I opened on this strip because of the concentration of Arabs in this area but today only 50% of my customers are Arabs”.
The Oasis was an enjoyable climax to our day of exploring some of the shops in Toronto’s ‘Arab Town’. A neighbourhood reflecting the Arab world, the strip is like an Arab Mall created mostly by Arab immigrants who became successful entrepreneurs while catering to the taste of fellow immigrants and at the same time introducing their foods to other Canadians.
RECIPES FROM THE STRIP
One of the Dishes Offered by Ameer Family Restaurant – Garlic Sauce – Thoum
100 g (3 1/2 oz) fresh garlic
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
200 g (7 tablespoons) vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Place in blender, garlic, egg and salt and blend for a few moments. Slowly drip in oil and blend for a minute. Add lemon juice then blend until a frothy sauce is formed. Serve with all types of grilled meat.
One of the Dishes Offered by Nasib’s Shawarma and Falafel – Eggplant Appetizer – Baba Ghannouj
Serves 6 to 8
1 eggplant, about 2 pounds
3 cloves garlic, crushed
juice of one squeezed lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
tahini (sesame seed paste found in Middle Eastern and health stores)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon shopped hot pepper or dried chilli (optional)
Roast eggplant in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 1 hour or until skin wrinkles. Place in cold water for 5 minutes, then quarter lengthwise. Scoop out pulp with a spoon, then place pulp in a mixing bowl and thoroughly mash. Add garlic, lemon juice and salt, then mix. Drip in a little tahini at a time, while at the same mixing, until eggplant pulp begins to turn white. Spread on a platter, then decorate with parsley and if desired, hot pepper or chilli and serve.
One of the Dishes Offered by Arz Fine Foods – Fava Beans Delicacy – Ful
Serves 4 to 6
2 cans cooked broad or fava beans, 19 oz each
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
Heat beans in a saucepan, then stir in remaining ingredients. Transfer to a bowl and serve.
One of the Dishes Offered by Lotus Catering & Fine Foods –
Stuffed Chicken Legs – Rigul Mahsheeya
Serves 8
8 chicken legs with thighs
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups cooked rice or bulgur
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
De-bone legs and thighs but leave in one piece, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, 3/4 teaspoon of the pepper and 3/4 teaspoon of the nutmeg, and set aside.
Mix remainder of the salt, pepper, and nutmeg with rice or bulgur to make stuffing.
Divide into 8 parts and set aside.
Place stuffing on each part of the leg in the de-boned section, then fold meat over to tightly cover the stuffing. Place carefully on a greased pan with the opening down. Brush with oil, then sprinkle with paprika and bake covered in a 350º F preheated oven for 1 hour or until legs are done.
