Vancouver: Nuba

Vancouver_Nabu_HOGGERCo._blog_title001.jpg

Location:

207 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC

www.nuba.ca

When Melanie recommends something (like best poutine in Montreal), she's right on the money. Nuba was no different.

Scrumptious down to the last swipe of hummus and I guarantee you, there was a final sweep of that hummus!

You can create your own juice combo from Orange, Lime, Apple, Beet, Ginger, Carrot, Celery or Grapefruit. Ours consisted of Apple, Ginger and Celery and was deeeelicious. I'm always a little wary of what is claimed to be "fresh juice" especially when it involves ginger which as you know, aids in digestion, sometimes a little too well, if you get my drift?

I digress.

Everything was fresh, the meat is halal, there are vegetarian options and vegan options, making the food a healthy alternative while still being incredibly filling and satisfying.

Yikes, my mouth is watering. Again.

Amsterdam: Hilton Hotel: Half Moon Lounge

It was raining pretty hard as soon as we arrived in Amsterdam, and it remained fairly wet and quite chilly throughout the trip. As soon as we got to The Amsterdam Hilton, made famous for John Lennon & Yoko Ono's "Bed-In-For-Peace", all we wanted to do was have a quick bite to eat and some tea. So, while we waited for our room (not the John Lennon/Yoko Ono presidential suite, alas), we dined at one of the hotel's resturants, the Half Moon Lounge. We ordered some teas and a falafel sandwich with a side of fries. How amazing was this sandwich? And the service was wonderful and unintrusive while we relaxed by the huge canal side windows. Highly recommend this hotel, which has beautiful rooms and bathrooms with gorgeous canal views and a spectacular breakfast buffet, which may make an appearance on Foodhogger, later.

Frugal Fare #4: Ghazale

Location:

504 Bloor St. W, Toronto

Cost: $3.49 for a falafel

www.ghazale.ca

We found ourselves searching for food in the Annex one evening before the start of Filmi 2009.

I laugh now when I think about how we walked right PAST Ghazale (even though it was packed; which we all know is a clear indication that the place is damn good) and over to Mount Everest (which I've also heard is amazing) to check out their menu and see if we could have a sit-down dinner there in under 30 minutes (answer: no). So again, we walked about perusing outdoor menus and turning our noses down to practically everything we didn't have a hankering for. Finally with less than 15 minutes left before the start of the fest, we shared a quick slice of Pizzaiolo pizza (I am a fan of their chicken pesto slice) vowing to get a proper meal after the show.

Alas, after the show and after chatting with friends, we realized it was too late to enjoy a fancy restaurant experience on a weeknight, but not too late for a falafel! And after hearing how good Ghazale is from the said friends, we had to try it.

I present you with:

Falafel Sandwich "Falafel Sandwich $3.49".49

Ghazale Menu

Fresh ingredients

Ghazale is situated beside the Bloor Street Cinema

Happy Falafel it was.

Frugal fare at it's best in the city!

They're open till 4am all week, and a new location just opened at Church & Wellesley (78 Wellesley St.)

Mount Everest has some competition now.