The Toronto food scene is so abundant, and each month, there seems to be another new place popping up. With so many great restaurants in the city, I think in order to attract (and keep) customers, restaurant owners have to put thought not only into their food, but also into their interior design. Now don’t get me wrong, beautiful décor could never make up for bad food. But, since we are so spoiled for choice in Toronto, we now expect a restaurant to hit all the marks, if it’s going to impress us. We are millennials after all – demanding, aesthetically-driven, Instagram-obsessed, millennials! The owners of Tabülè Middle Eastern Cuisine must understand this concept very well. Tabule is one of my favourite places for Middle Eastern food in the city. So, when I saw pictures of the gorgeous interior of Souk Tabule on Instagram, I knew I needed to get over there STAT.

Souk Tabule opened up in the Canary District a couple of months ago. It unfortunately doesn’t have its own website, and the main Tabule site hasn’t been updated to include Souk Tabule or its menu yet. Unlike the other Tabule locations, Souk Tabule a market-style, fast-casual restaurant (“souk” means an Arab market – hence the market-style concept). So, you can get take-out, if you’re in a rush, or get comfy and stay awhile, which is exactly what Anna, Karen, Nick and I did when we went for brunch a little while ago. Heck, we practically moved in with the way we stationed ourselves (and my tripod) at the communal table at the back and proceeded to conduct a mini photoshoot of our delicious feast!

Immediately upon arrival, the 4 of us were so impressed by the charming interior that we basically skipped all the pleasantries and starting snapping away on our cameras and phones!

Once we explored the beautiful space to our satisfaction, we made some decisions about the menu. At Souk Tabule, you order individually and pay at the counter. The staff then deliver your food and drinks to the table. Each of us ordered 2 or 3 dishes and we all ate family-style. We somehow ended up with more orders of hummus than we could consume! Side orders of freshly baked pita (which has the consistency more of roti than pita bread) are also included with your hummus.

I got the pan fried Halloumi cheese with salad, shakshuka, and a side order of chicken. The chicken was my least favourite dish, since I expected it to be like shawarma; but it was instead boiled, seasoned, pulled chicken. I did, however, really enjoy the beef that came on top of Karen’s hummus. We also ordered falafel, French fries, and 2 orders of shakshuka.

I loved the hummus. But, the shakshuka was a definite stand-out for me and my favourite of all the dishes! I’ve had a lot of shakshuka in my life (including shakshuka in Israel) and I make this dish at home quite a bit. However, the shakshuka at Souk Tabule has got to be one of my favourites in the city! It was so flavourful, the eggs were spot on, and the tomatoes were reduced to perfection. Yum! I HIGHLY recommend this dish!

If you go to Souk Tabule, don’t forget to order some tea or coffee. They have a wide selection of tea and it comes in the cutest silver teapots – you really feel like you’re in Morocco or the Middle East!

I can’t wait to return to Souk Tabule – probably next time with the Instagram hubby, who I know is going to love it! Do you guys have any favourite places for Middle Eastern food in Toronto?

November 23, 2016
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