Tazah: Not your average poutine

By Nikki

Don’t go here if you want hangover poutine. It wouldn’t do justice at all. Besides, the place is too pretty to be defiled with a stupor. Tazah demands attention, by passersby looking into the cozy Persian setting and by patrons who have the time to lounge on colorful throws, sipping $3 tea from a small silver cup and biting into little squares of baklava. Tazah has two sections: a classy dining area with white tablecloths and wine glasses, and a cozy café for chilling out.

Syrian poutine, when served, looks strange and wonderful. Bright jewel-red pomegranate arils cover the top of the dish, which is soaked in a mild, yellow curry rather than your typical gravy. Syrian Akkawi cheese curds are mixed in with fries, parsley leaves, and a generous amount of braised lamb shank pieces. Bad news for those who prefer their fries crunchy – the fries here are very soft but are not the cheap, factory-packed fast-food variety, the brown potato skin from which they were cut still attached to the ends of the fries.
The Persian twist on the ingredients invades our poutine chronicles like an intriguing and immediately welcome foreigner, so full of character and quiet pride – perhaps imbued by the personality of its maker, who is an unassuming, humble man who appears to take his art very seriously. 15 minutes wait time, they told me. We don’t compromise on what shouldn’t be compromised is what they seem to say in their polite courtesy.
The staff hardly speak English but appear to get by alright with listening. My limited French knowledge deciphered the words “preparéé, trois heures” and other mumble jumble in between as meaning the dish usually takes a very long time to prepare. I was already primed with high expectations by the time I took my first swallow. I am generally skeptical about anything that tries to incorporate curry as an innovation, but the flavor settled in like the marriage that it was meant to be. It was lightened by eruptions of juicy, sour sweetness as I bit down into crispy arils of pomegranate. They’ve made a Syrian delight out of a Quebecois dish, and a Quebecois delight  from a Syrian hand. They know what they’re doing. This stranger is one I want to keep around for a long time.

Food: 4/5

Ambience: 5/5

Service: 4.5/5

Price: $10-20