A taste of Lebanon in the north end
North end’s Castle Bake makes you feel as if you’re royalty
Restaurant: Castle Bake Address: 16845 109th St. Information: 780-478-1821 Dinner for two: $20-$30; no liquor license
My first, and long overdue, visit to Castle Bake was for the northside eatery’s daily Ramadan iftar buffet, a delicious spread of Lebanese delights spanning from fresh salads to a creamy rice pudding, with everything from rice to rolled grape leaves in between.
Families and friends coming together to break their daily fast filled the restaurant as the late sun set on the horizon.
The meal was hearty and warm, the company and conversation even warmer, but I somehow left feeling hungry to try even more of the simple, yet wonderfully satisfying fare on offer.
So the next week, a few friends and I made the trek back to the quiet residential street in Castle Downs that Castle Bake calls home.
We arrived around 7 p.m. to a deserted restaurant, likely because the restaurant’s daily iftar buffets, continuing through Ramadan, are held closer to 10 p.m. when the sun sets and Muslims can once again eat and drink.
No matter. We were happy to have the place to ourselves. Given free rein, we took a seat at a booth and table lining a long wall of windows.
The restaurant is, for lack of a better term, simple. A mishmash of plastic and metal furniture fills the space and Arabic script flows like a border just below the ceiling. A large cooler stands against a window next to the door, with a few TVs hanging in the corners.
Studying the menu, the three of us decided to share a few different options. We ordered a pot of tea with fresh spearmint, a bright complement to our light summer meal.
The small menu is separated into pita pies, breakfast and lunch options (pro tip: you can order these for dinner too), sandwiches and salads. After a quick conference, we settled on a bunch of items to share and placed our order.
It wasn’t long before the aromas of freshly-baking pita rolled over to our table. It wasn’t much longer before the food arrived all at once and with a flourish, a colourful spread of salads, appetizers and wraps, not to mention the restaurant’s signature pitas baked with the freshest toppings.
We went for the labneh pita and kishik pita ($3.95 each), both roughly the size of a personal pizza. The labneh pita came slathered with the tart and thick yogurt-like dip its named for, which is made fresh in-house. The pita is topped with sliced black olives, tomatoes and green onions before being sent for a ride through Castle Bake’s conveyor oven. The result is a soft and satisfying snack, warm without feeling heavy.
The kishik, a pungent — dare I say, overpowering — concoction consisted of fermented creamed wheat and yogurt, and was perhaps our least favourite bite. My friend suggested a sprinkling of chopped mint might have helped lift the flavour and cut through the tanginess. I think she was right.
Our hands-down favourite sampling, though, was the fatti ($6.95) a Lebanese creation consisting of garlicky yogurt, crispy fried pita chips more commonly associated with fattouch, and a smattering of chickpeas and roasted cashews.
It’s a strangely addictive appetizer, one that works for any time of day, and leaves a mark. My friend, who had never tried the dish before, brought it up for days afterward.
The beef shawarma ($7.95) arrived rolled in an incredibly thin flatbread popular in the Levant, called saj, which is also baked fresh daily inhouse. The marinated sirloin was tender albeit slightly dry. Still, tasty all the same.
The Abu Antar Deluxe ($4.95), we were told, has become one of the restaurant’s most popular items and with good reason. Olives and tomatoes are wrapped in a freshly baked pita oozing with warm labneh and tangy zaatar spice. Like everything else we’d tried, it was hearty and warm without being overbearing, a simple collection of fresh ingredients that sing when pulled together.
Throughout the meal we turned to a big plate of fresh and crispy fattouch ($7.95), tossed in a dressing that had the perfect amount of acidity and topped with crumbled fried pita chips that somehow managed to stay crisp. I’ve tried a lot of different variations of this salad, and Castle Bake’s is among the best.
By the time we’d finished, our appetites were sated without leaving us feeling completely stuffed. As we left, the owner began setting up the night buffet, preparing for the guests who woulds oon be filing in to an iftar meal like they’d have at home.
When it comes to fresh food, prepared daily with love, portioned generously in a welcoming setting, Castle Bake will leave you feeling like royalty.