Basilique: anything but predictable
Ever crave a pizza, some crêpes and koshari (Egypt’s signature comfort food dish)?
There’s a restaurant dishing up all of that, in the heart of Westdale. It’s in a little brick building next to the UPS store, at the corner of Sterling. My dining companion and I came at a rare moment when no students were lining up to order, so we didn’t feel bad staring at the multiple menus for several minutes.
While we were looking, the woman behind the counter answered the phone a couple times, taking pickup orders. She was busy throughout our visit but maintained a friendly and patient demeanour.
The interior of a restaurant that offers counter service can sometimes come off as a little cold. Here, however, a high ceiling and white walls were warmed by brick on one side, cream coloured floor tiles and chandelier lights that dotted the room.
We placed our order and I took my grape soda (Pop Shoppe) from the fridge (other standard pops were also on offer) to the table while my companion brought her water. One sip, and my eyes widened. Never having tried Pop Shoppe pop before, I was not expecting the intense sweetness. My companion and I switched drinks and all was well.
Soon after, a pizza came out, delivered on the oven platter: Belal’s Fave. Tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, sirloin and sautéed onion, peppers, mushroom. I ordered it because it looked close to a traditional pizza. They also have barbecue chicken, jambalaya and Mexican pizzas. If you want to go beyond the ordinary, this is the place.
The thin and tender yet crispy crust was very nice but our pizza could have used a touch more salt; we found this to be the case throughout the meal. It tasted like a cross between a cheesesteak sandwich and a pizza. A little unusual but somehow it worked. My partner wasn’t as enthused but with that thin, crisp crust, I’m pretty sure she would enjoy one of the other 13 pizzas on offer.
The menu leaned mostly toward Mediterranean, and when I asked about the influences later, the woman out front, Azza Mahgoub, told me she owns the restaurant with her husband, Mamdouh Dahab, and that she is from Egypt. Judging by how busy they were on a Tuesday night, their multicultural food has clearly found a niche in Westdale.
Two salads came next: fattoush and tabbouleh, along with an order of baba ghanouj (commonly spelled ganoush or ghanoush). The fattoush gave a burst of vinegar with each bite of lettuce and the croutons had a tiny ooze of soft olive oil flavour. Yin and yang, they needed something more to bring them together. A little extra olive oil in the vinaigrette might have done the trick.
Neither the tabbouleh nor the baba ghanouj was remarkable on its own but together on the pitas, they complemented each other well. The tabbouleh was lemony, almost to the pucker point; the baba ghanouj was a little heavy with tahini and light on other flavours. But together, the acidity played off the nuttiness and, with the fluffy pitas, they made a decent snack.
While we ate, students popped in and out, picking up food, enjoying a date or just hanging with friends, inside and on the patio. With pizza, subs, shawarma and wings on the menu, it’s no wonder students are attracted to Basilique. It all made for a lively atmosphere, despite the lack of music. A trio of young women sitting next to us eyeballed the quantity of food we ordered but continued discussing their classes.
Next up: the moussaka. Grilled and smoky eggplant, cooked perfectly. Tomato sauce, a little thick for my taste but seasoned nicely with overtones of paprika and a hint of spiciness, ladled on top.
The koshari, Egypt’s national dish, was the surprise delight of the evening: comfort food times 10.
Pasta, rice, chickpeas, tomato sauce, tandoori chicken and fried onions arranged like a seven layer dip. The sauce, a tomato vinaigrette, was lighter and livelier than the creamy moussaka sauce. Red pepper formed the backbone and a lingering heat made the fried onions hit the spot. The chicken added a slight sweetness and the chickpeas brought everything down to earth.
Later, we returned to the counter to order dessert. Crêpes are their signature sweet item; we chose Tojjie’s Fav after finding out it was named for the owners’ daughter. Banana and Nutella on the inside, topped with chocolate sauce and icing sugar. All the chocolate I could ever hope for in a crêpe. I felt those crêpes could have been a bit more tender, but shamelessly scarfed down a large share nonetheless.
Exploring the website later, I found they also offer “athletic meals” for those who like to eat healthy (grilled chicken and beef stew, for example).
I was not surprised by this addition to an already extensive menu. At Basilique, it seems they do it all.