diningnaturally
the food. For our omnivorous readers, the meat is halal and for our vegetarian readers be assured there are lots of non-meat dishes on the menu. We encourage all our readers to give them a try. We believe you won’t be disappointed. Babylon Restaurant & Food Services, 2727 Fondren Rd. #4B, Houston, TX 77063. 9am-11pm. 832-831-8938. Visit babylonfoodservices.com
The Doshi House
I
n this new column, Cindy and I will review a couple of the many dining establishments in our fair city. We invite you to try each one of them out. Maybe you will agree with our review and maybe you won’t but you will never know until you try. And you may just find another favorite place.
Babylon Restaurant and Food Services
Neither Cindy or I had ever eaten Iraqi food before but since I work next door at Pixie’s Intent on Thursdays and had watched the remodeling progress and then smelled the delicious aroma of the food cooking, I though this would be the place to take her for “date night”. Babylon Restaurant is freshly redecorated with both chair and table seating and sofa seating inside, and patio dining in the enclosed courtyard or on the deck out front. Our waiter was very helpful showing us photos of menu items on his electronic tablet. Cindy chose the chicken shawarma with mint lemonade and I chose the fish Iraqi maskouf with Iraqi tea. The meal began with complementary bowls of lentil soup. The soup was delicious with just a hint of garlic and undertones of other spices. Shawarma thinly sliced aromatically spiced meat roasted on a vertical rotating spit so that the juices make it both tender and flavorful. It was hard to identify the individual spices used but I think it was the bit of ginger that added a slight sweetness. The chicken was paired with French fries that really needed no catsup or sauce. My fish came on a pita bread and was covered by a second pita to keep it piping hot and moist and was garnished with onion, tomato and lemon slices. Our waiter told me that the tilapia was cut and grilled in such a way as to keep all the oils and vitamins inside. He was right. It was very moist and quite flavorful. I’ve prepared fish many different ways but never like this and never with just salt, pepper and tamarind as seasonings. Our first impressions of Iraqi cuisine is very favorable. It is different and the spices are subtle so as not to overpower
The Doshi House is a small, old fashioned coffee house in the 3rd Ward just up the street from Project Rowhouse with a definite Asian vibe. The place is cozy with mismatched antique arm chairs and sofas rather than the almost industrial furniture you find in most chain coffee houses. I’ve stopped in several times before for coffee or to connect to wifi when I’m working in the 3rd Ward. This time I was hungry so I had lunch. The lunch menu consists of a vegetarian soup of the day and a choice of three vegetarian sandwiches. I chose the yachea gogi which is a panini filled with seasoned soy, wheat shitaki mushroom protein in a Korean BBQ style marinade, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed onion, red cabbage, green onions, herbed hummus and a spicy lemon sauce. It was served on a bed of fresh spinach leaves and crispy plantain chips. The Korean BBQ gave the vegetables a smoky savory flavor and the red cabbage a slightly sweet crunch. This was something different. Not a salad between two pieces of bread or vegetables masquerading as meat. The spinach was definitely not just decoration. The dark green leaves and the crunch plantain chips were definitely for eating, not just looks. I’m making plans to give Cindy the Doshi House experience some evening so we can sample the dinner menu. If you drop by The Doshi House for coffee, a snack or a full meal, be sure to tell them that you heard about them in Natural Awakenings magazine. The Doshi House, 3419 Emancipation Ave., Houston, TX 77004. 8am-8pm weekdays. 11am-8pm Saturdays. 713-5280060. Visit Doshihouse.com.
natural awakenings
August 2017
15