[Something Delicious] Mujadara and Red Cabbage Salad at Syriana
A perfect plate of Syrian comfort food in Esquimalt
Welcome back to Something Delicious, a sporadic column in which I highlight some of my favorite dishes around town. Last time around was the Fig and Halloumi Sandwich at Torchsong Café. Today we’re talking about a standout menu item at Syriana.
What makes good comfort food? I think part of it is uniformity. A bowl of mac and cheese is comforting partly because every bite is delicious. There’s no hunting around for the good stuff, no mental math to do on when to eat the best bites. It’s just a big mound of carbs — in the best possible way — to attack with a spoon.
It’s even better if there’s a bit of contrast. Add some crispy bread crumbs, frozen peas, or a squirt of sriracha to that mac and cheese and now you’ve got something even better. The one-note cheesy pasta gets just the beginnings of harmony. Nothing too complex or overwhelming, but just enough variation to make every bite interesting.
The Mujadara with Red Cabbage Salad at Syriana in Esquimalt fits this format perfectly. I’ve ordered most items from the Syriana menu in recent years — it’s a restaurant that I’m pretty much always in the mood for. But this is the dish that I come back to again and again.
First, there is the Mujadara itself which is comfort food perfection. The mixture of rice and lentils is spiced subtly with cumin. If you get some of Syriana’s beautifully smooth hummus or perfectly spicy muhammara — and you should — the rice and mixture is a great backdrop for those spreads. But on its own, each bite is sturdy and delicious. The rice and lentils are topped with a scoop of fried onions, which provide crunch and sweetness. This is the “breadcrumbs on mac and cheese” principle in full effect. Just a bit of texture and richness from the onions elevates every bite.
Technically you can choose any salad to go with your Mujadara, but on my most recent visit the man behind the counter suggested the red cabbage before I had a chance to order it, and I think it really is the right choice. The cabbage is cut thicker and sturdier than a sauerkraut, and has plenty of crunch. Mixed in are green apples, lemon slices, tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, and golden raisins. There are items on that list that I would never put in a cabbage salad if I were making it in my kitchen (tomatoes! raisins!) but it is perfect. Every bite is sweet and acidic — an excellent foil to the Mujadara.
Syriana has gotten a bit of press in recent years, including a very well deserved YAM Best Restaurant award. You might know that it started as a catering company by a family who came to Canada as refugees. You might also know that it’s in a former Tim Horton’s location. All of that is true, but beyond the charmingly Canadian story the food stands on its own. I keep coming back to Syriana because it is warm and lively in a way that is not standard in Victoria. But I also keep coming back because that plate of warm lentils and bright cabbage is so comforting; just the right thing for a cold winter’s day.