I have been told that I'm a good planner. It first happened when I was in grade 11. We had a day off from school and four of us (all friends) decided to spend the day at the Eaton Centre. I planned where and when we would meet, what part of the Main Street subway station's westbound platform we would meet on, where we'd go for lunch, and more. It wasn't down to the minute, but one of my friends said that it was a good quality to have.
I also like the off-the-cuff method. On Wednesdays, during this pandemic, I drive up to Whitchurch-Stouffville to get groceries. Before going into the store, I order takeout. I decided to check out UberEats (I rarely order using this app) to see what was around.
I found Plates & Bowls. I noticed a couple of items where you could buy one and get another for free. Naturally, I went for it.
I got the following items:
- Butter chicken, which comes with rice and your choice of side salad (I went with apple coleslaw)
- Chicken kabob paratha (I got another for free)
- Aloo paratha (I got another for free)
Once I ordered through the app, I went grocery shopping. By the time that I was done, it was perfect to head over to fetch my food.
Plates & Bowls is located in the same large plaza as A&W, Winners, Staples, Canadian Tire, and more. It happens to be in a small cluster of businesses away from them. It's next to Thai Villa, which I haven't dropped by in eons, but am thrilled that it's still alive and kicking.
There was plenty of parking. I backed into a spot and walked into the eatery.
I was greeted by a friendly male staff member as I took photos. I said hi, and then said my name and that I had an UberEats order. My order was ready. He confirmed with a female staff member that my order was complete. She nodded. Yay! I thanked him and walked out.
Something different happened to me. An older gentleman saw me come out of the store. He approached me (we both had masks on) and asked what I'd recommend from this place. It was my first visit, so I told him upfront. I did manage to tell him what I had ordered. Without even having my first bite, I suggested getting the butter chicken, because you get it on rice and it comes with a salad. He thanked me. We both wished each other a good evening and I headed to my car and he went inside to order.
I'm not sure why he asked me. Maybe that hangry look in my eyes worked? Who knows.
I got home and was more than ready to wreck my food. I started off with the chicken kabob paratha. OMG! It's such a simple concept of having morsels of tender tandoori chicken, with sauces and onions, wrapped in a paratha. Delicious! I was so thankful that it was BOGO. I had the second one for breakfast the following day. It tasted even better!
I had the aloo paratha. It doesn't have a lot of aloo (potato), which was a bit disappointing. However, it was flavourful with the other spices that were in the paratha that I was not expecting.
The butter chicken bowl was a generous size. I actually had the remaining half for dinner the following night. This place does a spin on traditional Indian food, injecting western and middle eastern influences in. The butter chicken was fine the way that it was made. However, I specified getting this shawarma garlicky sauce on the side and it made this dish fantastic! I dipped my aloo paratha in it. I put it on my apple coleslaw. I warded off evil spirits. The garlic game is strong here, which I love.
The bowl had basmati rice. It was fluffy and done perfectly. And yes, it was subjected to the awesome garlicky sauce.
Let's get to the apple coleslaw. I have been eating a lot of coleslaw within the last year. I never once thought of slicing apples in it. It's the spin that I was talking about. You can also get other salads, such as pesto pasta salad. I enjoyed how crunchy and fresh my coleslaw was. Yummy!
This place offers wraps, too. There was a Philly steak wrap, which obviously deviates from the main Indian food vibe. It sounds pretty good that I'd love to give it a try.
I had a wonderful experience. I hope that the man whom I suggested getting the butter chicken liked his food, too. I will be back. It's nice seeing so much variety in cuisine in Stouffville, which is another reason why I enjoy dropping by on Wednesdays.
(409) read more