Restaurant Review: Paramount Fine Foods

PARAMOUNT FINE FOODS

12922 167th Avenue | paramountfinefoods.com

Instagram: @paramountfinefoodsofficial

Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

I'm someone who will drive to any corner of the city (and beyond) in the name of food and this was evident when I recently found myself in The Palisades, an area that is just about as far north as you can get in Edmonton (and no where remotely close to where I live). If the Edmonton Journal is going to name Paramount Fine Foods as the Best Lebanese Restaurant 2021, I'm gonna try it! I made the trek across town on a Sunday evening, looking forward to the authentically fresh flavours of the Middle East that Paramount boasts about so enthusiastically. Founded in 2007 by Mohamad Fakih, a Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur, the first Paramount Fine Foods location opened in Mississauga, Ontario. The company now comprises of over 75 restaurants, becoming the fastest-growing Middle Eastern food chain in Canada. You'll find Edmonton's location in a rather large complex on the edge of town. (Not kidding, you can see the empty fields nearby.) The restaurant's modern exterior and tall stature includes a small patio space in the front before entering into the expansive interior. I was surprised by the spacious, airy dining area designed with taste in mind. Dark wood, tiled columns, and pops of rich colour set the stage for what feels like a higher-end dining experience. I noted some interesting features in the space which included a kids playground (I swear that this place isn't a defunct McDonald's) and a prayer room. Paramount was quite quiet on our visit and our server was gracious and attentive. The menu is a lot larger than I would have expected and I enjoyed flipping through its colourful pages; from starters, to salads, to wraps and mains. Plus platters that are perfect for large groups and even breakfast on the weekends! (I'm super intrigued about the breakfast and would love to try it!) As one does, I started my journey with a drink and zeroed in immediately on something called the "Paramount Special." It sounds like the thing to get! Topped with almonds, crushed pistachios, ashta cream and honey, I really wanted to try this epic beverage! However, our server regrettably informed me that they couldn't make it. It wasn't clear why but I assume that they didn't have all of the ingredients on hand? This was honestly the only low point of the entire meal. Instead, I settled for Strawberry Mango Juice ($8.99).

A blend of fresh mango and strawberries.

The drink actually took quite some time to arrive, meanwhile almost all of the rest of our food showed up before it did. However, it was worth the wait because this blend of fresh lush mangoes and ripe juicy strawberries was wonderful. You could tell that the beverage contained real fruit and I enjoyed the swirling kaleidoscope of bright colours. The rest of our order was delivered to the table lightening-quick! The feast began with the Mezza Plate ($13.99) which seemed like a great option to try a variety of Paramount's dips.

Choice of three: world-famous hummus, moutabbal, labneh, muhammara, or tabbouleh.

Served with the most pillowy freshly baked homemade pita bread, straight out of their wood-burning oven! I honestly could've set my head down on one of those pitas and had a nap. In choosing our dips we went for the Moutabbal, Muhammara, and Labneh. (We did not select the hummus because it was included in something else that we ordered and we opted out of the tabbouleh because we were already ordering a different salad.) Circling back to the pita bread, it arrived warm and fluffy. Tearing off pieces and using it to scoop up the various dips was a complete joy. The Moutabbal, made with fire roasted eggplant blended with tahini and garlic and topped off with fresh parsley, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh pomegranate seeds, felt familiar. Very similar to baba ganoush. However, ours was not topped with parsley or pomegranate seeds as described. Regardless, I loved the true fire-roasted flavour of the eggplant which came through in such a bold and beautiful way. Next was the Muhammara, made with fire roasted red peppers, crushed mixed walnuts, zesty onions, authentic spices, and herbs and topped off with extra virgin olive oil and parsley. (There was no parsley.) This was the dip that I knew the least about... And that I loved the most! The flavour was big and exciting and I loved the nuttiness! This one was an unexpected surprise and I would order it every time. Lastly, the Labneh, made with thick creamy labneh (a type of yogurt cheese) mixed with garlic, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, and topped off with their authentic zaatar seasoning, was also familiar. (Shout out to The Happy Camel, who's labneh I often purchase!) The version at Paramount was very enjoyable and I loved the creamy-cool texture. I swear that I could taste some mint in there as well. Some of the best salads come out of the Middle East - think tabbouleh and fattoush - and I had to order the latter to add some greens to the table. Paramount's Fattoush ($12.99) seemed like the way to go. I love how most cultures have realized that bread on salad is what everyone actually wants.

Crispy romaine lettuce, sliced crunchy radish, diced tomato, cool cucumber; dressed in extra virgin olive oil, fresh mint, and herbs, pomegranate molasses, and topped off with pita chips for an extra crunch.

Comprised of chunky-chopped vegetables that were bright and fresh, this salad was a very welcome addition to our meal. The highlight, of course, was the ultra-crunchy fried pita chips on top which added the most satisfying texture. Very similar to the role that a crouton would play. I must also draw some attention to the pomegranate molasses that was used. It could be mistaken for balsamic but it most certainly is not. This deep reduction of pomegranate and molasses is incredibly flavourful and unique - I don't know if I've ever tried anything like it. In the future I could see myself tossing a Halloumi Skewer on top of this salad for the ultimate experience! I was very curious about the Cheesy Chicken Shawarma Boat ($15.99) under the "Fan Favourite" section of the menu. This item was also marked as "new" so I was interested to see what kind of innovative ideas they might be adding to the menu going forward.

Freshly baked boat-shaped pie stuffed with authentically seasoned chicken shawarma, pickles, garlic sauce and topped off with mozzarella cheese.

This dish did take longer to prepare than the rest but we had plenty of other food to work on before it showed up. I don't typically associate cheese (other than halloumi) with Lebanese cuisine so it was neat to see Paramount coming up with something totally unexpected. I also liked that this was an opportunity for me to try their chicken shawarma. They weren't kidding when they called this thing a boat! Perfect for sharing, the pita shell was stuffed full with generous amounts of cheesy chicken. I liked the tender pieces of meat with those coveted bits of caramelization. The cheese was gooey and the garlic sauce was punchy. But what I was into the most were the pops of pickle mixed throughout. Middle Eastern pickles are the best! They're so strongly fermented and I love that! This boat was also drizzled with the aforementioned pomegranate molasses which added a nice hit of tang. Call me a fan! For the main event the Mixed Grill ($28.99) seemed like an obvious choice. For a first-timer such as myself this dish offered an opportunity to sample many different items in a reasonably-sized package.

Grilled skewers of BBQ beef, shish tawouk and kafta, served with fire-roasted tomato and onion, spicy pita bread, garlic potatoes, a side of smooth velvety hummus and garlic sauce.

All of the main dishes are complemented with a side of Paramount’s long-grained rice and freshly homemade bread straight out of the oven, and are accompanied by an authentic garnish. Looking back on this now, I am seeing that there were some inconsistencies (in more than one instance) between what was described and what we actually received. (However, the food was so good that I couldn't have possibly cared.) The Mixed Grill was supposed to come with "spicy pita bread" which we certainly did not see. Was this meant to be in addition to the regular pita bread which we did have? There were also no garlic potatoes on the plate at all. Our server did offer that instead of only rice, he could do a half-and-half of rice and fries. We took him up on this because it added more variety to the plate. However, did the fries cancel out the garlic potatoes?? Because if so, I would not have taken that deal! But anyway... This exciting plate of various items was excellent and full of natural charcoal grilled and barbecued meats. I could really taste that this food was cooked over an actual fire. The cubes of BBQ beef were tender, seasoned, and a little bit pink on the inside. The beef wasn't charred to a crisp, which I really appreciated. Shish tawouk involves grilled boneless, skinless marinated chicken breast and the pieces were large and juicy. I liked that the chicken had a golden exterior similar to that of shawarma. And finally the kafta, which was my absolute favourite!! These are made with seasoned BBQ ground beef and is almost like a long meatball. I was blown away by the juiciness of the meat and the delicious seasoning throughout (a little bit of mint in there for sure!). All of the meats were wonderful dipped into the zesty garlic sauce - this is the stuff that will have you smelling like garlic for days but it's entirely worth it. This dish was also where we had our chance to taste Paramount's hummus, made with blended chickpeas and tahini, which was very good. I loved the mixture of roasted and pickled vegetable items on the plate - the pink pickled turnips are a personal favourite. The rice was decently good and the fries were better than I would have expected. This dish had a whole lot going on and I truly enjoyed trying bites of everything that Paramount is known for. For dessert I was planning to order the Lebanese Kinafe, one of my favourites. I was excited to find that they have it on the menu! However, before we could do so our server brought us a free Nabulsieh Kinafe instead. Such a kind gesture!! I will have to return for the Lebanese Kinafe later!

Handmade rich, creamy cheese dessert with a salty-sweet flavour and crunchy phyllo dough topping, Drizzled with sweet rose blossom syrup.

I loved the custard-like base with a crispy topping, all soaked in a delicious rose syrup. I think it's the rose blossom syrup that I ultimately covet the most. This dessert isn't too sweet and is a perfect way to end your visit to Paramount Fine Foods.

Despite some variance with the menu, I thought that the value at Paramount was exceedingly good - even if it seems that we had been shorted some items. The service was welcoming and friendly while every dish that I ate was well-executed and delicious. I'd like to return to try their version of a chicken shawarma wrap! Certainly worth the drive, I think that I've found my new favourite Lebanese place in town! شكرًا لك!