Vancouver’s first Paramount Fine Foods recently opened in downtown just in time for the Canadian chain’s 10th Anniversary. Starting as a single restaurant in Mississauga ON, the downtown Vancouver is located on Robson Street, near Seymour, in the former Next Noodle Bar location. Opening its doors just in time for the end of Ramadan, the Middle Eastern kitchen has been steadily busy ever since.
On our visit, we tried to sample a selection from the menu but we’ll have to visit more often to make a dent in the options. The variety on the menu has something to appeal to everyone, from light starters or snacks; soups, hummus, labneh, musakaa, falafel, salads, wraps and more. Main dishes are served are served a la carte or on family platters. Traditional BBQ and grilled meats like Shawarma, Kafta, Shish Tawouk. From the wood-ovens, Manakeesh and Pizzas offer another alternative.
For our meal we started with Falafel and Bread, then a Lamb Plate and a Beef Shawarma wrap were our mains. The Falafel were a good size to share, crispy on the outside and tender inside. The Lamb was nicely cooked, tender and flavourful, served with salad and pickles with hummus and fries. The kitchen had run out of rice so had to have french fries as an accompaniment on the plate, they were a nice crispy alternative. The pita wrap was lightly grilled for a crispy, crunch wrap and stuffed full of grilled beef, parsley, onions, turnips, pickles, tomatoes and tahini. It’s nice to get a decent wrap that’s not from a take-away shop.
We also enjoy the smoothie-like Paramount Special juice blend, a combination of fresh strawberry and mango juices with layers of fresh fruit, crushed pistachios and honey. Like dessert in a glass!
Everything we had a Paramount Fine Foods was fresh and nicely prepared, and watching all the other dishes being delivered to the full tables around the room there’s many more items we’re looking forward to taste.
Paramount Fine Foods is located at 560 Robson Street, open from 11am to 10om every day.