Halal 786: Nautical... and nice

And it's been popping up all over - in conversations, media, even in the March issue of Gourmet magazine, which is devoted to our fair town. I hate being out of a loop, so I circled in on 786 one fair Sunday.

Its nautical décor reflects the Greek restaurant that previously held the space. The dark blue ceiling is covered with loosely hung black fishnets that hold shells and blowfish. The walls are decorated with ships' wheels, mosaic mirrors, bronze doodads and a mural of ocean and sky.

Our posse of five was placed in the family section by the windows. In the back by the kitchen, the staff multitask busily, bringing out food and wearing Borg-like headsets to deal with the volume of phone orders. Halal 786 is popular among the Pakistani community, and the slightly higher-than-average prices reflect its overall quality.

For example, I've resigned myself to nice-enough-but-thin lassis in town. But here they're foamy and thick, particularly the rich mango one.

We ordered faithfully to the country of origin, mostly avoiding typically Indian dishes like butter chicken. My bismallah educatrix steered us towards the chapattis over the naan, and recommended the biryani, which she'd ordered for her pre-wedding feast.

Their good-for-love biryani is flavoured with Indian cinnamon, cardamom, clove. Don't bite into any shrivelled black prunes you might find, though. The turpentine flavour adds depth to the dish, but on its own is nasty. ("Why would you even do that?" the educatrix's groom asked. "A three-year-old would know to avoid it." In my defence, I just hope my curiosity benefits the reader.)

We had the tender mutton karahi, which is usually made from equal portions of meat, tomato and chili, said my Ismaili pal. Weekend specials include nihari, a dark beef stew reminiscent of tendon-filled Chinese hot pot, and paya, or cow foot. Friday's special, haleem, a mash of beef and lentil, is reputedly very good.

"I was expecting foot to be footier," groom-boy said of the paya. I couldn't tell if he was disappointed or not. I picked up a knob and had a buttery suck from the porous bone. Fun.

The Lahori fry fish was an entire beast, at home among the nautical décor. The flesh was superbly moist, among the best fish I've had in town. And though the Lahori charga chicken was nice, the tender dark meat of the chicken biryani was better. The groom lunged for the final piece of frontier chicken, a spicy favourite.

Meat's not their only trick. I liked the mustard greens sag, which started salty then turned lightly bitter. Dhal mash was ginger-laden, a welcome theme through many dishes.

Of the desserts, the russ malai stood far above the others, two spongy cheese UFOs in rose-flavoured milk. If you order chai, don't make our mistake, forgetting to specify spiced. We sat back and patted our muffin-top bellies poking above our belts, feeling like a happy family indeed.

Halal 786
766 Jean-Talon W.; 270-0786
Dinner for two, not including tax or tip: $20-$30
 
 

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Halal 786: Do You Know Lahori? She's A Good Friend..............     "Halal 786 Does The Trick". Maeve, you really impress me each week with your open-minded approach to global dining. We never know what little part of the world we'll be visiting, but by my shy calculations, the meals seem to be doing well at least 80% of the time. This week, it was the pleasurable menu of Halal 786, a restaurant that didn't bother shutting down to redecorate from the Greek restaurant that occupied 766 Jean-Talon W, prior to the Pakistani invasion. What's the point? If the food's good and the service caters to the customer base, what's the big diff. if there are fishing nets still hanging from the ceiling? So what, if the walls are painted blue and the entrance may not look like the new home of some wicked butter chicken? Many new restaurants run up huge costs to redecorate the place they occupy and seem to be in the red for many years before making back any of the costs for refitting the place. Instead, start serving good food, as Halal 786 is becoming well known for and don't stop to ask questions when business is doing well. Just keep bringing dish after dish of yummy goodness to the salivating and hungry clientelle. i'm just curious what is meant by the servers wear "Borg-like headsets". Are they all connected to the phone system? I'm a little confused by the analogy. I had heard that the Lahori fry fish was top notch at Halal and glad to hear the taste did not disappoint, although I prefer chicken and would've probably selected the chicken biryani instead, but to each their own. I wouldn't have had the courage to munch on the cow foot/paya....you have some courage. I never realized that there would be so much taste from that part of the animal. I prefer eating the rice pudding at the end of a spicy meal and generally deselect the russ malai, although some people love the taste. Thanks for another great adventure.
Steve Landry	{78 votes}	March 9th, 2006
Good Food     I'm a big fan of the food - the meat dishes are tender and spicy and worth the extra few bucks. The only complaint I have is that the dishes tend to be too oily (I often pour out the top 'layer' of curry, which is basically oil) And I'd like to point out the significance of the "halal" in halal 786. Halal is an Islamic Arabic term meaning "permissible"acoording to Islamic law. Halal and Kosher meat is prepared by slaughtering the animal with a quick cut to the throat with a sharp knife to allow the blood to drain from the animal. While most believe this makes the food healthier (less germs, reduced chance of diseases or infections), some animal rights groups contend that halal slaughtering is more cruel to the animal (the animal bleeds to death slowly and possibly painfully). But I like the food , so here's the online menu for one and all http://www.786halalrestaurant.com/Index.htm
Akshay Changulani	{3 votes}	March 20th, 2006
A taste of India     I am always looking to discover a new Indian restaurant. By the review I can tell I won't be disappointed. The choices sound interesting and the prices are definitely reasonable. It is so hard to find russ malai in restaurants and I am happy to see they offer it. Jean Talon is a place to discover many types of Indian restaurants and this place is just adding to the variety.
Ryan Lobo	{23 votes}	March 11th, 2006
A renewed request     Since most Indian restaurants are vegetarian-friendly, I'd have appreciated a note on whether this Pakistani one is as well, aside from the two lines about the sag and dahl. It should have been especially easy since there were five different diners sampling the dishes--couldn't *one* of them have let his or her "curiosity benefits the reader?" And even if the answer is negative, can't you put in a little icon to that effect next to the prices at the end? The same thing goes for bring-your-own-wine restos. Please let us know such basic info.
Charles Montpetit	{17 votes}	March 10th, 2006
~Feast or famine~     OK, when you eat out do you really give a damn how the restaurant got named the way it did? Sure, it makes for a cute anecdote but really, the proof is the pudding, no? Well, in this case the butter chicken and the spicy side platters... ~ I'll admit to having heard of the place but until now I've not heard one knockout review of the place that really made me want to go out and try it. The price seems a bit high compared to some other joints I could mention but if the meal and service merit it then more power to them. Gotta say though, from the decor glimpsed in the picture it doesn't really look that rich with ambiance. Of course, that could just be shoddy photography playing tricks on us...
Pedro Eggers	{12 votes}	March 9th, 2006
Don't Judge The Menu by the Decor     Okay, so this week's restaurant had food that I'm familiar with. I've passed by the Halal 786 not realizing that it was upstairs because I naturally assumed that 786 Jean Talon would be at street level. So it's good to know that it's located at 766 Jean Talon. Given the fact that Islam is in the news so much, it's good to know what the religious significance is regarding the number 786. Their price range of 20 to 30 bucks is reasonable enough and it seems as though they are a popular resto among the East Indian and Pakistani communities (boy that mango lassi must be refreshing, particularly during the hot summers that we get). It also sounds like the chicken biryani is the way to go. Hey, who would've that that the decor of a previously Greek restaurant would be hiding a popular Pakistani resto? I'll definitely check this place out.
Basil James	{11 votes}	March 9th, 2006
Too adventurous for some...?     this resto definitely sounds interesting, however as a creature of habit i would have liked to know if they serve the usual pakistani fare as well like kebabs and curries...along with some appetizers? adventure seems fun but i dont know if i would be too keen on trying to eat the paya....but the lassi sounds great. i agree that most restos serve up a thin watery and cavity inducing conconction, a thick authentic version sounds great.
Livleen Rehal	{7 votes}	March 9th, 2006
Call me Curry     A lesson in religious numerology, in local immigration patterns, and in ethographic spicing and cuisine -- another entertaining and delectable review of another resto to discover. I'd not heard of this place, but it sure sounds like one to explore. My next craving for mutton and mustard greens will surely be sated here. Bahut Bahut Shukria.
Francisco Uribe	{5 votes}	March 11th, 2006
Interesting choice...     what i love about maeve haldane's reviews is that he makes us rediscover our city and our neighbourhood. i live not too far from halal 786, but never had the courage to venture inside. thanks to maeve, i will now.
Alberto Olivera	{5 votes}	March 10th, 2006

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