Alijandro’s Kitchen food truck is bringing what they’re calling “Medi-Mex fusion” to the streets of Toronto, most notably their creation the “fawaffle”: a waffle cone made out of falafel batter, filled with hearty and balanced ingredients.
The humble falafel is shared between several cuisines, Middle Eastern as well as Mediterranean, so owners Samer Khatib and Tarek Jaber figured the name Alijandro shared Arabic, Spanish and Greek influences.
Fawaffle cones are made by smushing falafel batter made from scratch into a flat disc in a waffle iron. Little pieces of broken cone are available at cash for sampling.
Just like a regular waffle cone, the cooked batter is then rolled into its shape. The end result combines the chewiness, sturdiness and outer crisp caramelization of a waffle cone with the savoury zestiness of falafel flavour. And, of course, it’s gluten free, high in protein and low carb.
The original vegan fawaffle ($6.25) is filled with an herby mix of lettuce, onion, tomato, cilantro, mint and sumac, and it’s drizzled with a tahini mint sauce. I’m surprised at how well the cone holds up in its foil package as I keep rotating it to eat, not getting soggy or falling apart at all and really easy to walk around with.
The avocado chicken fawaffle ($8.50) is a bit more substantial and packed to the brim. Shredded Al Pastor chicken, diced avocado, lettuce, onion, mint and sumac is mixed with creamy lemon garlic dressing and studded throughout with cherry tomatoes. This was nice since from the looks of it I thought there’d only be one on top.
Chicken taboon tacos ($6.50) take a pita (taboon) and turn it into a taco, filled with slow roasted chicken, lettuce, mint, a pico de gallo and a hit of that lemon garlic sauce.
The chicken is pretty spot on in all dishes, full of flavour. Khatib shows us how to peel the foil wrapping like a banana for perfect street mobility.
The Al Pastor chicken box ($11.50) might be my favourite. Your choice of rice or salad (or go 50/50) gets topped with that juicy, flavourful chicken, mixed beans and baked chickpeas that add an extra layer of protein, pico de gallo, lemon garlic sauce and a killer smoked hot sauce that ties everything together.
There’s also a chili sauce at the cash that’s a must try on everything, especially fawaffles.
Alijandro’s is looking for a permanent location to call fawaffle headquarters while they test out their ideas on the go in Toronto in front of locations like Roy Thomson Hall, in Liberty Village and at local food festivals.
by Amy Carlberg via blogTO
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