Palatable Parkallen Restaurant

Hummus

Although I’d heard good things about Parkallen Restaurant from friends, I’d never actually gone. So when a Groupon for Parkallen Resturant went on sale, I took the opportunity to finally visit. The décor and furnishings inside the restaurant didn’t evoke a Lebanese or even Mediterranean feel, with only the hookahs located by the bar to signal that it was a Lebanese restaurant. In the middle was a large glass wine cellar, with a very impressive looking collection of wines, champagne and other liquors.

Lahem Mishwee

The Groupon for two people was for two glasses of wine, one appetizer to share, two entrees and two desserts. Unlike a lot of other restaurants we’ve visited with Groupons, they were very flexible with what we could order with the Groupon. The server explained that we to pick any appetizer under $18, and were not limited you to the traditional entrees. If we felt so inclined, we could even pick their share plates instead of an appetizer and two entrees, which would allow people to try a wider variety of their offerings.

Shish Tawouk

We opted to start with the hummus, which had a nice thick consistency. It was lightly salted with a hint of acidity and a good amount of oil drizzled on it. We enjoyed it so much that we wound up eating it all, even though it was definitely large enough for three or four people to share as an appetizer.

Baklava

The Lebanese rice was different than at any other Lebanese restaurant we’d been too, tasting both nutty and slightly sweet at the same time. The entrees, the shish tawouk and lahem mishwee platters were generously sized without being insanely large. The skewers of chicken tasted mildly of paprika, crispy outside but juicy and soft inside, accompanied by potatoes and what turned out to be an addictively moolicious garlic paste which was buttery, smooth and delectably garlicky. Meanwhile the humans said the feeb had a distinctively charbroiled taste to it and wasn’t dry like they’ve experienced elsewhere.

Key Lime Pie

To finish we ordered a slice of key lime pie, which turned out to be very light, with a distinctive key lime taste to it. Meanwhile the baklava was ridiculously good, with the flaky pastry giving way easily. It was lightly coated with rose water and honey, giving it just a touch of sweetness, and crunch from the crushed pistachios on top.

I left full and happy, and glad that another Groupon experience had worked out wonderfully.  I would definitely recommend Parkallen Restaurant to anyone looking for delicious Lebanese food and I look forward to my next visit.

Parkallen Restaurant
7018 108 Street NW
Edmonton, AB  T6H 3C1
780-436-8080
Twitter: @ParkallenFood