Lazy Girl Friday - Casa Blanca

I had the third best falafel wrap of my life a couple of weeks ago. The best falafel ever is by Maoz Falafel. Maoz is a chain from The Netherlands that sells you a pita shell with three or five falafel balls, one leaf of iceberg lettuce and two tomato wedges. The rest is up to you. They have a massive salad bar that includes sauteed cauliflower, cucumber, couscous, sauteed carrots, tomato and cilantro salad, garbanzos, shredded cabbage and four different sauces. Once you've learned the technique to fill the pita in such a way that there isn't even one air pocket you feel like you're one step closer to total consciousness and at less than four euros you're the best fed backpacker there ever was.

The second best was back in the day from Habibi's here in Vancouver. There was something that they used to put into their falafels when they first opened up. Something in the wrap made my taste buds freak right out from (same with the dolmathes). Don't know if it was due to a spice or perhaps the product of two flavours but I would pick one up almost every Saturday when I was working in that area and rejoice in its deliciousness. I only had thirty minutes for lunch so never waiting more than five minutes was an added bonus.

Things have changed at Habibi's, the closest Maoz is in Philadelphia and for the most part falafels in this city are mediocre. But now I have Casa Blanca Mediterranean Cuisine in my life. You'll find it in the Harbour Centre food fair (which is AWESOME by the way) right by Soupspoons.

On the day I discovered Casa Blanca I was lunchless, totally busy and very hungry. When I finally was able to escape for a moment it was already 15.00 and the vendors were doing their best to hawk the dregs. The guy at Casa Blanca didn't seem that interested in me. Maybe it was his had-to-get attitude that roped me in.

Thank goodness for that because it truly was the best falafel I've had since my trip to Europe this summer. It was so flavourful, fresh and - get this - easy to eat. I barely made a mess. This falafel totally made my day and I'm so pleased to know that I have a day-saver so close at hand. Seeing as stress levels are only going up at work I'm sure I'll be making the trip to Harbour Centre habitually.

Picture to be uploaded soon - please don't freak out!