When I first saw the name, Chainsmoker, on my Ritual app, all I could think about was The Chainsmokers. I had that song with Coldplay in my head as I continued scrolling through the menu items.
It has taken me what feels like forever to order from this place. Chainsmoker is five minutes away from my workplace, but I work from home these days. Roughly two Saturdays ago, I was in the neighbourhood and decided to order takeout from the place.
I ordered the following:
- Beef brisket, with house coleslaw, a dill pickle, and mixed greens (fries are the other option)
- Cajun hush puppies
- Barq's cream soda
My order was expected to take twenty minutes. I added an extra five minutes before I got there.
Chainsmoker is in the same plaza as DriveTest and a bunch of eateries. On a Saturday, folks were in line at the former. I don't know whether they were doing the actual driving test or a written one. It can get crazy at this plaza with nervous drivers and hungry people during the weekday. However, it felt much more relaxed on a Saturday.
I had no problem finding a parking spot. I took the closest parking spot to the main entrance. There is patio seating. What's interesting is that this plaza is considered to be Toronto. When you look across the street, the north side of Eglinton Avenue West is Mississauga.
I walked in and there are health safety measures in place. The flow is one-way inside a rather small eatery.
I got to the counter and said that I had a Ritual order. One of the women said that they needed five more minutes. Cool. I waited patiently while taking photos. One of the women in the kitchen looked at what I was doing. She finally stopped.
My order was nicely packed. The woman who spoke to me earlier advised that they had run out of Barq's cream soda. Bummer! Instead, I asked about the Barbican bottles. She said that they are popular carbonated drinks from the Middle East. Sold! I eyed the raspberry one and got it.
I thanked the now two women at the counter who said to enjoy my meal. I happily headed over to my car and drove home.
All barbeque here is halal. In other words, you are not going to find pork on the menu. It's seems odd considering that traditional barbeque always includes pork. However, it works.
The first time I had hush puppies was in Charlotte. They were delicious. I had to get the cajun ones here. They are deep-fried corn dumplings with smoked mozzarella cheese, and green onions. They were bigger than I had expected. It had corn kernels in them, which this corn fan was thrilled with. They came with a mustard mayo sauce. It all worked nicely. I think that they'd be better smaller and more crispy, but were pretty good. The benchmark is still the ones that I had in Charlotte.
I then went into the beef brisket. It was tender, smokey, and yummy. I didn't need a knife to slice through it. My plastic fork (yes, plastic) did the cutting and it was effortless. It was perfect. I got barbeque sauce on the side, which complemented the brisket nicely.
I loved the coleslaw. The cabbage and veggies were super crispy. The dressing was creamy and done well.
I got mixed greens with some tangy dressing on the side. I am guessing that it was a peach dressing, but it was tough to figure out, as the flavour was subtle. It was good, but I wanted more boldness in flavour. The mixed greens were so fresh.
The raspberry Barbican drink was delightful. It wasn't overly sweet or carbonated. It tasted like carbonated raspberry beverages that I have been making on a Sodastream, but far more professional! I enjoyed this new find and want to try the other flavours that are available.
I saw chicken wings on the menu. I want to get those the next time I'm here. There's also a barbequed chicken po'boy that has piqued my interest.
It's nice getting a bit of southern food that is also halal. It's an interesting combination. I like it. Mac and cheese needs to be on the menu, though!
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