Chef Aleem Syed Pop-up at The Midpoint

From time to time, I get posts and comments from readers and one post that stood out was an invitation to come to a pop-up event to showcase Chef Aleem Syed. I have already seen writeups about the Chef from Toronto Life (see article here) and he definitely piqued my interest of what his food is all about.

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While I always refrain highlighting unfortunate events, it is rather most inspiring to see how Chef Aleem Syed rose to the occasion despite being paraplegic.  When I arrived at the event, I saw that the kitchen have no walls and we could see how the kitchen was ran.  I was in awe at the liquid flow of banter between Chef Aleem and his sous chef.  It was impressive to see how organized and efficient they were as they go about creating the dishes that we were invited to try.  His kitchen was running just like any other.  I could not help but stare and watch like it was a TV show.  There was no mistaking how Chef Aleem loves what he does.  It definitely left me with a good feeling and I was wishing I would do more of what I love to do.

Milling around the foodies that were invited, I found @th3hungrycat a.k.a Yvonne Tsui.  We decided that we would split the food between the two of us so we can taste and feature more.   She already have asked for the Mum’s Butter Chicken Poutine and Frita Burger.  As for me, I initially asked for the Uptown Burger and the Steak Frites.  I know, I know, too much food.  :p

I must say the Frita Burger was my highlight for the night.  I loved the juiciness of the burger and smoky rich flavour of the gouda.  There was nothing that I would add or take away from that burger.  I seriously kept on looking at the price over and over again as most items on his menu are less than $10.

On a side note, I got into a conversation with the bartender and I asked him if I can have a photogenic drink.  The cocktail that you see in the slideshow was how he has indulged my silly request.  And it was good!

Please do come and support Chef Aleem Syed.  You can still try his halal cooking at The Midpoint up until Jan 5, 2015.  Call them for reservations.  Tell me if you agree with me once you bite into that Frita Burger.

Thank you for the invite Chef Aleem Syed.  Congratulations on your successful pop-up event!