Tu Kiffes?

The Pitch

When Italians migrated to Tunisia in the 19th and 20th centuries, they left an imprint on the North African nation's cuisine.  Out of this marriage was born the Tunisian pizza, a thin/airy Neapolitan crust topped with signature Tunisian ingredients such as tuna, olives, roasted veggies and merguez.  With the recent explosion of Tunisian immigrants in Montreal, this European/African crossover made its way here.

Since the beginning of the decade, I have been made aware of close to a dozen Tunisian pizza shops peppered across the island.  Today I visited one of those, O'KIF in LaSalle, on invitation by one of the owners.  Open since the end of last year, this newcomer occupies a car-friendly locale lying across from a Sami Fruits just off of Route 138.

tagged:  TAKE THE CAR

The Mood

O'KIF is housed in a wooden roadside shack painted in white and red.  Inside, the color palette reflects that of the logo: black walls and floors with yellow accents.  The decor is minimal and there is enough space for twenty diners or so.  The few diners on site for lunch today – seemingly working class on their lunch breaks – were complemented by delivery drivers dropping in to pick up orders.

The Food

In addition to pizza, O'KIF specializes in two popular Tunisian street-food sandwiches: the makloub and the baguette farcie.  Both are clear derivatives of the Italian influence, given their use of a "bread" very similar to pizza dough.  Starting with the O'KIF pizza, I liked the thin crust and tomato sauce, both of which went very well as a base for tuna, olives and capers.

The (halal) steak makloub – a circular dough folded over to form a sandwich – was a tad too saucy for my taste and I would have enjoyed thicker shreds of meat.  Finally, the highlight of the day was a baguette farcie – rolled and stuffed dough – loaded with spiced chicken and gooey cheesy goodness.

Both sandwiches are served with crunchy fries and cut in half, making them perfect for sharing and cheese pulling.  Overall, I found the crusts at O'KIF thinner and crispier than at competitors, where it tends to be thicker and puffier.  Which is "better"?  I am no expert, but I will ascribe it to personal preference.

tagged:  GOOD FOR SHARING HALAL

The Verdict

The particular brand of Tunisian street food depicted here may be slowly sweeping the city, but the signature items of makloub and baguette farcie have yet to reach mass appeal such as Korean fried chicken, poke bowls or French tacos.

O'KIF and its cohorts still seem to cater mostly to their compatriot communities, although what they offer is very accessible.  Who would say no to various forms of dough topped or loaded with spiced and sauced up meats and veggies?

Price per person:  $18.81