Maple chiffon pie and the obsession with staff meals

I am obsessed with staff meals. 

It is my dream to walk into a restaurant and be asked to join in the staff meal, as they sit around and eat delicious food not found on the menu. The picture above is of mohinga, a Burmese dish. 

There is a restaurant in Moncton, Delightfully Delicious, owned by a Burmese family. It's a Japanese restaurant that serves some of the best Thai food I've ever eaten. I used to go there with my coworkers. We all ordered the same things; I used to get the avocado salad and Pad Siew. YUM. 

I was talking to the owner one day and asked him if they ever served mohinga. Mohinga is a fish soup with rice noodles. It's pretty much Burma's national dish; they eat that tastiness for breakfast.

He told me they only have it as a staff meal, because he didn't think it would appeal to the fine folks of Moncton. He asked me to leave my number, and he promised me he would call me the next time they had it. A few weeks later, I got the phone call. I went down on a Sunday afternoon and they sorted me out with some mohinga.

It was fabulous! It tasted like I was back in Burma. I was very much happiness. They gave me some to take with me when I left, and refused to let me pay for any of it. 

I was the happiest girl in Moncton that day.

Today, I went into Zana's Diner to try some of their maple chiffon pie. They had none left, which doesn't surprise me because it sounds amazing and I should have gotten there sooner to try some. I mean, it's pie! I knew they were making it; Zana told me the other day!

I didn't have any time to be upset about the lack of maple chiffon pie, because I was invited to sit down to have some of the staff meal with Zana, her mom (also Zana!), Heather (the pie maker and server extraordinaire), and a regular customer. I had homemade cheese and homemade flatbread. I had Swiss chard (from Zana's garden!) lentil soup with garlic and noodles. We talked about food and Syria and cooking and other stuff that makes me happy. It was lovely. 

I will be going back for some kibbe and maple chiffon pie as soon as I can. 

I tell you, this move to Sydney was a good one.

dinner ditty ~ A Quick One, While He's Away - The Who