Safari Snacks (Burnaby, BC) — A Taste of Home

I've been in Burnaby, BC for about 2 weeks. This past week, a friend (someone we knew from Kenya who now lives in Burnaby) called and asked if we were free to join them for samosas and bhajias. We did and enjoyed them immensely — both the food and the fellowship. So, we asked where the food had come from. Today, we decided to head there, get lunch, and have a picnic at Deer Lake Park.

So, we hopped on bus #144, got off at Canada Way and Sperling Ave., and headed to Safari Snacks House & Grill just east of Sperling, across from the Masjid al-Salaam & Education Centre on Canada Way. Great choice — we were not disappointed. The staff were very friendly. The lady who first greeted us is from Uganda; the man who took our order is from Dar es Salaam, though he left there in 1974 and hasn't returned (he would be in for a shock as Dar has changed a lot in 38 years!).

We bought a dozen samosas (4 beef, 4 chicken, 4 vegetable), a plate of bhajias, and a couple of Diet Pepsis (yeah, Diet Pepsi when we're having samosas and bhajias — saved us a few calories). Then we headed across Sperling to Deer Lake and spread out our Kenya khanga for our picnic.

The samosas and bhajias were fresh and still hot when we opened them up. Our favourite were the beef samosas but all of them were good. The bhajias could have used a bit more of something in the coating, maybe dhania, but they were also quite good.

On the way back to the bus stop to go back to the apartment, we stopped in and picked up 2 sweet mango lassis. Lots of mango juice so they were wonderful! If the folks on the bus had known what we were drinking, I'm sure they would have forced the bus driver to stop and wait while they got their own.

At any rate, small cafe, wonderfully friendly owners and staff, fresh food, good taste, reasonably priced. We'll go back. If you're near the east or northeast side of Deer Lake Park, stop in and try Safari Snack House & Grill.