Lunch of the Month: Lola’s Fine Kitchen

The food at Lola’s Fine Kitchen in Ankeny is inspired by the mother of co-owners Taufeek Shah and Hannah Elliot. Their mother is Filipino, and their paternal grandmother is Pakistani. For many of us, that might be a head-scratcher. What, exactly, will come to the table?

It helps to know how to order: Approach this venue as you would Noodles and Company (though with higher expectations). That is, it’s a build-your-bowl kind of place. Start with your base of choice (such as mung bean noodles, rice pilaf, cabbage or quinoa-cauliflower), then add protein (adobo, tandoori, or crispy chicken; lentils; marinated pork; or lamb and beef meatballs) or vegetable fritters. Add a choice of side from the numerous veggie, pickle and salad options, and then choose from among a dozen sauces, such as green chutney, mango chutney, fire sauce or sweet chili sauce.

What you’ll get is the gratification of traditional, age-old recipes with the energy and freshness of a contemporary chef.

Still, if ordering all that sounds a little complicated, you can always go for a pre-designed bowl. I was thrilled with the beef and lamb meatball bowl, with green and red chutney, rice pilaf and Paki Pico, a chutney-dressed salad of cucumber, tomato and onion.

There’s just so much to explore here that the best advice I can offer the first-time visitor is to be sure to order a round of samosa for the table. Filled with spiced potatoes, sweet potatoes and peas, these fried savory pastries come with a selection of chutneys and sauces, allowing you to seize on a favorite in the most pleasurable of ways. I personally discovered that I’ll never head here without getting something with green chutney; the vivid cilantro, parsley and mint sauce goes with everything.

Lola’s Fine Kitchen is at 1615 S.W. Main St., Suite 106, Ankeny; 515-289-9302; lolasfinekitchen.com.

Wini Moranville writes about food, wine and dining for dsm magazine and dsmWeekly. Follow her on Facebook at All Things Food–DSM.