I’ve had an itch lately for samosas, those South Asian fried triangle pastries, filled with spicy meats or vegetables.

The problem is one of my go-to shawarma places no longer makes them. And an East Indian grocery store that sells them for an absurdly low price is hell and gone across sprawling Calgary.

But thanks to a friend’s tip, I found some tasty samosas at Foothills Hospital of all places. Cravings Bagels is a tiny café tucked into the medical centre’s North Tower/Grace Women’s Health Centre. The eclectic menu includes bagels, grilled cheese sandwiches and Greek salads, alongside Middle Eastern specialties such as falafels, shawarmas and donairs, the latter three ranging in price from $6.50 to $8.

But on this day, I headed straight for the samosas, ordering one beef and one potato (my favourite), devouring them on a bench outside the hospital’s emergency entrance. It was a perfect, nice-sized snack for $5, bumped up to $7.50 for a light lunch of three.

My only challenge was getting past a screener who wondered why I was going (only a few steps) into the hospital without a medical appointment during a Covid outbreak. Fair enough. Picking up takeout samosas just wouldn’t have cut it, had I not agreed to some questions and a temperature check.

I’m sure the samosas were hotter than my forehead.

Cravings Bagels
1441 29 Street NW, Calgary (Foothills Hospital North Tower)
Weekdays 7 am-3 pm
403-283-2776