It was a busy work week and all I could think of was meat pies to kick off the weekend.

Eat the Strip reader Samantha Sigler had reached out to us around a year ago, urging us to try the meat pies at Jasmine Bakery, located in a west-end strip mall on Iris Street, near the Ikea.

She said the manaqeesh at Jasmine was the best she’d had in Ottawa. We didn’t have anything prepared for dinner, so I went to go pick up a few pies.

I arrived at the shop half an hour before it closed. It boasted a clean décor with two little tables at the front. Most of the customers filing in had orders for takeout, keeping the two young men working behind the counter—brothers Mohamad and Ammar—quite busy.

The two had fled their hometown of Homs, Syria, with their families because of the Syrian civil war. They arrived in Canada by way of Jordan around four years ago and opened Jasmine Bakery—a family business—just over year ago. Business has been steady since. And for good reason. Their meat pies were, as Samantha said, some of the best I’ve ever tasted.

Traditional Levantine meat pies come in various forms. For example, there’s manaqeesh—a cousin of sfiha, the type of pies they sell at Jasime. They’re both types of flatbread topped with minced meat, cheese and other delicious Middle Eastern toppings.

I ordered a traditional meat pie and the chicken shawarma pie. They were both heated and served promptly. Famished, I decided to try two at the shop and order a few for takeout.

The meat pie, priced at less than $5, was like nothing I had ever tried before. Made with ground meat, tomatoes, pomegranate molasses and other delicious herbs and spices, it was complex and paired excellently with the free side of garlic sauce. The molasses made it tart and the chilli powdered they sprinkled on it gave it a nice kick.

The chicken in the shawarma pie reminded me of chicken tikka I grew up eating in India. It was cheesy, salty and an excellent way to get full fast. Despite visiting near closing time, the bread was still fresh.

As a first-time customer, Mohamad insisted I try their chocolate-dipped piece desert on the house. It was a timbit-sized coconut chocolate cake topped with pistachios. Not too sweet, it hit the spot after my meal. It made sense that they’re just as well known for their deserts as they are for the pies because their father used to own a sweet shop in Syria.

Despite closing time, the brothers humoured me with tales about food and their family. As I bid them farewell, one of the customers smiled and told me everything they make at Jasmine is delicious.

I believe her.