Location: 3535 Odyssey Drive, Mississauga
Website: https://helvaciali.ca/
I’ll admit that I hadn’t even heard of helva, a Turkish dessert, before checking it out at Helvaci Ali. I sort of figured it would be similar to halva or halawi, but it’s a completely different thing.
Helvaci Ali is a Turkish chain that’s been serving up the stuff since 1900, so it seems like a good place to try it.
The version of helva they serve here is made with semolina flour and butter, and is basically like a very rich pudding. It comes on top of ice cream (the menu describes it as 2/3 semolina helva and 1/3 ice cream), and it’s extremely delicious.
It comes in several flavours: walnut, pistchio, Biscoff, chocolate, caramel, and Dubai chocolate (I believe it is now illegal to be a dessert shop and not have some Dubai chocolate variety on the menu). I was told walnut and pistachio were the most popular, so I went with both.
Wow, it’s good. It’s super rich and creamy, with a grainy (but not unpleasantly so) texture from the semolina. It’s served warm, and the contrast between it and the cold ice cream is really, really nice.
The flavour of the walnut and the pistachio were both pretty mild, but present enough that you know what you’re eating.
I was afraid it might be too syrupy, but it’s actually got a really great level of sweetness. It’s quite sweet, but not aggressively so. It was my first taste of helva, but I can guarantee it won’t be my last.
Michael Eats 