Kal & Mooy has grown from being the city's first East African food truck to opening a permanent take-out stall - located in the Queen Live Fresh Food Market by Queen and John - in less than a year.

Husband-and-wife duo Ahmed Duale and Aisha Mohamed have been cooking up Somali street foods in their new space since the start of the month, making everything fresh each day, using their namesake mortar and pestle ("mooy" means "mortar" and "kal" means "pestle") to grind up the spices integral to their cuisine.

So far, there are only about seven items on the all-halal menu, but the two want to focus on the quality of everything they make before adding any more options. If like me, you've never tried Somali food before, then this is the place to do it. Duale and Mohamed are more than happy to discuss their native homeland's cuisine (Duale shares that cumin is the No. 1 spice in Somali cooking), which has African, Middle Eastern and European influences.

Samosas ($2 each) are what started everything for Mohamed, who has been a professional hairdresser in the city for over 20 years. Her clients and co-workers would always compliment her on them when she brought them to work, and many told her they were the best they'd ever had. I think I'd have to agree.

Although they're more expensive than most other ones I've had before (you can usually score two or three for $1), you can taste the quality in these. The made-from-scratch dough is satisfyingly crispy when you bite into it, and there is a good amount of flavourful filling (beef, chicken or veggie) inside each not-too-oily triangle.

What enhances the samosas even further are the super tasty sauces that can be added to them; again, Duale and Mohamed make each of the three from scratch daily. A spicy and tart green sauce is made by Mohamed while Ahmed makes the spicier red sauce called shidni.

Their secret sweet sauce (Duale will only reveal that fresh tomatoes are one ingredient) takes about six hours to make, and it's a collaborative process - Duale starts it off and Mohamed finishes it. Customers have become so addicted to these condiments that the couple is starting to sell them in bottles (they're also selling frozen versions of their samosas).

Their hot salad ($10) is a hearty box of quinoa and lentils mixed with a whole lot of veggies and your choice of chicken, beef or goat. It's clearly not a completely traditional Somali dish - the couple are also trying to appeal to Canadian palates - but it contains the cuisine's flavours, and definitely makes for an appealing lunch.

A new item that wasn't available on the food truck - but will be added when it goes back on the road again in April - is the Anjeero wrap ($8.50), a thin pancake-like flatbread that's like a cross between a crepe and a dosa that's filled with a mix of veggies and your choice of protein. They'll mix their red, green or sweet (or all three!) sauces into it, and for an extra 50 cents, you can have your anjeero spinach flavoured.

The most traditional item Duale and Mohamed have on the menu is the goat meat and rice ($12). Tender pieces of goat meat are served with cinnamon raisin rice, a variety of vegetables and a wedge of lime. This is my idea of winter comfort food.

It's clear both Duale and Mohamed are loving what they're doing, and they're very excited to be introducing Somali food to the Canadian public. (As they should be - the stuff is good.) Their enthusiasm is infectious, and Kal & Mooy is already proving to be a popular take-out lunch spot for those who work in the area.

Photos by Natta Summerky.