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Abul 3ezz is the latest eatery to open on the Mtayleb highway. Abul 3ezz is a grill that promises to bring back good taste through best 'mashawi' in town.
Down the road, facing Panorama Center is Abul 3ezz nestled on the first floor of in the Rockland Center. The place is indeed nice, fresh and clean looking.
A cashier welcomes you on the right; the dining space and its four tables occupy the left side with a view of the highway. Facing the entrance is the long, open kitchen with two shawarma skewers and a charcoal grill.
The place is nice. Grey tables surrounded by white and red plastic chairs, a wall covered with stones and decorated with frames, as well as some decorative items make this small restaurant look nice. Wood added here and there integrates a touch of finesse.
The menu:
- Salads
- Appetizers
- Sandwiches
- Platters
- Large platters
- Beverages
We ordered the signature meat shawarma and signature chicken shawarma, hummus, fattouch and kabab with eggplant. Today was their "special offers day" so we received three soft drinks free of charge.
First impression:
- The staff looks fresh and wears clean clothes.
- The air conditioning is on full power.
- The place smells nice.
- The hostess lacks professionalism but is welcoming and smiley.
The food:
- The fattouch is huge. A large portion of fattouch decorated with two cabbage leaves. Tomatoes, lettuce, pomegranate, parsley, purslane, fried bread, cucumbers and mint leaves. Sumac adds a touch of sourness, while the pomegranate molasses gives this special mix the flavor it needs. Fresh and crunchy vegetables showcase a salad up to a fine restaurant standard.
- Hummus: Light in color and consistency, the hummos is good. A really tasty hummos I liked. I loved its color as well as rich taste of tahini and chickpeas.
- Meat shawarma: That's good, bizarre and positively shocking. To start with, the meat is different and not like any shawarma we know. A condensed kind of meat filled into toasted markouk bread with tarator. I'm not sure how to express it, but the food is good and I wasn't expecting it to be. I'm still impresed. The meat is tender, the sauce is flavorful and those sandwiches have a line of sweet sauce on top which makes all the difference. With that, you'll receive two triangular sandwiches of pomegranate molasses: A must try... Bizarre but good.
- The chicken shawarma: A red-colored juicy chicken not marinated in garlic, stuffed into the same crunchy markouk bread with a bit of mayonnaise for added juiciness. It's not like your usual shawarma, because the portion is bigger, tenderer and the crunchy bread makes all the difference. Cut into bites, each is enjoyed calmly. I liked it!
- Kabab with eggplant: That's today's star. A large, fully loaded sandwich filled with tender kabab, charcoal grilled eggplants and sauce. I loved the bread, which is tender and juicy. I fell in love with the meat... This is a sandwich I'll be ordering to work.
- Meat chunks: WTF! These are the words I literally used as I bit into one of those meat chunks. Super extremely tender and juicy, the meat is to die for. I believe they're even better than the famous ones at Kababji. Dip into the hummos and enjoy a boost of flavors, keeping a long lasting after note around your palatal buds.
Excellent, really excellent and I wasn't expecting it. A place hidden from the public eyes, not even on the highway, no extreme branding and the pretension of claiming to have the best mashawi; I left speechless having tried a new approach to shawarma, amazing sandwiches and meat like no other. They do have unique mashawi and shawarma.
Close to home, I discovered a place that offers good food. I recommend it.
