Not Quite Cutting It

The Pitch

After spending two weeks in Portugal and the French Riviera, where all I ate was seafood and Italian/Mediterranean fare, I needed something different for my first meal out since returning.  Granted everything I ate was fresh and delicious, but after a while the flavour profile of olive oil, lemon, butter and herbs can get repetitive.

For tonight, I needed something with more spice, fragrance and pungency, i.e. something "ethnic".  The other criteria was to pick a restaurant midway between Westmount and Laval, where my dining companion resides.  I therefore thought of Kebeh Kabab, a Middle-Eastern fast-casual concept conveniently located in a Ville-Saint-Laurent strip mall – which also adds easy parking to the equation.

tagged:  TAKE THE CAR

The Mood

With two locations under its belt, the Kebeh Kabab name has been around since 2013 or 2015 (details around the precise year and which location came first are hard to find).  The interior is attractive for a shawarma joint thanks to black walls, wooden tabletops and large spherical suspended lights.

However, the counter and menu above are showing their age; the dish photos and display layout are quite an eye sore.  In terms of activity, the space was empty-ish upon our arrival around 6:30PM on a Tuesday night.  However, closer to 8PM (which is when they close), a lineup formed and the room filled up with Arabic-speaking families.

tagged:  COMMUNITY PICK

The Food

From the name of the place, I was expecting an offering comprising kibbeh (stuffed meat/bulgur balls) and kabab (skewered meats).  In reality, there is no sign of the former; instead, the latter is complemented by shawarma.  Beef and chicken shavings or skewers – all halal – come in sandwich or plate format, which also include options for falafel, merguez and shrimp.

Tonight I tried two plates – mixed chicken/beef shawarma and filet mignon kabab – which come with rice, potatoes and a choice of two salads.  My daughter also had a kofta sandwich, which she said was dry and needed more sauce.  Personally, I found the sides better than the main attraction.

While my son's chicken shawarma was tasty, the beef kabab I ordered were quite dry and chewy.  At least the rice was nice and buttery, the potatoes crunchy on the outside and meaty on the inside (and very enjoyable with garlic sauce) and the salads were fresh and crunchy.

tagged:  HALAL

The Service

For some reason, there was only one person on shift tonight.  She would have been enough had it been just our party of seven on site.  However, when the throngs of late arrivers showed up, things took a wrong turn.  Since she had to take care of both the cash and kitchen, orders took really long to prepare.  We probably waited a solid 45 minutes before our food started coming out.

Later on, a second staffer joined the fray, which helped a bit; but it still took around 15 minutes between our first and last orders to come out.  To add insult to injury, we felt a little pressured to finish quickly since it was near closing time – mind you we would have been out of there earlier had the food not been delayed so much.

tagged:  NOT SO QUICK AFTER ALL

The Verdict

The above was one of the more mixed reviews I have written.  On one hand, sides were tasty, prices were reasonable and portions were filling.  On the other, meats were dry and service was below par – at least tonight.  In terms of branding, I am still questioning the "kebeh" in the name when there is no kibbeh on the menu, although I do love their "halal food so good it's almost haram" slogan.

To wrap up, in a city rife with great shawarma and mashawi, this one faces stiff and better competition.

tagged:  PLAN B.