Genuine Food & Travel Review

Food Faq

What is Kebab Karaz? Kebab Karaz is also known as Cherry Kebab. In Arabic Karaz translated to cherry. This dish main ingredients are Cherry and typically minced lamb. Minced lab is then drenched in a stew like cherry sauce.
Where was Kabab Karaz originated? Kebab Karaz is a specialty dish originating from Aleppo, a city in Syria.
Where is Aleppo? Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria, located in the Northwest region of Syria. Aleppo has been one of the longest continuously lived cities in history, dating back to the sixth millennium BC.

Value & Vibe

Value: Decent price with a range from sandwiches (take away) to specials. It is definitely not a cheap eats or takeout prices, but for a sit-down restaurant, I think it is very well priced for the quality of food.

Vibe: Small and cozy restaurants. Well lit and great decor! I liked the ambience and the style. The servers seem to be pretty busy, so it might take a bit of time for them to take your orders and bring your food, but they were courteous. Overall decent place for smaller, intimate gatherings.

Taste

I am super excited to write about my experience here. This was my first time trying Syrian food at a restaurant, and it did not disappoint!

Let’s go one by one. The darker pink/purple stew is Kabab Karaz. It has a beef kabab similar to a meatball cooked with black cherries, topped with crunchy almonds and parsley. On the menu, it explicitly states not to eat with rice but rather with bread and a side salad. (Since I am more of a rice person, I am secretly would like to try it with rice!)

And oh boy, it was good! It is not something that I have tasted before. The only thing I could think of that I have tasted even slightly close to describe this would be eating the IKEA Swedish meatball with the sweet jam, BUT MUCH BETTER. The sweet and savory combination was awesome! The cherries are also served in the stew itself. So, one bite, you can bite into the kabab as well as the cherry. To top it all off, the almond topping was such a great addition! The crunchiness from the almond really adds a much better texture to the overall dish. For those who like cherries and/or wouldn’t mind a slightly sweet main course, I really recommend you try this!

The second one also did not disappoint. This dish is called Makdous Fatteh. It has eggplants with tomato sauce over crispy pitta. It also has ground beef and tahini sauce. The round pink toppings are fresh pomegranates also served with parsley and almond.

Another fantastic dish! Again, not many similar dishes that I have had, but imagine a Syrian-inspired nachos without the cheese, that’s the only North American reference I could think of. But honestly, it wouldn’t do it true justice to compare with nachos. A wonderful dish. Compared to the other stew, it is slightly milder due to the tahini sauce and eggplant. The soft creaminess from the eggplants contrasts really well with the pita, making it such a powerful combination to create a truly awesome texture. Another recommended dish!

Next we have the Chicken Shawarma Platter. Compared to the other two dishes, this dish was slightly underwhelming. Nice presentation. The garlic sauce was decent. However, in my opinion the chicken was on a drier side and it lacked a bit of flavor. I would say it is ok but compared to the other dishes, I would recommend getting the other two.

We are not quite done! Last minute, we decided to order Kashta Kunafeh Tart. I would have been so upset if I had not gotten this. The crispy fried woven dough at the bottom, along with the cream and pistachio topping, was delightful! Typically, when I have a similar dessert, it tends to be slightly sweeter than what I like, but this is perfect. The dough was not too sweet. The creamy texture and the crunchiness of Kunafeh were fantastic. AND the pistachio gives it a bit more crunch and also a nutty taste. A perfect end to this meal.

Overall, the three dishes that I have never had before was fantastic. The chicken shawarma was slightly a let down, but the other dishes more than made up for it!

Score

Atmosphere: 7/10. Good decoration. However, might be because the staff is busy so might have to wait a bit.
Price: 7.5/10 (Great price just on the price alone. The portion is not necessary large but I think is worth it!)
Taste: 8.5/10 (I took some points off as certain dishes are better than others, but overall excellent!)

Scale:
Would not recommend: Below 2
Need some improvement: 3-5
Average: 5
Decent: 6
Great: 7
Excellent: 8
Outstanding 9+