Foods from Damascus Delights
Comments
2018 Nov 18
I've eaten the various Syrian pizza's from Damascus Delights at Landsdowne each Sunday since early this summer. More often than not, the za'atar with cheese. Today I determined to try the falafel, simply because Ahmad keeps trying to make me eat one every time I show up. (Ramez and Ahmad are just so without guile... genuinely sweet men).
SENSATIONAL.
Ottawa is an awfully cheap city when it comes to the expectations of the eating out populace. Most Ottawa 'foodies' who dine out then write, demand everything and will complain the loudest over any dollar amount without consideration to realities on the ground. In this instance, each bread is made FRESH in front of the diners eyes before being filled. This is high end quality work.... not Harvey's or Macdonalds folks. Does it matter to self professed 'foodies'? Nope. Because Damascus Delights is a kiosk and therefore could never reach a brick and mortar standard to these minds. As such, they will only then be satisfied if this product is stuffed to the fatness of a Chipolte burrito.
From my perspective, the sheer perfection of this type of product is sorely under priced. For those who are interested in elegant, delicious work, Damascus Delights is a must do destination.
And who might I be to offer such a blunt assessment? A retired chef whose main career was based in the finest establishments in Berkeley California.
SENSATIONAL.
Ottawa is an awfully cheap city when it comes to the expectations of the eating out populace. Most Ottawa 'foodies' who dine out then write, demand everything and will complain the loudest over any dollar amount without consideration to realities on the ground. In this instance, each bread is made FRESH in front of the diners eyes before being filled. This is high end quality work.... not Harvey's or Macdonalds folks. Does it matter to self professed 'foodies'? Nope. Because Damascus Delights is a kiosk and therefore could never reach a brick and mortar standard to these minds. As such, they will only then be satisfied if this product is stuffed to the fatness of a Chipolte burrito.
From my perspective, the sheer perfection of this type of product is sorely under priced. For those who are interested in elegant, delicious work, Damascus Delights is a must do destination.
And who might I be to offer such a blunt assessment? A retired chef whose main career was based in the finest establishments in Berkeley California.
2018 May 23
I'd echo warby's comment. Definitely quality food. Both the saj and falafel are top-notch. I bought the sandwich for $9. Nicely dressed and very tasty. I found it filling, but it's definitely pricey at the cost of a decent meat-filled shawarma elsewhere. Next time I might buy the bagged falafel, though I'm not sure how many balls they throw in. Good for them if they make it work, but at $9 this likely won't be a regular lunch for me.
2018 May 20
Visited this new stall in the ByWard Market two days in a row last Thursday and Friday.
On Thursday I tried the Fresh Falafel Sandwich ($9) and it was amazing! The word fresh is truly meaningful here in that the falafel are fried on-site and the absolutely delightful saj wrap is baked to order on the convex Syrian oven. Two falafel are smashed onto the saj, dressed with shredded lettuce, pickled cucumbers, pickled turnips, and a light sauce, and then the whole thing is rolled up, wrapped, and placed in a convenient half-height bag.
My only complaint is that one of these isn't nearly enough for a meal. And $18 for two of them seems pretty pricey for a stand-up lunch. Value is all relative though—this is still way more appealing than the $9 hot dogs at Tavern on the Hill!
My Friday visit was less exciting. The Syrian Pizza ($7 + $2 for cheese) was good but even less satisfying than the sandwich for the same price. If you're used to paying maximum $3 for a zaatar Mankoushe at a Lebanese bakery, the price of this will burn. Saj is wonderful stuff but it's less filling than pita so it's hard to justify charging twice the price. The optional cheese is added with a light touch and didn't seem worth it to me.
After the Syrian Pizza, I picked up a Maverick's Donut to fill my belly. That worked!
All in all, this is a nice option but I'm not sure they'll get much repeat business unless they drop their prices a little. $7 for the sandwich and $5 for the pizza would seem far more sensible. The taste is good though, so check it out!
On Thursday I tried the Fresh Falafel Sandwich ($9) and it was amazing! The word fresh is truly meaningful here in that the falafel are fried on-site and the absolutely delightful saj wrap is baked to order on the convex Syrian oven. Two falafel are smashed onto the saj, dressed with shredded lettuce, pickled cucumbers, pickled turnips, and a light sauce, and then the whole thing is rolled up, wrapped, and placed in a convenient half-height bag.
My only complaint is that one of these isn't nearly enough for a meal. And $18 for two of them seems pretty pricey for a stand-up lunch. Value is all relative though—this is still way more appealing than the $9 hot dogs at Tavern on the Hill!
My Friday visit was less exciting. The Syrian Pizza ($7 + $2 for cheese) was good but even less satisfying than the sandwich for the same price. If you're used to paying maximum $3 for a zaatar Mankoushe at a Lebanese bakery, the price of this will burn. Saj is wonderful stuff but it's less filling than pita so it's hard to justify charging twice the price. The optional cheese is added with a light touch and didn't seem worth it to me.
After the Syrian Pizza, I picked up a Maverick's Donut to fill my belly. That worked!
All in all, this is a nice option but I'm not sure they'll get much repeat business unless they drop their prices a little. $7 for the sandwich and $5 for the pizza would seem far more sensible. The taste is good though, so check it out!
2018 Jul 16
I got the sandwich at the Westboro Farmers Market ($9 -- a buck off Lansdowne!) and will agree with Stewtine that it could have used a little more flavour. Not that I want it to knock me over the head with salt and spices, but I want to get a bit more of a taste of what's inside than just texture (which is fantastic). Though we were offered some falafel to sample while in line, and the flavour on that came through just fine .. excellent texture and well-seasoned.
The made-to-order pita was the real highlight of the sandwich. Flattened dough puck put on the stone and baked before our eyes. I could eat about 10 of those alone..
Good sandwich on the whole.
The made-to-order pita was the real highlight of the sandwich. Flattened dough puck put on the stone and baked before our eyes. I could eat about 10 of those alone..
Good sandwich on the whole.
Hungry Pete