Foods from Istanbouli
Comments
2017 Mar 6
Checked out Istanbouli for lunch on the weekend. It's still terrible. Judging buy the time and the size of the spit it was likely the same chicken that was served the day before. It was dry and overcooked with a slight chalky texture. Garlic sauce was very weak with a mayo like texture. Potatoes were pretty good, but a dark brown colour and the oil was not well drained. I asked him to microwave with glass instead of styrofoam and he got quite angry and said his wife has a PHD in chemistry and you can microwave styrofoam no problem. Right or wrong seeing styrofoam being microwaved makes me lose my appetite. Despite our disagreement on the subject he put the rice and potatoes on a plate and was pleasant after. I don't think I will ever go back, I really miss Les Grillades here. Westboro/Tunneys pasture has some great food, but since Les Grillades left there isn't any good shawarma in the neighbourhood.
2014 Aug 10
I really don't like this new system whereby establishments fall into negative ratings if nobody has rated them in a while. By warby's own admission, people are more inclined to post a bad rating than a good one. No way this place should be a -3 with 6 thumbs up and 2 down.
2012 Jan 23
Recently had delivery from here. A large order, consisting of 4 chicken shawarma plates, 1 mixed plate and 1 small shawarma.
The food arrived promptly, only gotcha was that the mixed platter was chicken and donair meat, not chicken and beef as expected, which was OK for the guy that ordered it, but just an FYI.
The garlic sauce was a little lacking for my tastes (IMO its the garlic sauce that makes a good shawarma) but the rest was otherwise good. Tender, juicy chicken, the toppings were all fresh and well cooked potatoes that were not overly oily.
Prices were a bit higher than other shawarma places, but I attribute that to its location, and the side portions were a bit smaller than others which is good and bad, you usually get to much but if you are hungry you might notice the lack of potatoes, though you still got a good quantity of meat, it was just the sides that were lacking.
The food arrived promptly, only gotcha was that the mixed platter was chicken and donair meat, not chicken and beef as expected, which was OK for the guy that ordered it, but just an FYI.
The garlic sauce was a little lacking for my tastes (IMO its the garlic sauce that makes a good shawarma) but the rest was otherwise good. Tender, juicy chicken, the toppings were all fresh and well cooked potatoes that were not overly oily.
Prices were a bit higher than other shawarma places, but I attribute that to its location, and the side portions were a bit smaller than others which is good and bad, you usually get to much but if you are hungry you might notice the lack of potatoes, though you still got a good quantity of meat, it was just the sides that were lacking.
2011 Apr 29
This is my new favourite shawarma shop! We stopped here for lunch a couple of weeks ago and were instantly impressed by how clean it was in comparison to some of the other shawarma places we've been to. I had the chicken shawarma sandwich with a side of potatoes and everything was fresh and delicious. The chicken was tender, the potatoes were just crispy enough and the garlic sauce was garlicky without overpowering the other flavours of the meal. We'll be back for sure.
2010 Oct 23
I had a trio from here the other day and I have to say that everything was top notch.
The chicken was very moist, all the topping very fresh and the place is well kept.
Finally, some decent potatoes! 80% of the potatoes I have had a Shawarma places in Ottawa are like grease-sponges. These were freshly cooked.
My only little quibble is that the price for a trio is slightly higher than I've paid around Ottawa- a little over $9 after taxes for a small.
The chicken was very moist, all the topping very fresh and the place is well kept.
Finally, some decent potatoes! 80% of the potatoes I have had a Shawarma places in Ottawa are like grease-sponges. These were freshly cooked.
My only little quibble is that the price for a trio is slightly higher than I've paid around Ottawa- a little over $9 after taxes for a small.
2009 May 21
Ahhhh. So they have *two* locations!
A few people on my ultimate team ordered from here on Thursday, and one of them mentioned the move. So, of course after the game I was starving and decided to wander down and see if they were still there.
Turns out, they are (for the time being). The shawarma was pretty tasty, given that they were maybe ten minutes from closing their doors.
The chicken was a touch dry, but there was ample garlic sauce. The turnip seemed really pale in colour, and wasn't really crunchy, but nonetheless it was good. While the shawarma was covered in garlic sauce, the potatoes only had a little bit, but of course I transfered some from the sandwich on to the taters.
Honestly, at this point in the night I wasn't expecting much, and I was fairly impressed.
A few people on my ultimate team ordered from here on Thursday, and one of them mentioned the move. So, of course after the game I was starving and decided to wander down and see if they were still there.
Turns out, they are (for the time being). The shawarma was pretty tasty, given that they were maybe ten minutes from closing their doors.
The chicken was a touch dry, but there was ample garlic sauce. The turnip seemed really pale in colour, and wasn't really crunchy, but nonetheless it was good. While the shawarma was covered in garlic sauce, the potatoes only had a little bit, but of course I transfered some from the sandwich on to the taters.
Honestly, at this point in the night I wasn't expecting much, and I was fairly impressed.
Older
Shawarma 1
2010 Feb 12
Last night I thumbed my nose at the controversial series of articles this week by the Ottawa Citizen, and went to my trusty-ol' Istanbouli for a Chicken Shawarma. They did not disappoint - awesome as ever. And look at that - 24 hours later and I'm still alive! People need a serious reality check ...
Falafel -1
TheNatureMan