Shawarma Review: Ashtar Restaurant, 169 Sparks St., Ottawa, ON

Some time ago, I mentioned that over the next few weeks, I would sample a number of Ottawa's leading Lebanese culinary establishments in order to determine where the best shawarma could be found.

Today, I ambled on up to Ashtar, which is steps away from Parliament Hill's West Block, for a beef shawarma, all dressed, with garlic and sweet sauce.

Right off the top, there are two things that separate Ashtar from its competitors: first, the overall cleanliness of the whole place, and secondly, the ingenious wrapping of the delicacy itself. The less said about the first the better as it relates to fast food, but as for the second, all you have to do is pop off the top of the wrapper and dig in. You're not expected to rip it open yourself, and the way it's rolled is not such that you're biting into your sandwich and coming away with a mouthful of paper in between your meat, onions, and condiments of choice.

I hate that.

Anyways, the beef was seasoned just perfectly and and was complimented by the two sauces which later took on a pink, turnipy hue as they combined to dribble onto my napkin. Moreover, the entire temperature of the thing, which can separate a great shawarma from a so-so affair, left little to be desired. Freshness abounded throughout, which experienced shawarma eaters know is a blessing in disguise as soon enough, the whole concoction, crumbling, fell apart with about a third remaining and I was reduced to vacuuming it all up without getting any on my shirt. I did so, fully satisfied and ready to pronounce Ashtar as the baseline for shawarmas in the blocks north of Laurier Avenue in the heart of Canada's capital.

Overall rating: 8.5/10 (but no Interac service, which is always a negative in my books).