Shawarma Review: Really Lebanese-Home of the Garlic King, 2297 St. Joseph Blvd., Orleans, ON

One of the great things about living in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is the abundance of Lebanese fast-food establishments, the hallmark of which is the sandwich known as a "shawarma". This Arabic delicacy comes in either chicken or beef, slowly cooked on a spit like the one seen above, wrapped in a pita with garnished with a combination of lettuce, tomato, turnip, pickle along with garlic, sweet, or sesame sauce. There are few pleasures guiltier than Hoovering up the mix of grease and sauce out of the wadded up bit of tinfoil that once housed this delectable treat, now safely esconced in one's belly. Hence, this review will be the first in an occasional series as I endeavour to find Ottawa's best shawarma establishment over the next few months, well in advance of next summer's tourist crush so the tens of thousands who are both planning a jaunt to the nation's capital AND hanging on my every word will know exactly where to indulge, coutesy of yours truly.



Listeners to the Team 1200 will already be familiar with the radio ads from Adel Azzi, the Garlic King, pictured above. I stopped in yesterday after a morning at the car dealership for lunch which consisted of a regular-sized beef shawarma, topped with garlic, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and turnip. Greeted by an O-Pee-Chee Montreal Expos Dennis Martinez baseball card, inexplicably featured in front of the cash register, the service was quick not only in terms of speed but also wit as my vocation was correctly guessed at by the whip-smart order-taker as I asked the stranger in front of me to dig out a Coke for me from the drink refrigerator as said stranger was doing the same, eliciting an accusation of "you're good at getting other people to do things for you - you must be a government manager".

Unfortunately, service with not quite a smile but a gentle and good-natured insult didn't make up for the fact that the "beef" was nothing more than donair meat, which in my opinion is the carnivoral equipment of particle board. Nevertheless, I parked myself in front of the King's throne in his "dining room" where it took me less than 10 minutes to enthusiastically devour the creation, ready to head home for a well-deserved afternoon nap.

Adequate, but memorable more for the overall experience than the product itself. Don't go out of your way, but that said, I still give "Really Lebanese" a not-too-bad rating of 8/10.

Now open in Bells Corners.