BIG ANNOUCEMENT:

Salam/hey guys! I am pleased to announce that my mosque (Masjid Al Mustafa at 17250 Coventry Park Drive in Houston, TX) is hosting a carnival and a Halal BBQ Cook-off!

What is a BBQ Cook off? A BBQ Cook off is when people compete for the best BBQ in a competition setting. There are a wide variety of BBQ that exists all over the world. There is Texan BBQ, Desi (Indian/Pakistani BBQ), Arab BBQ, etc. This is the first time ever that a halal BBQ cook off is happening in the city. There are already major BBQ cook offs that take place in Houston, but there is a lot of pork that is used in those cook offs. I hope you guys can make it!

Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill- A Healthy, Halal Mediterranean Version of Chipotle

Restaurant: Garbanzo Mediterranean
Address: 947 Gessner Road, Houston, Texas 77024
Buffet or a-la-carte: neither
Date of visit: 4/9/16


Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my latest review of Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill! Today I will be giving you guys a walkthrough of the restaurant, and give you an idea of how the food tastes. Garbanzo Mediterranean is a Halal Mediterranean version of Chipotle. You get to pick a meat, and unlimited number of sides, just like chipotle. Like Chipotle, you go through a line with the person helping you out on what items you have. The obvious difference is that Garbanzo actually has halal options unlike Chipotle. Garbanzo also has locations in San Antonio, Atlanta, Denver, Colorado Springs, Ft. Collins, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. I got to go after I had finished an event and before I had to head to UH. After going through traffic, I arrived at the place.



Let The Experience Begin!
Garbanzo is located off I-10 in the same area as Kuu restaurant in the Memorial Hermann Memorial City complex. The inside looks really nice, but I was literally the only person inside the restaurant. Without hesitation, I was ready to order.



Let's Eat!
I ordered the sirloin steak plate. For the sides, I got rice, salad, vegetables, garlic sauce, and feta cheese. It came with free bread. All of that food for just $9.30 (tax included). Really good value and a generous portion.



Menu: only their chicken and steak are halal. But everything is under $10 if you don't get anything to drink. You also have the option of pita, gyro (not sure if you can put any meat in the gyro), salad, and wrap. Regarding the meats and veggies, you also have chicken (either chopped up or in a skewer), a steak skewer, portobello mushrooms, falafel, and gyro meat (again, not halal). What I don't like is that bottled water is $1.99.

The plate

The Verdict:

The food was decent. I actually found it to be better than some of the Mediterranean places that I've been to in my lifetime, but not as good as other Mediterranean places. The presentation looks good. Every part of the plate has each item, and the sauce is on the top. I'm sure that you could ask them for garlic sauce on the side. The person helping me in the front is friendly.

Conclusion:

I wouldn't mind coming here again and trying out the chicken items and the other sides. Just two suggestions: get white pita and also have a free cup of water. If other places can do it, why can't they?



Grading:
Service: 7/10
Food: 7.5/10
Total: 14.5/20 = 72.5% (C)
Pricing: $ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill

947 Gessner Road, Houston, Texas 77024
(832) 804-9616
Website: http://eatgarbanzo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GarbanzoMedFresh/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
Timings: Mon-Sun: 11 AM - 9 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, send me an email, or message me on Facebook!

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

Nyam Nyam Cafe- Halal Savory Crepes Have Arrived in Houston

Restaurant: Nyam Nyam Cafe
Address: 15201 Mason Road, Cypress, Texas 77433
Buffet or a-la-carte: A-la-carte:
Date of Visit: 4/6/16



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Welcome to my latest review. Today, I will be writing up about my trip to a place that has unique halal options. The place is called Nyam Nyam Cafe. Pretty weird name for a place that serves halal options right? Nyam Nyam Cafe is a place that has kebabs, pirozhki, a baked/fried bun stuffed with a variety of toppings, and crepes. Crepes and pirozhki both come in either sweet (dessert items), and savory (meat, vegetables, cheese, etc.) versions. I've always enjoyed eating a Nutella crepe. In fact, Cafe Pita has a nutella crepe, and I really liked it. But what I really wanted to try was a halal savory crepe. Ironically, I loved the crepe, but I strongly dislike the Indian crepe, dosa. I always found the dosa (which is always savory) to be extremely sour to my liking. My desire to try a halal savory crepe started all the way back in 2014 when I had asked Coco's Crepes about their merguez (sausage from North Africa) being halal. They had responded by saying no. I was shocked (no joke). I found it very ironic how something from a Muslim majority region would not be halal. Even on their website, they stated "Merguez Moroccan Sausage". I honestly wonder where they get their merguez since it isn't halal. The desire accelerated when I had gone to Sweet Paris in at CityCentre and got the feast crepe (eggs, cheese, and vegetables) and the Nutella crepe. They have actually been open for a while, but I never got the opportunity to try it, despite it being only 15 minutes from Prairie View and my house. The desire to try it ASAP died down, until I saw another food blogger talking about that place and how amazing it was on Snapchat (my Snapchat is halal_reviewer). I then realized that I had enough money to spend for the month of April. It was important that I had enough money in April because later in the month, I'm gonna treat one of my best friends for his birthday. After my class had ended, I was ready to go.



Let The Experience Begin!
Nyam Nyam Cafe is located just after the Cypresswood intersection in the same strip mall as Sunrise Cafe, Subway, and Pizza Hut. The inside was really nice, and you could see your crepes being made. The restaurant was completely packed, so packed that I sat on the stool instead of the table. When I was recording using snapchat, I had to make sure that I was't focusing on one person. The friendly owner greeted me, and I confirmed that they had halal lamb (which was the main reason why I had wanted to go here). I was then ready to order.



Let's Eat!
I ordered the Mediterranean lamb crepe. I got a few vegetables to add on with the crepe. The crepe came with a yogurt based sauce and feta cheese. I paid $14.06 (tax included). While waiting, I talked to the owner. It was then that I realized that their chicken was also halal, but not the beef and duck. The same thing was applicable the pirozhkis. Everything is also cooked in a clean pan.



Menu: http://www.nyamnyamcafe.com/
The reason I put the website is because if you click "menu" it will scroll down on the website to where the menu is. Anyways, the menu was great and there were a good variety of crepes. They even have a crepe with red caviar. Red caviar is actually a Russian delicacy. It's eggs from salmon. It's actually more affordable than beluga or sturgeon caviar. They also have the sweet crepes that are commonly enjoyed by menu. The pirozhkis seem to be delicious. One important thing that they have is a breakfast crepe, where you can put the halal chicken in it instead of sausages! You can have that with a variety of coffees and teas, Finally, they have the traditional Russian soup called borscht, which has beets and cabbage.

The Crepe Topped with feta cheese and the sauce on the side

The Verdict:

To make it short and simple: Fantastic! Easily the best meal of the year so far for me among new restaurants! I found this to be as good as Sweet Paris. Everything was fresh and full of flavor. The wait was definitely worth it. Even the sauce went well with the crepe. The food was pretty filling too. I didn't drink anything as I didn't have enough money to spend on a drink. Overall, two thumbs up!
The service was wonderful. The owner and the workers were extremely nice. They looked like they loved their jobs and loved to make food for their customers.



Conclusion:
If you want to eat at a place that's halal and near the Premium Outlets off 290, or if you ever want to try a halal savory crepe, then this is your go to place. I'll definitely be making more trips here, and I hope they will keep the halal options.




Grading:
Service: 10/10
Food: 10/10 (First in a long time)
Total: 20/20 = 100% (A)
Pricing: $ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Nyam Nyam Cafe
15201 Mason Road, Cypress, Texas 77433
Phone: (832) 653-5900
Website: http://www.nyamnyamcafe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NyamNyamCafeTX

Timings:
Mon- Closed
Tue-Thu: 8 AM - 8 PM
Fri-Sat: 8 AM - 9 PM
Sun: 8 AM - 3 PM

Caters: yes

Feel free to comment below, send me an email, or send me a message on Facebook!
Cheers!
Zain Mohammed