Zayed's Mediterranean Grill: Long Kababs, and Great Food

Restaurant: Zayed's Mediterranean Grill
Address: 797 Sorella Court (CityCentre), Houston, TX
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 1/14/18

UPDATE 1/2/19: This place has closed down

Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be writing about my experience at the first halal spot in the popular CityCentre shopping area: Zayed's Mediterranean Grill. Honestly, it was about time a halal spot pops up in that area. I got invited to a food blogger event by the restaurant (and no I did not get paid), where they would be bringing out food to try. Let's just say that I am thankful that the restaurant invited me. After bidding adieu to my family, I set off for the restaurant.



Let The Experience Begin!
The restaurant is located in the heart of CityCentre. I was directed to a room, where I met a few foodies, and the pictures commenced! I then took a little tour of the kitchen. The most significant things I saw were an automatic shawarma meat cutter, which may be the future of shawarma serving. But the main highlight of the tour was the long skewers of shish kabob that were on the grill. It was without a doubt the longest skewer of kabab I've ever seen. EVER. After the tour, it was ready to eat.



Let's Eat!
So the meats we had were: kafta, chicken kafta, shish tawook, and beef tenderloin. There was also  spicy hummus, baba ghanoush, tabuli, different salads, and cheesebread. I got them to do a special request for me, which was to fold it.



Menu: http://zayedsgrill.com/menu/
Zayed's runs a lot like Fadi's and Aladdin: a variety of meats with options of adding sides and dips. The prices were ok.

Regular hummus, salad, and baba ghanoush

Two salads, tabuli, and the spicy hummus

The long skewers on the grill

A perspective of the setup. All the side dishes are at the bottom

A shot of the actual kababs

Another perspective. Please disregard the man giving me the finger in the pic. Stay classy thatboyasad

Folded cheese bread

The Verdict:

Food was fantastic. Everyone enjoyed every kabab that was offered. They also give bread, which was baked fresh. Bread went very well with the kababs. The cheesebread was fantastic as well. So cheesy. Food was washed down with a craft cola drink (forgot the name, but it was good; I'm kinda a cola connoisseur tbh).

Conclusion:

It's nice to see a place pop up in a popular area of town that is both halal and really tasty. I'll definitely be back for more visits.

Grading:

Food: 9/10 (no service due to the fact that this was an event hosted by the restaurant)

Total: 9/10 = 90% (A)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Zayed's Mediterranean Grill

Address: 797 Sorella Court (CityCentre), Houston, TX

Phone: (713) 984-8383

Website: http://zayedsgrill.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zayedsmediterraneangrill

Instagram: zayedsgrill

Timings: Sun-Fri: 11 AM - 10 PM; Sat: 11 AM - 11 PM

Caters: yes

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

Cheers!

Zain Mohammed

Dasman Street Bistro: They've Come a Long Way

Food Truck: Dasman Street Bistro
Address: various all over Houston, TX
Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte
Date of visit: 1/10/18



Background:
 أسلام عليكم / hello guys! Today I will be writing about a place that has, for the first time in a while, has actually redeemed themselves. The place? Dasman. Dasman first started out as a food truck selling Mediterranean favorites such as shawarmas and kababs along with NYC platters. Their food looked really promising. But when I had tried it during Super Bowl weekend, it didn't taste that good, and I had to fork out $10 for a portion that was literally in the same thing that many places use to put fries. The other platter places gave generous portions for cheaper prices. Fast forward one year, and I see them pop up as an entirely new concept. Couple of people posted about the place, and the most striking thing is that they completely changed from Mediterranean to primarily American. They even painted their truck in different colors. So I made it a point to check them out ASAP.
I got to try it before heading to a ramen place for a birthday party (gotta get my halal food fix before heading there and eating light since the ramen portions there are huge; also, there should be a halal ramen place in the future). I had some time after work to try it. So I called one of my best friends, where he agreed to meet up since he was interested in trying the food after seeing the posts.



Let The Experience Begin!
First thing, they change locations regularly. So you have to follow them. They are the most active on Instagram; their handle is dasmanfood. Based on their post, they were at Kirby Ice House. While the name may raise a red flag for some, they actually have food trucks rotating at the place in the outside area. While the truck was outside, you had to go through the restaurant to get there. The person knew me from a tasting event I went at their sister truck: Crispy or Grilled. My friend wanted a burger, so I waited for him to decide and then ordered.



Let's Eat!
I ordered their Brisket fries: fries topped with brisket, BBQ sauce, cheese, and spicy mayo. The brisket is sourced from the folks at Lit BBQ. How's that for a gourmet fries dish? My friend ordered the California Sunshine Burger, which is a patty topped with guacamole, fried egg, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. The price? $20. $9 for the brisket fries and $11 for the burger. Waiting time was about 12 minutes. To wait, we just sat on reclining chairs and caught up on life.



Menu: It's a small menu for now. It's dominant with burgers. The only other option besides the burgers and the brisket fries is Korean beef tacos. It is likely that once their business gets its stride (they're only a few weeks old), they will expand on their menu, just like what had happened at Crispy or Grilled with the introduction of chicken cones. The prices are similar to Stanton's, and everything here is certified halal.

Logo. Their truck is blue

The Small Menu

Brisket Fries. Definitely a Generous Portion

The Verdict:

For the first time since Kasra back in 2014, a restaurant has actually redeemed themselves. Dasman's chicken over rice I had last year did not match up to its competitors. But the brisket fries were out of this world. The sauces perfectly complimented the brisket. I enjoyed Lit BBQ's brisket when they used to hang out in Spring, so it was nice to enjoy them again. Service was great. The people were incredibly nice.

Conclusion:

Dasman is worth checking out. But, you must follow them actively on social media in order to get information on where they will be and what times they will operate, which is the case for the majority of popular food trucks. Once you check them out, you'll definitely enjoy them.

Grading:
Service: 10/10

Food: 9/10

Total: 19/20 = 95% (A)

Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Dasman Food

Various locations in Houston, TX

Phone: (832) 998-5955

Website: none

Facebook: (their old name) - https://www.facebook.com/DasmanfoodHTX/

Instagram: dasmanfood

Timings: Varies

Caters: N/A

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

Cheers!

Zain Mohammed

Twisted Turban: A New Kind of Fusion

Restaurant: Twisted Turban

Address: 2832 S Texas 6 (Hwy 6 and Richmond), Houston, TX

Buffet or a-la-carte: a-la-carte

Date of visit: 1/1/18

Background:

Salam/hey guys! New year, new review! This is a trip to a place that was voted by my followers on Instagram: Twisted Turban. I did a few polls about where I should do my first review of 2018, and this place got the most votes. I had a few hours remaining before I had to head to the mosque for an event, so I decided to give this place a try. Twisted turban opened up on 22nd December to rave reviews. Ironically, I had received a lot of requests to give this place a try. Twisted Turban introduces a fusion that is new to the city as well as myself: Tex-Indian. It’s basically Tex (or Tex-Mex) and Indian combined together. An interesting combo as this is a first for me, and for the city. I had some time off before meeting one of my best friends that was here on vacation from medical school in Philadelphia. So I made the drive from Cypress to the restaurant.



Let The Experience Begin!
The place is located on Highway 6 and Richmond Avenue. Really smart place honestly. It's located near a major mosque and a major Islamic school. It isn't also far from the energy corridor nor is it far from Sugar Land. The inside was very nice. There were paintings of stuff that were important to both Houston and India. I went up to the front and ordered my food.



Let's Eat!
I ordered their Turban burger. It's a beef patty topped with brisket, mango slaw, Muenster cheese, and their turban sauce. I paid $9.99+ tax for the burger, and the waiting time was 12 minutes and 20 seconds. To wait, I just watched the bowl game between LSU and Notre Dame.



Menu: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/twisted-turban-houston?select=YeeYvAhd-wzNtvjtNsz4sQ
This was the best I got as the menu on their website is incomplete! It's really a fusion of both Texan and Indian food. Papri burger? Mmmmm

Shot #1

Shot #2

The Verdict:

The fusion of Indian and Texas food goes well! The food was really good. The spice level was actually tolerable (I say this as a Desi). My only issue was that the patty was slightly overcooked. Service was great. The people were incredibly nice.

Conclusion:

Twisted Turban is a great place if you want to try the unique fusion of Texan and Indian food. It may put off some people when they either hear about Tex-Indian fusion or a Papri burger, but just give it a try! You'll definitely feel welcome as the people at the restaurant will take very good care of you.

One last thing: This place cannot be compared with the likes of Busy Boy or Stanton's. The two places that I mentioned used are classic American places, while this place is a fusion. It would be unfair to compare those two places to this one. 

Grading:
Service: 10/10

Food: 8/10

Total: 18/20 = 90% (A)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$

Restaurant Information:

Twisted Turban

2832 S Texas 6 (Hwy 6 and Richmond), Houston, TX
Phone: (832) 455-5300
Website: https://twistedturbantx.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwistedTurbanTX/
Timings: Mon, Wed, Thu, Sun: 10:30 AM - 10 PM; Fri-Sat: 10:30 AM - 11 PM; Closed Tue.
Caters: Yes

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

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed