Shawarma - a Middle Eastern wrap, usually filled with lamb, chicken or beef, plus a combination of vegetables.
In Winnipeg Shawarma isn't as common as some may think. Shawarma Time and Baraka Bakery are one of the few places that make it and both make it extremely well. I don't think shawarma became mainstream knowledge until The Avengers film was released and even then it is still something unfamiliar to most.
Hopefully with Shawarma Khan Restaurant opening in the Exchange today it will help bring this delicious food into mainstream Winnipeg. Eaten around the world, and sold on the street in many locales, shawarma has its own variations per region.
When the Shawarma Khan sign first popped up in the Exchange a while back I got a little excited. Obby Khan, former Winnipeg Blue Bomber who retired and recently unretired to play for the Calgary Stampeders, is the face of the restaurant. So much so that he was the man working the till when we walked in.
The place sits quite a few more than I expected and it is decked out in Bombers colours. Notably the ceiling is Bomber Blue, along with a gold stripe down the walls horizontally. The walls are covered with some CFL apparel too, including Kahn's jerseys from the Bombers, Stampeders and Renegades..
Ordering the shawarma like Subway, as Marney pointed out, is a benefit for those of you that don't want any of the pickled turnips on your shawarma or other veggies. Me though, I want lots of those pickled turnips.
The prices aren't too bad either. Shawarma: regular is $5.99, large is $8.99, and a platter is $11.99. The platter comes with rice, garlic roasted potatoes, hummus, pita bread, and your choice of two salads. That's not bad at all, although I could never eat that much.
With a choice of falafel, beef, chicken, or lamb shawarma, I personally will go with lamb every time but that is because I don't get enough lamb in my life. Of course all the toppings were added to mine, with some hummus and a bit of hot sauce.
The digital menu at the restaurant was a bit lacking on information, unless I missed it somewhere. It listed other shawarmas - WRATH of KHAN (clever name!), The Big Bird Chicken Shawarma, Beef and Chicken Mix Shawarma Platter, Stegal Shawarma Salad Platter. But it didn't state what made them different. Luckily they do have it on their website. WRATH of KHAN is in fact a large shawarma with chicken, beef, lamb, AND falafel. That is mind boggling how filling it must be.
Obby tried to convince us to try some of the non-alcoholic beers they serve as we, well Graeme, was paying for our meals. We did not this time but will definitely give one a shot another time. Ace Burpee was also in the place getting some shawarma and he seemed to enjoy the beer he was drinking.
The shawarma itself was good. It was a bit messy and fell apart near the end of the wrap but they just opened and once they fine tune everything I imagine this will not be a problem. I'll definitely be returning for lunch soon to try the WRATH of KHAN.
20 comments:
excited to try this!
Looks like a delicious place!
There's also a shawarma place on Pembina on the west side between McGillivray and Bishop. Ate there once, it was decent.
Shawarma was hardly a secret before the avengers film. Hell in Ottawa you can't walk a block downtown without seeing at least two places.
It is Khan not Kahn.
@Anonymous 1 - I forgot that place! Yes it is pretty good too.
@Anonymous 2 - in Winnipeg, at least the people I speak to regularly, weren't aware of it compared to other cities. Shawarma is popular almost everywhere but I am speaking from a Winnipeg perspective.
@Anonymous 3 - You are correct. Fixed. Thanks!
Hi Colin - thank you for the review. Now am eager to try it. It would be hard to beat my everyday lunches in Ottawa and Toronto when I lived there. They are the best I have ever tasted in all my travels.
You are right winnipeg does not know shawarma because we do not have a huge middle eastern community yet. Thank you again.
ProDj on twitter :)
c'est sur quelle rue??
oops, excuse my French. I meant "which street" ??
@Kat - 225 McDermot Ave.
That's McDermot and what? I'm lazy. Lots of these places in Toronto and especially in Montreal -- I miss them!
Mcdermot and Albert...near main st
@kipress - yeah what Anonymous said. Haha.
I like how you described a shawarma as "messy". I think those two things go hand in hand ;)
@Alyson for the most part but I've had them where they are rolled so nicely only the last few bites are messy and it falls apart just in the wrapper so it doesn't actually get anywhere.
@Alyson for the most part but I've had them where they are rolled so nicely only the last few bites are messy and it falls apart just in the wrapper so it doesn't actually get anywhere.
i like the place on pembina thy have better food and better shawarma go check it out ppl
NOTHING SPECIAL AT KHANS
@wpg I'm treating it like I would Smokes or Pita Pit. It is quick food. And it was good. I never said it was great like Shawarma Time or Baraka.
Mmmmm.....Baraka is my favourite place. Haven't been to here yet but my first shawarma love is Baraka....so much so I may have trouble going to another place.
I thought Shawarma Khan was a hige disappointment. Very unremarkable shawarma. Especially from a guy like Khan, who despite eating at the west end shawarma restaurant usually twice a week in the past, chooses to slam the competition at every opportunity. Lots of work to do here to even compete with the other places.
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