Back in August, during my first week at Emory, I went to Zaya for the first time and ordered the chicken shawarma entrée with hummus. I have been getting the same meal ever since. I think that Zaya is the best food that Dooley dollars can buy, and the chicken shawarma is good, reasonably priced, and probably rather good for you.
When I returned home to Chicago for winter break, I began to miss and crave my chicken shawarma. I had heard good things about Naf Naf Grill, so one day I went for lunch. Naf Naf is a small chain of three restaurants, and I’m fortunate enough to have one in my suburb.
When I walked into the restaurant, I smelled the aroma of pita being cooked. The Naf Naf pita was like no other pita I had ever seen; instead of flat and usually dry, they appeared fluffy and soft, made right in front of me. Needless to say, I decided I would be getting the pita with my entrée.
I found that the way that you order food and all is very similar to that of Zaya, but I found Naf Naf’s layout to be a bit better…I guess Zaya has to work with what they have been given though, an old train depot. You walk up to the counter and the menu is above, with food options and prices. The prices are similar, with some of Naf Naf’s being a dollar or two more. While Zaya has many options, some being American rather than Mediterranean, Naf Naf has fewer options with all being strictly Mediterranean. Most of Naf Naf’s entrées appeared to be healthier too.
Naturally, I ordered the chicken shawarma. It comes with a pita and two sides, I chose the yellow rice and Israeli salad, but fries were also an option-the only seemingly un-Mediterranean thing on the menu. When I ordered, I paid at the counter and was given a buzzer to alert me when my food was ready. So I took a seat and waited for the buzzer to go off-which didn’t take long- and then I went up to get my food- a change from having my food brought to the table at Zaya.
The chicken shawarma looked different than Zaya’s. Rather than the small, marinated cuts of chicken I was used to, these were thin slices that had been cut from a machine similar to one used to make a gyro. The portions at Naf Naf were much bigger than Zaya’s. Finishing the whole entrée is quite a challenge, I was glad I had decided against ordering the additional side of hummus.
All of the food was delicious. It was full of flavor. The shawarma was a little bit greasier than what I was used to, but definitely much more flavorful. I will go back to Naf Naf again and again. I recommend it to anyone. After looking around at other people’s food, I even decided that I might stray away from my usual chicken shawarma and try something different there next time; if and when I do, I will include it in one of my blog posts.
No comments:
Post a Comment