I must admit I didn’t really know much about shawarma until I heard about it from Iron Man.
Yes, Tony Stark, at the end of Avengers jokes about going for shawarma after defeating an alien army.
When I go home from the theatre, I searched it up and discovered more about this Middle Eastern delight.
Then I tried it and realized what I had been missing all of my life.
My favourite is at a little hole-in-the-wall Burnaby restaurant called Golden Pita, which has been offering authentic Lebanese cuisine for more than 20 years in a strip mall next to Lougheed Mall.
The restaurant is a cozy and filled with the scents of rich spices. You can order several different types of shawarma, including beef and chicken. You can either have it in a wrap or with a plate of rice.
I usually choose the wrap at lunch because I might take it with me. Yeah, that never seems to happen because it’s so good I always finish it right away.
My go-to choice is the ground beef-lamb combo – also known as the kafta wrap - which comes with tomatoes, onions, picked veg, tahini and hummus.
What really makes shawarma incredible are all of the delicate spices on the meat, which is then slow-grilled until it’s ever-so tender. These spices are magical.
I always start out with the lentil-rice soup that is one of my all-time favourite soups. It’s got a little bit of a kick, but isn’t overpowering. It’s thick, rich and delicious – the perfect warm-up for the shawarma. It also comes with this toasted pita crisp for dipping.
So, my thanks to Iron Man for not only saving the planet, but introducing me to a new dish.
DISCLAIMER: I have not been compensated by the owner of this restaurant in any way for writing about their place. They don’t even know I am writing about them.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
