Amongst the array of food stalls and restaurants that line either side of Trichy Road, Street Arabiya food truck draws our attention with its bright yellow exterior and glittering LED lights. Being one of its kind in the city that serves up to twenty variants of shawarmas, this mobile eatery was started earlier this year by engineer-turned-entrepreneurs Ahamed Shahabad, Yasar Arafath and Jansa Mohammed. “Shawarmas are not an indigenous street food in our city and yet you can find them served at every street corner. This provoked us to create a restaurant that served shawarmas that were as close as possible and authentic to the ones you would find in the Middle-East,” shares the 22-year-old Yasar Arafath, who envisages a fleet of trucks across the city.
Get your grill on
The menu piques our curiosity and our gluttonous appetite is spoilt for choice. After much contemplation, we settle for a haryali kebab to begin with. The flames of the shawarma machine turn deep red and amber as the fixated long vertical skewer stacked with slices of marinated chicken rotates, roasting the succulent meat by the time our dish arrives. The kebab served alongside an in-house mayo that is tinted in an unusual pink, is seasoned just about right with a sharp hint of mint. Next in line is the peri-peri shawarma filled with minced chicken, marinated with the dominant peri-peri flavour. The barbequed chicken alfaha is a notch up, its taste whetting our appetites to order more from the menu.
Such spice much wow
Drawing inspiration from characters in recent Kollywood films, the Chettinad shawarmas are named Pushpa shawarma and Ghost Gopal shawarma. Although it was a tad dry, the schezwan cone shawarma that followed grabbed our fancy. The aroma is a blend of schezwan sauce and other spices. The chunks of chicken along with a tangy punch and a tinge of sweetness from the crispy cone has us hooked. After a few bites our tongue is on fire, we are perspiring and have a runny nose. However, we are unable to refrain from eating more! Word of advice— if your palate is not calibrated for spicy seasonings, go with the mild and tender malai shawarma.
Hearty burp
Why should non-vegetarians have all the fun? Filled with a generous helping of mushrooms infused with addictive seasoning, the mushroom shawarma is engrossing. We wash it all down with a drink, the Blue Blast. However, no amount of gulping seems to take off the piquant flavour from our tongue. We heave a contented sigh and bid adieu.
From 5 pm to 11 pm. Starts at Rs 80.