Phoenician Falafel, Kent Tce

The first time I had a lamb shish from Phoenician Falafel, a little Lebanese eatery on Kent Tce, I couldn't stop thinking about it for a week, until I finally gave in and went back for another. Things haven't changed much since then: on Thursday night, I went to Phoenician for dinner; woke up Friday morning with lamb shish in my dreams; by Saturday afternoon I was back there for lunch.

So, the lamb shish ($10). Not your average lamb kebab. Chunks of juicy, marinated lamb, cooked to order over a grill behind the counter, wrapped in a thin but airy pita bread along with lettuce, tomato, gherkins, and just enough hummus to hold it all together - but somehow, all together, it's one of the heavenliest things I've eaten. Thursday's was no exception; although it was E who had ordered it, I found myself sneaking bites almost every time he put it down.

In the spirit of trying something new, I had ordered E's usual, the sojak ($8). This was a few pieces of spicy Lebanese sausage, oblong and flattened a little, grilled to order and served simply with sliced tomato and a generously sized gherkin. Nothing complicated about this one, but the pared-back presentation showcased the flavours of the sausage beautifully. Juicy, with a little crunchy crust, the meat was savoury and spicy with a slow lingering heat and the gherkin and tomato provided a pleasant textural contrast.

So I was smitten, once again, by Phoenician's offerings. It isn't hard to see why I went back, on Saturday afternoon, alone, with lamb shish in my heart but keen to try something new. I'm glad I did: the chicken shawarma ($10) is another force to be reckoned with. Tender pieces of seasoned chicken were wrapped in pita bread with gherkins, salad and tahini. Oh, the tahini! The almost-smoky nuttiness of that sauce combined with the mild yet fragrant spices seasoning the chicken was profoundly wonderful.

Phoenician Falafel also do a pretty damn good baklava ($2.50). It's made with cashews which give it a distinctive flavour, and there's just enough rose syrup to give it a hint of sticky sweetness, though it's far from soggy. Truly swoon-worthy.


Phoenician Falafel isn't your typical kebab joint, and I almost feel it unfair to call it that. You don't get a choice from a long list of sauces or a counter-full of toppings; what you order is what you get, pretty much how the proprietors want to serve it. And, judging by the mouthwatering creations coming out of their little kitchen, they certainly know what they're doing. You may find it strange that for a place with "falafel" in the name, I've only mentioned meat dishes, but I've been so blown away by the quality of their meat-based choices that I keep going back for more. (I do have a vegetarian friend who had a less-than-great experience with their falafel kebab, which I kind of don't want to believe, but will have to check it out for myself soon)

This is not a place for the late-night Courtenay Place crowd seeking an alcohol-soaking feed at 4am (they close at 11pm on weekends). It is the place for those seeking great, unpretentious food in a casual atmosphere (or to take away - there aren't many seats). Check it out. And try the lamb shish. You'll be glad you did.





Phoenician Falafel
10 Kent Tce
Wellington
(04) 385 9997

Mon-Wed 11:30am-9:30pm; Thu-Sat 11:30am-11pm; closed Sun.


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A week of Japanese takeaways: Kita-Q, Lambton Square

I've been spending a lot of time down the Lambton Quay end of town lately, and for the most part I had been eating packed lunches in Midland Park, occasionally grabbing sushi from one of the squillions of sushi shops that have seemingly sprung up in the CBD over the past couple of years. But there's a lot more to Japanese food than sushi.

Enter Kita-Q. I'd seen the sign in front of the Lambton Square shopping complex proclaiming "Japanese Food Take Away" but just assumed that it was yet another sushi shop.

When, out of curiosity, I finally went to check it out last Friday, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no sushi in sight (disclaimer: I love sushi just as much (probably even more) than the next person. It's just refreshing to see something different!). Instead, there was a neatly arranged display of bento boxes, donburi, onigiri, and a small collection of side dishes.

Well, I got a little over-excited perhaps and pretty much spent the whole of this week trying different takeaway lunches from Kita-Q. So much for living frugally and packing my own...

The Japanese pepper leaf onigiri ($2) was the first thing I tried. Cheap, filling (one or two of these would be a satisfying light lunch for me). The sharp, savoury bite of the takana - pickled pepper leaf - was a satisfying contrast in flavour and texture with the rice. As an added bonus, I don't think I've had a takana onigiri since my last trip to Japan over 2 years ago.

Onigiri (also known as omusubi) were one of my favourite grab-and-go foods in Japan. Not to be confused with nigiri sushi, these are rice balls shaped by hand into little triangle shapes (sometimes also circular), with some form of filling in the middle, and usually wrapped in seaweed so that you can pick them up and eat them without rice sticking to your hand.

The salmon onigiri ($2.50) was equally delicious, cooked salmon with a bit of spring onion and just enough of a garlicky sauce to bind it all together. Garlic isn't used that often in Japanese cooking but it didn't overpower the salmon and I found it a really suitable addition.

Onigiri are different from sushi in that the rice isn't seasoned with rice vinegar, just with a little salt or even plain. One time I bought an onigiri in Wellington - maybe from New World - and I had to throw it out because the rice was seasoned as if for sushi. Terrible. Anyway I'm pleased to say these are the real deal. And cheap too!

There were a number of side dishes out on the little counter all priced at around $4. Dashimaki tamago ($4), rolled up Japanese omelette cooked with a bit of soy sauce, sugar and dashi (fish/seaweed stock), was a mix of sweet and savoury, leaning towards the sweet end of the scale, but so good.

Korokke (potato croquette, $4), was another one of my favourite grab-and-go snacks while living in Japan. This one didn't disappoint, the crispy breadcrumb batter encasing soft, smooth mashed potato dotted with the occasional pea or corn kernel.

My container of yakisoba (Japanese fried noodles, $6) was packed to the brim with noodles interspersed with pork, carrots, capsicum and cabbage. These noodles were subtly flavoured rather than drenched in sauce, which is typical of Japanese cooking. To my delight, there was a generous heaping of beni shoga (the red stuff in the bottom left corner) - pickled ginger that's a lot saltier and sharper than the sweet kind that comes with sushi.

On a day when I was particularly ravenous I got the chicken nanban bento ($9). Japanese-style fried chicken was served in a homemade sweet chilli sauce, drizzled with Japanese mayonnaise and accompanied by a little potato salad and plenty of rice.

The chicken was amazingly succulent and juicy, the crispy coating retaining some of its crunch despite all the sauce. I didn't taste a hint of spice in the "chilli" sauce, but it was flavourful enough that I didn't miss it.

I also got the beef yakiniku bento ($9), which came with a hefty portion of beef cooked in a sweet soy-based sauce with carrots, green beans and onions.

When eaten with the rice this reminded me a bit of the gyudon, thinly sliced beef cooked in a similar sauce and served over rice, that I loved in Japan. Mmm...

Katsudon ($9) is also another of my favourites and Kita-Q don't do a bad job of it. A deep-fried crumbed pork cutlet, sliced and then cooked with egg and onion in a sweet dashi-soy sauce, topped a bowl of rice. Perhaps because I picked this up towards the end of the day, this wasn't as mind-blowingly delicious as some of the other things I had that week, but it was still pretty damn good.

I'm a little sad that, now that I'm on holiday, my week of takeaway Japanese lunches is over. But I'm so glad that I know it's there. Everything is reasonably priced, the staff are super friendly, and it's in the perfect spot for having an outdoor lunch at Midland Park.

RATING: 4.5/5




Kita-Q Japanese Takeaway
Shop 6, Lambton Square
180 Lambton Quay
Wellington
(04) 473-2355

Open for lunch, weekdays (and maybe weekends? I'll double check).