Walk in to a warm greeting and a sampler of their meats and rice. The owner wants you to try before you buy to make sure you like it, but I think it's a ploy to sell more food. That spit-fresh meat is irresistible and he knows it. Look down and see the juicing trickling from both the chicken and the beef into the colorful rice beneath and feel the fragrance wafting up to sate your senses.
I can't tell which meat I like best. The Beef Plate is the best thing I've eaten this month. Those thin, flame-seared slices saturate the bread above and flavor the rice below. The mendi rice itself is a standout, with a pungent spice mix that is indescribable yet unforgettable for a shawarma noob like me.
Mom makes the Hummus, and it is to die for. The texture is smooth as silk.
Share a Shawarma too if you can. This one is filled with juicy chicken and the most exquisite pickles.
And this one is decadent beef.
Baklava is also made fresh, and those crispy layers are filled with nuts and soaked with honey.
A small shop in yet another nondescript Gardena strip mall, 3 miles from my Lawndale home. It's an easy drive but an unpleasant one, down the ugliest stretch of Rosecrans. But it's a small price to pay for what's on the other end, and I'd make it every day if I could.
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