Simsim opened at the Gateway at Kearny Mesa back in August of 2018, I first visited a couple of months later...….I then just waited a while before visiting again....then wanting just one more visit before posting took my 'ol sweet time revisiting.....I'd been kinda underwhelmed, not at the portions (at first), but the flavors and such. And then the Pandemic hit. I've actually got a bunch of photos from places that I'd meant to revisit or post on. Simsim was one of them. But with the Pandemic; well, I was just going to delete the photos and call it a day. But I'd already had three visits to the place; so, two weeks ago, I decided to just do one more takeout visit...thus the "bc" (before Covid) and "dc" (during Covid) in the title.
So, here goes.
Simsim is located in the same strip mall as one of Cathy's favorites Niban, Elijah's, and the now defunct Souplantation. Much like Tahini Street Food, the set-up is "fast-casual" (i.e. the Chipotle, which by the way is also in this strip mall) model. You order at the counter and pick up your order when ready.
On all my visits the crew here were very nice and friendly.
The menu consists of wraps, bowls, plates, and sides with names like "Authentic", "Simple", "Spicy", "Tasty", and "Pure"...you get it, right?
On my first visit, I decided to just get the Beef and Lamb (the "Authentic"), which at that time was $10, it's now $12.
It comes with a side of standard issue thin fries, which I think could have been fried a bit longer as it got soggy quite quickly. It was nicely seasoned though.
The bread off the sajj was fairly brittle and lacking in a bit of stretch from other versions that I had enjoyed more. In fact, one of my Middle Eastern coworkers said that this is almost closer to a tortilla for a burrito. I also like a bit more slightly charred "crust" on my bread as well.
The amount of meat in this was quite generous, though it is obviously aimed as "food for the masses" (nothing wrong with that) and was quite mild in seasoning...it was also on the dry side and a bit ore chewy than I preferred. The tahini was also pretty mild in flavor as well.
Still, very nice folks.....so, after a couple of months, I decided to return.
I'm still looking for really good falafel in San Diego; so I decided to try the Falafel Wrap($9).
The fries were done a bit better this time around and the "bread" had been toasted a bit more and actually had some nice crisp spots on it.
The falafel was mushy and pasty, and fairly bland...….in retrospect it was a good thing I had this before our trip to Israel and Jordan; because now I dunno what I would say about this.
After this I just kinda forgot about Simsim. Until the beginning of the year. I was kinda craving chicken with garlic sauce, I'd already tried the version at Tahini Street Food and Alforon was much too far away. So, I thought I'd try the version at Simsim. I got the "Simple" - Chicken and Garlic ($10.50) to go.
I quickly noticed that his wrap was shaped differently. It looked even more like a burrito than before! Also, the one thing I was most concerned about was that the fries would not hold up on the 10-15 minute trip to the office. Which turned out to be true.
The wrap itself seemed much smaller than before as was the amount of meat. Though the chicken had a bit of seasoning it was quite dry. The garlic paste was quite mild in flavor and I could have used more of it.
That same coworker I mentioned earlier told me that they don't make the bread for their wraps inhouse....
So, what you read above would have never (or perhaps should have never) seen the light of day. But, looking at all the "bc" photos I was going to delete, and knowing that Simsim was doing takeout during this time, I decided to call in an order and pick it up on the way home to check on Frankie.
They've got outdoor seating set-up right now.
My order was ready on the counter when I arrived. I had decided against getting a wrap this time around and seeing that they had Muhammara as one of their sides; decided on the "Signature Side Plate" ($13). Which came with very standard issue (and obviously not made inhouse) pita.
Of the four items on the "plate" (Muhammarah, Babaganoush, Moutabel, and Hummus), I enjoyed the Babaganoush the most. It had a nice smoky hint to it, great flavor, decent texture. The Muhammarah was decent, slight sweet-sour tones, it could use a bit more nuttiness and garlic for my taste. Not in the same league as the version at La Miche, though not bad. The Moutabal was nice and creamy; though for some reason the eggplant and tahini flavors were quite mild. The Hummus as just plain bland.
This was by far my "favorite" item I've had at Simsim.
The food here, like Tahini Street Food is a fusion take on Middle Eastern Cuisine for the Western Palate. I think I prefer Tahini to Simsim, but you may want to try both on your own. The folks here have always been nice and friendly and Soo seemed to like the place, so perhaps you'd like to give them a try.
Simsim Outstanding Shawarma
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 430-6717
Open Daily:
11am - 7pm
So, there you go......I've got a bunch of photos of one time visits....all from "bc" (before Covid), some from last year already. I'm fairly certain that if I do return to these places it'll be "ac" (after Covid). A few I probably won't return to. And if I do a post; I'll start from scratch and do a couple of visits. I'm not sure if it's worth posting mostly just photos from these visits.
So, what do you think?
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