Finally Simsim Mediterranean Grill opened their 2nd branch in Carmel Mountain San Diego. The new branch has a special menu items that aren’t available in their first branch. The new menu include Kebab, Tikka, Kibbeh, Chicken Shish Tawook, and Vegetable Kebab. Chef Ibrahim has been surprising us with his creativity since the day he launched Simsim in Clairemont. His concept is to deliver the authentic taste from the Middle East to the United States and so far it is working very well.
Simsim Mediterranean Grill Carmel Mountain Address: 11640 Carmel Mountain Rd Ste 124 San Diego, CA 92128
Finding the best hummus in San Diego hasn’t been hard since I already know the best Mediterranean restaurant. Simsim Mediterranean Grill offers the best hummus in San Diego. The reason it is the best hummus is because it doesn’t have that aftertaste. The reason it doesn’t have the weird aftertaste is because they sprout garbanzo beans at the store and they never use canned garbanzo. Most restaurants in the US use canned garbanzo, because it is so much easier to make. The Hummus at Simsim is so creamy and yummy, and you can eat it with anything. I dip fries into it, I put it on falafel, and I put it on fattoush salad as well.
I heard there will be special types of hummus at Simsim, but they will be released overtime. There are restaurants that serves the red hummus which is mixed with beetroot to give it that red color. I personally never liked the red hummus, because beetroot isn’t my thing. Also there is the green hummus which is mixed with avocado. I still haven’t tasted the avocado hummus, but will give it a shot when I see it in any restaurant.
At the beginning, I thought I am one of a few that says Simsim offers the best hummus in San Diego, but when I saw the Yelp Elite reviews. I realized that a lot of Elite Yelpers are saying the same exact thing at the Yelp Elite event at Simsim. They are all saying that it is creamy and delicious.
Give Simsim’s hummus a try and let me know what you think in the comment.
If you have ever wondered what is the best Mediterranean or Middle Eastern Food in San Diego, California. Then I have the answer, which I posted a while ago. It has been around 2 months since my favorite restaurant Simsim Mediterranean Grill in San Diego California. The restaurant has been a game changer since the day they opened, because they focused on delivering hotel quality food at street prices. I believe Simsim has a future, especially with the food taste they are offering. I can’t believe they invented something I have never seen before, which is Turkey Shawarma. Turkey Shawarma is something very unique and I haven’t seen it before in any restaurant. Below, you can see some photos of Simsim Mediterranean Grill food.
Once you see all the pictures, you will know that Simsim Mediterranean Grill is a must try, because they already reached their goal of serving the best shawarma in San Diego, California. Try their food out and let me know what you think in the comments section.
Middle Eastern food has always been tricky in the US, because the taste and quality that I search for doesn’t exist. During my trip to Lebanon, I realized that food in the Middle East tastes completely different than the US. The food is really tasty, and you can feel all the spices and fresh ingredients. The Middle Eastern immigrants never brought the real taste from the Middle East to the US. There were a lot of OK Middle Eastern restaurants and for a very long time they were the best available. Today there is a restaurant that is a total game changer in the industry. It is called Simsim Mediterranean Grill and surprisingly their first branch is in San Diego, California. When you first see the branch, the first thing that comes to mind that this restaurant chain has lots of branches, because of how professional the business is being ran. When it comes to design which is really impressive, and it looked very luxury and upper scale. When you first see the design, the first assumption that comes to mind that this restaurant is very expensive, but it isn’t the case. Their prices ranges between $9-$12, which is inexpensive compared to the design and aesthetics of the place. Simsim Mediterranean Grill has an executive chef behind the concept and he is delivering the authentic taste to the US. All their meats are Halal, which is the type of meat that is clean. I kind of see it as Kosher, but another term for the same practice. Now let me tell you about the items I had today.
The first item is the simsim shawarma, which has chicken, pomegranate, diced potato, parsley & garlic Sauce. The shawarma tasted perfectly when I got extra sauce on the side and started to dip. They suggest getting extra sauce on the side for those who like more sauce. The combination of chicken and pomegranate is very unique, and it is really unbelievable. When I ate the simsim shawarma, which is the signature shawarma for Simsim Oustanding Shawarma. I said hands down to the best shawarma in San Diego (Simsim – Chicken & Pomegranate)
The second sandwich we got was the Casual Falafel. It was very tasty sandwich, and again it taste much better when you get Tahini on the side.
The third dish we got was a recommendation and it is called Indulge Feta Shawarma. This dish is very unique and really tasty. I only got the beef & lamb, no chicken.
The last thing which is very interesting is the Hummus. At simsim they call Hummus their Guac, and it makes total sense. Their Hummus is very tasty and goes well with everything, and it doesn’t have that after taste. It appeared that they sprout it in house, and it isn’t canned chickpeas.
simsim is setting a new standard in the food industry, and for now it is the tastiest Shawarma in San Diego.
I was in La Jolla few days ago to visit one of my very favorite stores called Peter Lik to see the new photographs of nature. Once I finished from going to Peter Lik, I decided to grab my very favorite ice cream in La Jolla, which is Bobboi Natural Gelato. I have been going there for many years, but this time I tried a very new flavor that I have never tasted in the past. It is called the Meditteraneo which I believe have pistachio, hazelnut, and almond. I ordered it with a scoop of pistachio, and both were really impressive. The unique thing about Bobboi is that it is very natural ice cream, and I can’t remember any other ice cream place that has the same offering. I highly recommend that you try Bobboi ice cream whenever you get a chance.
I always struggle to find good breakfast places in Orange County. I feel the options are very limited, and none of these options have a special taste. Back in 2013 I found C’est Si Bon Bakery, and since then it was my favorite breakfast place in Orange County. The main reason is because their baguette is freshly baked, and they don’t last long in the oven. Turnover is extremely high, and the place is always busy. As soon as you get the baguette, make sure to press it to hear the sound of the crispy crust. I learned that from the movie ratatouille of how to find the perfect baguette.
What I usually get is the Veggie baguette, and make sure that it has lots of avocados. The other one I get every now and then is the tuna, which tastes amazing as well. None of the times I went to C’est Si Bon Bakery and the experience wasn’t up to standard, they have sustained the quality and experience for a very long time. Make sure you visit C’est Si Bon Bakery to taste the best breakfast in Orange County.
I enjoy going to different ice cream shops whenever I get a chance. For a very long time my number one place in Orange County has been Vitaly Gelato in Costa Mesa. The only flavor I eat at Vitaly Gelato is the Pistachio, and I consider it one of the best in the world. I talked to the owner of Vitaly Gelato few years ago and asked him about the Pistachio gelato. He said that we buy the highest quality pistachios from Italy, and the pistachio ice cream is our best seller.
Whenever you pass by Orange County, try out the Pistachio Gelato at Vitaly.
It has always been a struggle for me to find delicious chocolate in the US, and I am not talking about chocolate bars like Snickers or Twix. I am talking about the type of chocolates that comes in boxes. My favorite ones in the US are Godiva, See’s Candies, and Fannie May. Living in Southern California made my life easy, because I have Godiva and See’s Candies in all of the good shopping malls. In South Coast Plaza, I buy chocolate strawberries from Godiva, then get Vanilla Pecans from See’s Candies. Now my favorite chocolate in the US is Pixies from Fannie May. The quality of pecans is always impressive, and the caramel is extremely fresh. The sustained their quality for a very long time, and not even once I ate their chocolate and got disappointed. I used to compare them with Turtles by Nestle, but the quality isn’t consistent, because sometimes it last on the shelves for a long time. Fannie May, ship their chocolates when you submit an order online and this what creates all the difference.
