In my childhood in Haifa, a greasy battle was waged between two falafel stands. One crowned itself “The King of Falafel,” and the one across the street was quick to respond with a sign declaring “The King of Kings of Falafel.” The joke was that soon we would see a sign reading “The mother of the mother of the king of the kings of falafel,” and so on.
The shawarma battle taking place on Tuval Street, in the Diamond Exchange complex in Ramat Gan, may not require signs. But when one restaurant, Shemesh, is located at 9 Tuval Street (a strictly kosher branch), and the other, Efendi, is situated directly across the sidewalk at 18 Tuval Street, the question of where it tastes better is unavoidable. We will get to the heart of the matter shortly, served in pita, lafa, or takeaway tray. But first, a few words about the arena itself. It is hard to find a street-food complex like the Diamond Exchange area in Ramat Gan. Bakeries, pastry shops, falafel stands, sabich, shawarma, sandwiches, frikase, hummus spots, and skewer grills almost touch one another along four or five streets.
The competition for the wallets of the many workers, from office towers to garages and workshops that have survived in the area, especially during the lunch break, is fierce. Within this multi-front battle, one of the most intense arenas is between the veteran Shemesh and the trendy Efendi. As a result, we ate at both restaurants a few days apart and sampled the shawarma in both pita and lafa. The conclusions made it clear that there is no competition at all. But wait. First, let’s talk salads and pickles, tahini and amba.
Efendi wins in what is known as “look and feel.” It appears more modern and more inviting. The interior space is smaller than that of Shemesh, but the outdoor seating is more thoughtfully designed. The menu is also more varied and includes, in addition to shawarma, kebabs, skewers, and more. The salad bar is richer, and the self-service utensils, at least on the two occasions we visited, were of higher quality. Apparently, some combination of these factors draws more people to the place, which during lunchtime looks close to collapsing under the load, while at the veteran competitor across the street business feels a bit sluggish.
A closer look at the shawarma reveals that at Efendi the fries are free with the meal for dine-in customers. They are of the softer variety, with more flavor but less crispiness.
Who’s in line?
At both places, payment is made in advance at the register. However, the different layouts of the restaurants cause the line at Shemesh to run mostly outside. This is less than ideal not only in winter rain or under the blazing summer sun, but mainly because a line of just five people is enough to make it look long and discourage the undecided.
But, and this is a big but, huge and decisive, one that knocks the fight out cold: When it comes to the rotating skewer in front of the large oven, there is only one winner. Its shawarma is simply much tastier, whether due to the quality of the meat, the structure of the skewer, or the more accurate use of spices.
The result is clear. There are very few shawarmas around the city that can compete with the “mix” at Shemesh: turkey with veal. The meat is so good that it does not even need the addition of amba or tahini. At most, a small splash of the liquid hot sauce from the pressure bottle.
Size doesn’t matter
And it’s not that there is anything wrong with Efendi. On the contrary. The shawarma portion is respectable, the service is efficient, and at least to our shared taste, its softer fries are better. The variety of dishes is also much wider. Still, we are here for the shawarma, right? We didn’t measure in centimeters, but at first glance the pitas at Efendi seem larger. The price, however, is also higher. A shawarma in lafa, for example, costs NIS 59 at Efendi and only NIS 53 at Shemesh. In pita, it is NIS 43. At both places, a can of soft drink will set you back NIS 12.
Paraphrasing the late Yehonatan Geffen, if we take the fat from the eternal 16th lamb and place it on top of the skewer, we can say that at the end of Ramat Gan there is a special place where one can stand and smell shawarma from both sides of the sidewalk. We will sing shawarma with a full mouth and add: After tasting both, we have a winner in the battle for the sidewalk. We will continue to walk, forever, in the footsteps of the Shemesh.