Dining Scene
Lunch Break: Treats from the grill, Middle Eastern style

By Debra Yuen
TGIF Editor

Tarek Guirguis, owner of Aladdin, holds the shawerma plate, which includes sliced beef, hommus, salad and pita bread. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Opened several weeks ago, Aladdin touts "natural, healthy Mediterranean food," with items such as shawerma (marinated, spiced beef sliced into bite-sized pieces); tarna (marinated, spiced chicken, also bite-sized); falafel (crushed garbanzo and fava beans and split peas, mixed with spices and deep fried); hommus (puréed garbanzo beans with sesame sauce and garlic); and buba ghannouj (grilled eggplant, blended with sesame sauce and garlic).

Everything is under $7. The shawerma plate ($6.95) is a generous mound of beef, sesame sauce, hommus, salad and pepper pickles. It comes with two pieces of pita bread, so you can wrap or stuff items in any combination or just dip into the hommus as you please. Other plates include half a chicken, tarna (each $6.95) or falafel ($5.95).

Eggplant lovers should savor the buba ghannouj ($3.95 for a side order), which brings the essence of the vegetable to its creamy goodness with just the right amount of garlic. The hommus (also a $3.95 side order) is a tangy delight.

Sandwiches ($3.95) feature shawerma, tarna or falafel in pita bread. Each comes with a sauce (garlic or sesame), tomatoes and pickles.

Aladdin owner Tarek Guirguis also owns The Pyramids restaurant on Kapahulu Avenue, where belly-dancing is an attraction at dinner time.

Aladdin is part of Queen's Plaza, land of many little eateries, 801 Alakea St., Suite 112. It's a small place, with just a few tables. Hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays. 585-0707.