Fuck Yeah Kebabs!

The Polar Bear is a food outlet on Central Avenue in Oak Flats. It offers a very wide range of foods, kebabs being one of them of course.

Prices:

• Doner: $8.00

• Chicken: $8.50

• Extras: 50c each

Meat-to-LTO-to-Bread-to-Sauce ratio:

I found The Polar Bear’s kebab to be a bit too meaty. It may have just been the way the meat was cut, however I thought the meat dominated the salad and bread. This also led to a bit of excessive oil/grease; additionally contributed by the “generous” serving of sauce on my test kebab. To sum up, overall on taste it was a bit meat-heavy.

The Good:

• Open late-nights and also for lunch/throughout the day

• Offers probably the largest variety of other foods if you’re not in the mood for a kebab (i.e. burgers, pizzas, pasta)

• Some tables and chairs provided (both inside and outside), as well as newspapers/magazines

• Friendly service

• Generally lots of parking, and right out the front of the shop

• Offers KING-size kebabs

The Bad:

• Relatively slow service time, even when not really that busy

• Since the shop offers such a diverse range of food choices, kebabs are not specifically the speciality and hence can suffer quality-wise (unlike some of the other dedicated kebaberies profiled so far)

• Not really close to any late-night establishments; Oak Flats Bowling Club and the Lake View Hotel are a fair walk away.

• Garlic sauce tasted terrible, and it cost extra!

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Dapto Take Away Food Van is located along the Princes Highway just south of the centre of Dapto. It is situated on the same lot as Dapto Tyrepower, opposite a Mobil service station.

Prices:

• Doner: $7.50

• Chicken: $8.50

• Extras: 30c each

Meat-to-LTO-to-Bread-to-Sauce ratio:

The onion was sliced too thickly for my liking, and the meat was quite excessively oily which led to a large puddle of oil and grease at the bottom of my foil sleeve. This didn’t really have too much of a negative impact on the taste of the kebab, however it’s always unpleasant to have too much grease and shit waiting for you at the bottom (which suggests that you just consumed a fair portion of grease that was soaked into the meat).

The Good:

• Generally never really too busy, so adequate car parking options (be it directly next to the caravan; or in the Tyrepower area if it’s already closed for the day)

• Service is surprisingly quick for a kebabery that is usually only manned by one person

• Range of soft-drinks and bottled water is available

• Also offers other hot food options (i.e. hot dogs)

The Bad:

• Not really that close to anything, as the main part of Dapto is a kilometre or two up the road, where there is another kebab shop next to Dapto pub

• As aforementioned, the kebab was quite greasy. Not the most pleasant dining experience

• Garlic sauce is extra

• KING-size is a little small in comparison to KING-sizers at other kebaberies

Overall Rating: 6/10

[^^^Bonus behind the scenes look at how we got a photo/still of Dapto Van Kebabs because we couldn’t be bothered to get back out of the car because it was too cold] 

… we’ll profile The Polar Bear at Oak Flats next time on FYK!

Omar’s Kebabs and Pide is situated on Crown Street east of the Mall, in Wollongong.

Prices:

• Doner: $7.50

• Chicken: $8.00

• Extras: 30c each

Meat-to-LTO-to-Bread-to-Sauce ratio:

Omar’s is certainly one of the best of the kebaberies profiled so far in terms of the ratio.  Have no real criticisms of the several kebabs I have purchased from this Crown Street kebabery. No single component of the kebab overpowers another, which ensures that it tastes great and texture-wise feels great on the palate.

The Good:

• Taste-wise, kebabs from Omar’s are one of the best of the kebaberies I’ve profiled so far

• Open late nights

• In a key central position on Crown Street, with numerous late-night establishments within close proximity of Omar’s (i.e. The Glasshouse, The Ivory, The Oxford [when it was still open])

• Offer a wider range of Turkish foods like pide; as well as vegetarian options and drinks

• Dining-in is available; indoor and outdoor tables and chairs are provided

The Bad:

• Limited car parking options around the shop (this problems’ more of a Wollongong thing; not limited to any specific shops)

• Omar’s can get very busy at certain times of the night

• No KING-size kebabs

• Garlic sauce is extra

Overall Rating: 9/10

… next time we’ll profile Dapto Take Away.

The Pool Unique Cafe is situated in the URAC building on the University of Wollongong’s main campus. It is one of the two kebab-retailers on campus, the other being the De Lish Bar located in the UniCentre. 

Prices:

• Doner: $7.00

• Chicken: $7.50

• Extras: 40c each

• Falafel kebab: $6.50

• Vegie kebab: $6.00 (prices source available here)

Meat-to-LTO-to-Bread-to-Sauce ratio:

I thought that the onion was sliced into strips slightly too thick, which led to what I have dubbed a “teary-eyed” kebab. Also, I found the kebab to be too bready. The meat was delicious though.

The Good:

• Great location on campus if you’ve just come out of the URAC gym after a mad workout sesh or just hopped out of the pool after pulling some laps and need some food

• Offer a wider range of food and drinks for those not so kebab-inclined

• Heaps of indoor tables and chairs

• Never as many people in the URAC building as there is at the UniCentre so it’s normally quicker to get a kebab at Pool Unique than it is at De Lish

• Don’t charge extra for garlic sauce

The Bad:

• Only open until 6pm on weekdays; 3pm on Saturdays

• No KING-size

• Kebabs wrapped in paper inside the foil sleeve; unnecessary as the kebab was not overly soggy

• Kebabs are not the biggest

Overall Rating: 7/10

… we’ll have a look at Omar’s on Crown Street in Wollongong next time.

Kebab Express Cafe 2000 is situated along Cowper Street in Warrawong, on the same block that Bunnings Warehouse and JB Hi-Fi occupy.

Prices:

• Doner: $6.50

• Chicken: $7.50

• Extras: 50c each

Meat-to-LTO-to-Bread-to-Sauce ratio:

Kebab Express Cafe 2000’s ratio was one of the better ones of profiled kebaberies so far. No single component overpowered another and I’m struggling to find any criticism on the taste and and texture of the kebab.

The Good:

• Heaps of off-street parking just behind the shop

• Offers KING-size (and the regular isn’t smaller because of it)

• Offers a selection of soft-drinks

• Also sells some other foods (e.g. baklava)

• Open from before lunch time to late, laaate night (5am Fridays and Saturdays)

• Tables and chairs to dine in

• Friendly service

The Bad:

• Is also reasonably close to other late-night food options (most notably McDonalds) so the dining decision can be difficult

• Kebab was wrapped in paper inside the foil sleeve; not really necessary unless the kebab is heaps soggy (which it wasn’t)

• This one time I got a kebab there, it was almost at room temperature when I got it (this was a one-off, but still noteworthy). Needs to be hotter than that

• Their sweet chili sauce is too hot for my liking

• Charge extra for garlic sauce

Overall Rating: 9/10

… next up is the Pool Unique Cafe in the URAC Building on UoW Campus.

Northbeach Kebabs is situated on Bourke Street opposite the Novotel Northbeach in North Wollongong.

Prices:

• Doner: $7.50

• Chicken: $8.50

• Extras: 30c each

Meat-to-LTO-to-Bread-to-Sauce ratio:

I found Northbeach’s kebabs to be lacking in salad. Additionally the meat was trimmed/cut in quite thick strips. This combination resulted in a relatively “meat-heavy” kebab. On a side note, there was a overly-copious amount of sauce on my test kebab.

The Good:

• Open late nights and early mornings (from 6am)

• Offer a selection of soft-drinks and ice-creams, and a selection of daily newspapers for sale

• Also offer other foods such as burgers if you’re not feeling like a kebab

• Sells KING-size kebabs

• Has a little TV in the shop so you can watch while you wait

• Has an ‘infamous’ knowledgeable table (and chairs) outside

• Very close to a Gong Shuttle Bus stop

• Adequate car parking areas within a close proximity of the shop

The Bad:

• The kebab itself was quite small (most likely because they offer KING-sized kebabs so they can justify making the regular smaller)

• As aforementioned, kebab was “meat-heavy”

• Waiting time can significantly increase if there are several customers being served at the same time

Overall Rating: 7/10

… next week is Kebab Express Cafe 2000 at Warrawong.

The De Lish Bar is one of the several food outlets located in the UniCentre complex on the University of Wollongong’s main campus. It is one of the two food outlets on campus that sell kebabs, the other being the Pool Unique Cafe situated in the URAC Centre.

Prices:

• Doner :$7.00

• Chicken: $7.50

• Extras: 30c each

Meat-to-LTO-to-Bread-to-Sauce ratio:

I felt that De Lish’s ratio was a bit “bread-heavy”. In a positive light this ensures that the kebab is not soggy, however the overall taste can suffer as I found I had taken a couple of bites before I had actually gotten into the kebab.

The Good:

• Good location on campus

• Heaps of indoor seating and tables (although it can be a battle to get a table around lunch time)

• Not just a kebab shop specifically; so obviously you can buy a variety of other foods if you choose to

• Offer a wide range of soft-drinks as well as shakes/smoothies to go with your kebab

The Bad:

• Relatively long waiting times as the De Lish Bar is often quite busy

• Poorly organised ordering system where customers are given a token with a number and then the number is called out when their order is ready (works good in theory however sometimes orders get muddled up)

• Only offer one size (No KING-size)

• The kebabs are relatively small in comparison to other kebaberies profiled

• Only open until 5pm on weekdays; not open at all on weekends

Overall Rating: 6/10

… next week is Northbeach Kebabs.

Sam’s Kebabs is located next to the major intersection of the Princes Highway and Tongarra Road in Albion Park Rail. It’s another one of those classic ‘caravan-style’ kebaberies situated on the same lot as a service station.

Prices:

• Doner: $7.50

• Chicken: $8.00

• Extras: 40c each

Meat-to-LTO-to-Bread-to-Sauce ratio:

I found Sam’s to be overly soggy. I’ll put this down to the tomatoes being kept in fresh water without them being drained properly; obviously this leads to increased dampness. The overall dampness was added to by the sauce, and hence the kebab’s texture was not as good as it could’ve been. I will note however that the kebab was wrapped in paper to help hold everything all together.

The Good:

• Abundant off-street parking

• Open late hours

• Sells regular and KING-sized kebabs

• Drinks are available at the nearby service station, as well as toilets

• As with other service station-based kebaberies, if it’s raining you can stand underneath the roof

• The regular-sized kebab is a decent size (doesn’t suffer from the KING-size’s existence)

The Bad:

• Is very close to McDonalds Albion Park Rail, which can often cause a fast-food dilemma when you want something to eat

• Usually only one person working there so if there’s a line the wait can be long

• Have to pay extra for garlic sauce

• Kebab was a bit soggy

• Could be more generous with the salad

Overall Rating: 6/10

… next week is the Delish Bar on the UoW campus.

Star Kebab House is located on the Princes Highway in Figtree. It’s next to Domino’s Pizza, on the left side of the road if you’ve come from Wollongong/further north.

Prices:

• Doner: $7.99

• Chicken: $8.50

• Extras: 30c each

Meat-to-LTO-to-Bread-to-Sauce ratio:

I found Star Kebab House’s ratio to be reasonable. If any comment was to be made it would be that the kebab I had was a bit on the soggy side, most probably due to the combination of too much sauce and not enough salad. 

The Good:

• Heaps of off-street parking

• Service times are one of the quickest of all the profiled kebaberies; due in large part to Star Kebab House having more staff behind the counter

• Offers a wide selection of soft-drinks (both Coca-Cola and Pepsi branded)

• Some indoor tables and chairs provided

• No extra charge for garlic sauce

The Bad:

• Feels very much like a commercialised ”fast-food” kebabery in that even though the service is quick (a good thing), it doesn’t have that personable “friendly kebabery” vibe that you get at many other kebaberies

• Not open really late

• Right next door to Domino’s so the decision between pizza or kebab is tough

• No KING-size kebabs

• Garlic sauce is not the best tasting

• When I first got the kebab it was overly hot, almost to the point where it was uncomfortable to hold (let alone eat)

Overall Rating: 7/10

… next week is Sam’s Kebabs at Albion Park Rail.