Manouche Express Mediterranean Grill — Restaurant in Guelph

Manouche: A Humble beast.

Before I go into describing, the absolute marvel of a meal I acquired at Manouche; I would urge the readers to consider a few things about me as a consumer and a Shawarma Connoisseur. I have lived in 3 continents (including the middle east and northern african region), and chased shawarma wraps all my life. The first bite I had of a Shawarma, was at a heritage hotel in India at age 10, that changed my life forever and I haven't turned back. Also, my Canadian hometown is Ottawa, that has often been boasted as the Shawarma capital of North America by my people. But most importantly, I don't write food reviews, so very my effort here has to speak towards the exuberance of my experience at Manouche.

The restaurant itself epitomizes the phrase 'hole in the wall joint', a humble front, waiting to engulf you in a sensory experience of flavors. True to the narrative of 'hole in the wall' culinary genius; the food at manouche excels in its authenticity, flavor and truly MAJOR points for freshness of ingredients and spices. The sincerity with which the food is prepped speaks to the passion of 'wanting to serve quality'; by the team in the kitchen at Manouche.

My first bite into the mixed Shawarma Wrap at Manouche, and I was transported to age 10, when my mother first introduced me to what then was called an 'Authentic Arabian Shawarma', at the Jehan-Numa Palace Hotel in my home town of Bhopal India.

(And this particular Shawarma had been a top contender, despite of my adventures and many wraps annihilated, even from some of the world famous joints in the middle east)

Quite the Disney's Ratatouille moment if you ask me - when the esteemed food critic takes a bite of said Ratatouille. Not that my novice review here will hold, any such value as that of Anton Ego's in the film.

But transcendence of my experience, has led me to write this essay here, an effort I barely was motivated enough to put in, even when it came to my academics in university. Indeed this is the power of great food; It transports you ! and the experience, dare I say - can be - spiritual.

Needless to say, my wife and I absolutely loved the food. We coupled our order with some fresh & delicious Fattoush salad; and a side order of Crip Fallafel. I am deeply grateful for the decadence of Manouche.

If you haven't been to Manouche, you're missing out.

So go out there and grab yourself a wrap or a platter, some sides; on God, it's all epic food. I seriously can't wait to grab some more after writing this. The wait till they open in 4 hours from now, is a tall order for me. (perhaps not as tall; as the one they are about to get from me hahahahaha)

Cheers ! and all the very best to the team at Manouche :) Y'all Rock. Keep that Gyro grill turnin'

Rock on !

(Oh and perhaps, next time I could get a little cup of Toum/Garlic Aioli style dip, with my order hahaha, sorry about the cheeky request at the...

My daughter and her friends had a stressful day writing exams today. At the end of the day, they were starving and wanted some food. Well they decided to order from Manouche instead of cooking. But today's service and order DID NOT warrant any STARS!! The funny thing is, they ordered their food while I was cooking my meal at home. Just to give you an idea on the length of time these poor girls had to wait for their food ...When my daughter called me, she told me she had just put her order in at Manouche. Well by the time I cooked our family meal, ate it, cleared the dishes and watched half of movie, she HAD NOT received her order. This place took close to 2 1/2 hrs to cook and deliver their meal!!! Can you imagine waiting 2 hrs!!!! During that time they called her to tell her they could not find their home on Google maps or whatever app they use. Plus they called again advising them they had a problem understanding 3 orders of food. Only 3 orders!! So I then called the restaurant to complain how ridiculous it was that the order was still outstanding after 2hrs. The individual on the line tried to put the blame on the customers unclear order, short staff and weather. At first he didn't offer any apologies until I pointed out his unacceptable lack of empathy and customer service for a service that my daughter had already paid. Only then he was sorry yet didn't offer any sort of compensation for the horrible amount of wait time for take-out food! So, the girls finally did receive their order, which was COLD and missing baklava!! Incredible....totally unacceptable!! So apparently this place makes it a habit of...

I went to Manouche for the first time after one of my colleagues told me good things about the place, so it was a visit with a huge expectation. The moment I stepped in, my expectations overturned. The place itself lacked basic cleanliness. The counter and ordering kiosks was dusty. The light fixtures even had spider webs in it. I was alarmed by my first impression. Anyhow, I placed my takeout order. I bought shawarma on rice and poutine. On my way back home, I told my wife about my experience in the store and told her my only hope is on the food we bought and fingers crossed, it would be decent. But my hopes just vanished to thin air when I opened the food containers. Shawarma on rice didn't had enough garlic sauce or tahini added on top making it dry and less enjoyable. The meat was bland and I even think it was undercooked. The poutine tasted better, but again less gravy and cheese curds made it dry. Once the gravy on top was empty within a few strokes, the poutine was so dry and it was just fries from that point. We were not able to finish the portion for both and regret that I listened to my colleagues words. I have had better middle eastern food in Guelph, and I even have my go to place, but I solely trusted the word of mouth and gave it a try which I...