In the last 3 weeks, I went for lunch twice at a new Lebanese fast-casual restaurant near Montreal Rd and St. Laurent Boulevard. Malak Al Tawouk replaced an old location of the Circle-K convenience store. Apparently, it was a franchise that started in Lebanon in the 90s. Inside the 3rd location in Canada, you ordered from a counter situated in front of the open, glass-enclosed kitchen. The remaining space had two rows of hard-tops and 4 banquettes for larger groups. On my second visit, the beige-ish seats were already starting to stain.
I dropped by about three Wednesdays ago and looked over the menu. True to their name, Malak mostly offered grilled chicken as a "shawarma sandwich" or a platter. There were also 1 burger item and fries as a side. I opted for the classic platter ($20.99) which consisted of several, tender chicken pieces, pickles, slaw, and pita. It also came with fries. It was a fragrant meal with more than enough for leftovers.
On Saturday, I came back for the a regular sandwich ($13.99) and upgraded to a combo ($5.50). Showing their French colonial past, the drink and fries add-on was listed as a "trio". The second time wasn't quite as satisfying. The fries were still excellent (golden and crispy) and the wrap started out fine. In fact, the lightly grilled pita gave a nice crunch. My mom had skipped the first leftovers because she thought all chicken breast dishes were dry. She had a point as the sandwich turned into a slog to finish.
Overall, the platter was the better meal. It was only $1 extra compared to the combo and you got more chicken. The dryness of the chicken was better balanced by the pickles and slaw. But with both coming in at $26.09 and $24.22 with tax and tip, the price was too pricey for me as a lunch option.
