Quest IV: Fighting with the spicy kebab

As a farewell to a friend visiting from another land, Zahir Kebab serves as a consistent late-night meal. As the world’s leading kebab expert, going to battle with this kebab was one I knew would at least would be met with a modicum of respect.

I knew not the level of spice that would adorn the wrap. To hedge against legitimate spice, we inquired of the fair maiden at the counter if we could add garlic and dill sauces inside the wrap which was met with a resounding but polite “no”. An unfortunate plot twist that likely could have been resolved peacefully had we had proficiency in the local tongue. Alas, dill and garlic were added on the side to serve as a dipping mechanism instead of one fused throughout.

In Poland, the 'spicy' modifier carries a treacherous double meaning: it is either a mild, pedestrian hum or life-threatening liquid fire. The garlic and dill were meant to fight against the latter, and sure enough, it was a fight indeed.

The first bite was a precursor to a long engagement filled with tears of joy and sorrow. Wonderfully spicy and flavorful, the first few bites set the tone and the spicy remained strong throughout. Inside the wrap had a handful of peppers, mainly Jalapeno and red/green bell peppers, all of which added to the kick. This time, the sauce was simply overwhelming in quantity and heat so we found ourselves yearning for less.

The meat was bountiful and tasteful, and added extra liquid to the already swimming wrap. The vegetables on the lighter side meant a somewhat flat wrap as opposed to a circular one with significant heft. When this happens, the golden ratio can be quite off as well due to the lack of mixed ingredients per bite. I found myself tasting more and more of the sauce towards to end of the journey to the point where it would have been useful to remove some to improve the taste and spice level. I am normally a big fan of spicy, but I believe there was simply too much of the spicy sauce and not enough of the other ingredients - the sauce-to-solid ratio was off.

In the end, we left satisfied and eagerly seeking refreshments to bring our scorched tongues back to earth. Zahir has delicious kebabs, but this one in particular is one I will be likely avoiding in the future as the dill and garlic sauces reign supreme.