Have Been: Alameen

Ranked as one of Beijing’s top destinations for quality falafel, I had to check out Alameen and see for myself if the rumors rang true.

A beautiful sunny day, I opted to sit outside on their outside patio to enjoy the weather and doubled as a nice place to people watch the groups of Arabic diners coming and going throughout the lunch period. I took that as a promising sign.

To start off my meal, I ordered the Alameen fresh fruit juice combo (RMB 25), which was as refreshing to my eyes as my taste buds.

Flipping through the large menu, the appetizers ranged from various hummus & eggplant salads (RMB 20), falafel (RMB 20), soups (RMB  20), salads (RMB 20-25), sandwiches (RMB 20-25), Grilled Meat Platter (RMB 80), Seafood Platter (RMB 50), Grilled dishes (RMB 45) along with some South Asian cuisine.

We ordered a range of dishes from the highly recommended Eggplant Salad (RMB 20) and Falafel (RMB 20), Mardoof bread (RMB 6), and Grilled salmon (RMB 45) for main course. While the Eggplant Salad lived up to its reputation, I’ve got to be honest and report that the falafel nowhere as good as Biteapitta‘s.  The falafel had a nice crunchy texture, but it was not served warm enough and just failed to meet my expectations entirely. The Grilled Salmon was dry and tough and also came as a disappointment.

While the appetizers stood out, I think Alameen falls short where Biteapitta and Rumi shine among Beijing’s outstanding destinations for Middle Eastern cuisine.

Review of Alameen: 2 Sanlitun West Fifth Road, Behind the German Embassy  三里屯西五街西2号, Tel: 8451-7489

Best Part:

• Appetizers like the Eggplant Salad & Hummus dishes were delicious, complemented by Mardoof bread to dip (similar to Naan bread)

Comments:

• My experience was overall a disappointment all around in terms of the food, presentation, restaurant decor and service, but perhaps I came in with expectations too high.
• The Grilled Salmon was a disappointment as it was dry and tough and definitely paled in comparison to the photo shown on the menu:

vs.

• Wait staff were not able to recommend dishes or explain dishes very clearly
• Restaurant space felt tight (especially inside), decor was mediocre, and bathroom was unpleasant.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 6
• Atmosphere: 4
• Service: 4
• Overall Experience: 5