Takeaways have usually been the preserve of the gastronomically undemanding (not to say desperate) late-night feeders, where a visit to any one of these well known establishments allows one to fill up on a dubious combination of cheap protein, even cheaper carbs and a generous side serving of tongue-coating fats.
The economy may be tanking, familiar local restaurants might be going to the wall but the junk food business is positively booming as people seek out cheaper places to ‘fill up’ to stretch the not-so-elastic family budget. Many will go to these places and care not a whit for the nutritional balance of what they are putting in their mouths; convenience and a form of cheap comfort is all they want. But just because money is tight it doesn’t mean you have to eat the bad stuff.
Dori’s is a recently opened takeaway, owned and run by a Lebanese family offering a concept that may well just catch on –good food at a good price. Every morning Dory carefully prepares his food ready for the lunchtime trade, making fresh to order Shaourma meat and chicken, pork or beef souvlaki, and his very tasty grilled minced beef steeped in home-made garlic sauce. The Shish Taouk is a chicken breast marinated in special sauce with mushrooms and garlic paste served with tomatoes, lettuce and pickled cucumbers and it’s a well deserved house ‘special’.
All the wraps can be ordered either light enough in seasoning to just dance delicately across your tongue or fierce enough to offer more of a challenge. Those possessed with suitable oral insulation now beat a path to this place just to have their taste buds put through a Richter scale taste test when they order his chilli enhanced ‘special’ which after being wrapped in the traditional slim sheets of wheat flour becomes a classic Lebanese pitta at its very spicy best. After going for the burn, you can then order a soothing portion of Labneh, strained yogurt with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, mint leaves, olives and olive oil.
Homemade Falafel are another tempting attraction. Chickpeas are first soaked then put through a mincer with parsley, onion, coriander and garlic. They are then formed into balls with the help of a device shaped like a mini mashed potato scoop, these are then fried, drained and best served piping hot with a good dollop of homemade tahini, radishes, tomatoes, parsley and mint. Another favourite is the chicken livers, which have been marinated in a sauce with coriander and garlic, served with salad and pickled cucumbers.
Here, the traditional Lebanese pittas do take centre stage and you can select which filling you fancy from the chill cabinet. One look at the sheer variety on offer does rather put to shame the somewhat bog standard selection from some of our locally owned family kebab houses.
Dori’s is advertised as being ‘The Real Lebanese Taste’ and the owner certainly has that claim confidently nailed with his range of deliciously tasty wraps, but he is also able to offer lunchtime and evening customers his special dish of the day which could be Mo Loukia (green leaves fried with onions and garlic cooked with pieces of lamb, coriander and spices) or a Hummus Kawarmah (diced lamb with pine nuts topped with hummus) or he may decide to go the pastry route with Fatayer parcels stuffed with spinach, onions, pomegranate, pine nuts and walnuts, and come summer we can also look forward to relishing the zinging, herby, lemony loveliness found in the classic Lebanese dish of Fatoush.
Were the food merely decent this would be a pleasing place to come and enjoy lunch or supper, or take away to eat at home or in the office, but the quality of the cooking raises it to a higher level of fast food. Couple that with the spotlessly clean environment and it’s a refreshingly artless eatery unashamedly committed to serving up good quality food with that lovely taste of Lebanon.
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALITY Lebanese dishes
WHERE two doors up from the Electricity board on Tepeleniou St
CONTACT 26 222580
PRICE from €4.50
