Pagkaon--the Foodscapades: Zabadani

I have a new fave place to get my fill of coffee and kebabs: Zabadani!

Ok, lets get the "negatives" out on the table. If you bring a car, you would not appreciate that there isnt a parking space. If you smoke, you would not appreciate that there isnt a smoking area (but really, are there still places with smoking areas in the city?). If you do not smoke, or do not own a car, this is the perfect place for you. And even if you smoke or drove a car, the food and coffee is all worth it. Leave your car and cigarette packs, because you will not be looking for them for quite a while. The food, especially the drinks, will make you forget your name and everything else.

We tried a salad there, and i was pleasantly surprised that it did NOT have dressing Which is a good thing for me because *EEEW* i hate dressing! i hate mayo, i hate vinegar, i hate dressing,

But this salad was pretty good. it did not need any dressing because it was already packed with flavor.

it had onions, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, anchovies , and capers..if i remember correctly. plus feta cheese (i think)

it was really good, and even though it was refreshing and light, the depth of the flavors were complex and layered (much like their drinks)

The owner also gave us some kababs, which was very tender. Im guessing there was potato mixed in with it. not quite sure about that though.. They were spicy (we asked for it to be) and i loved it! I think this is the best kababs ive tried

Plus, we also had beef ribs which almost melted in the mouth. We didnt even have to use a knife, it was so tender, but still maintained its flavor. When other restaurants boast that their ribs are fork-tender, they mean just tat. Zabadani, however, goes a couple of notches higher, and makes the beef almost melt in your mouth

needless to say, it was cooked perfectly well, with some parts being slightly charred (which, in my opinion is how anything grilled should be). I loved it!

but the star of our meal was the layered coffee. this one below is the layered cafe mochaccino. it is gorgeous and probabaly the best mochaccino ive tried recently.u could actually see the layers of chocolate, milk, espresso, and froth

unfortunately, i wasnt able to take a good pic of the chocolate mochaccino. If u are a chocoholic, you MUST try this drink.it is the best! its super chocolaty, im starting to wonder how they make it THAT chocolaty. Its like 10 x more chocolaty than a cup of Swiss Miss, which is what they serve in most coffee shops.