17-160 Meadowood Dr
204-421-7770
Sunday & Holidays: 12pm - 8pm
When I pop into a plain facaded storefront in an out-of-the-way strip mall, this is exactly what I hope to find: a simple, small operation that puts out fantastic food. Lamar Donair & Burger sits in a tiny outlet in the string of strip malls that face St Vital Centre. I must have driven by here hundreds of times and I never noticed them until now.
You can get great Middle Eastern food in Winnipeg (to name a few):
Alibaba Turkish Restaurant
Shawarma Khan
but right now, if I had to pick one, I would take Lamar. The food here is outstanding.
Right now, during the COVID era, there's no dining-in, and even when things reopen, the tiny dining room would not fit more than a dozen people. Most of their business goes through takeout. When you go onto their website, you find that you can order for pickup or delivery. At first glance, it looks like it is a proprietor-run site. Then scrolling down to the fine print at the bottom, you see that it is powered by Door Dash. Whereas Skip the Dishes flashes their brand all over the screen, Door Dash has caught on that people do not want to pay their unfair, gouging practices.
Skip the Dishes charges 30%, cut right from the profit of
the restaurant; Door Dash/Uber Eats etc. are not far behind in charges--that’s in addition to what they charge you as the end consumer
for delivery. In these troubled times,
when we think we’re doing small businesses some good by ordering in, all the
profit goes into the pockets of the greedy delivery folks while the restaurant is left
with next to nothing. I want to support the
restaurant; I want them to get the profits.
I don’t want the greedy transnationals to pour more $millions into
their pockets. Even if you pick it up yourself, just because you used the delivery's online payment system, they still take the percentage cut off the top. Just avoid them all together--pick up the phone and call the restaurant directly. Let 100% of your money go to the hardworking folks who make your food.
Onto the food--the shawarmas and the donairs are a la carte, so you get to choose your own fillings. Toppings include: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, parsley, pickled cucumbers, pickled turnips, banana peppers, sliced olives, and for a small premium: Kalamata olives, mushrooms, feta (fay-tah pronounce it correctly please) or Mozza. Equally diverse, you can choose sauces from: garlic, sweet, Tzatziki, Lamar Burger sauce, hot sauce, hummus, or tahini. You can also order extra meat for a surcharge. The simple explanation: shawarmas come with chicken and donairs come with beef; what you see in the photo is the half-and-half.
As you can see on the photo, the left side has big slices of beef, smothered in the sauces and toppings I choose. Traditionally, Middle Eastern chefs cook donair (pronounced donner) on a vertical rotisserie, slicing off pieces as it continues to cook. Often, the beef tastes overcooked and dry because outside of the slab always turns into the heat.
Look again at the photo and notice the beef: it glistens with moisture and tenderness. Nothing comes overcooked here. By itself, the beef tastes a little salty, meaning you should eat it accompanied with the other goodies, rather than solo.
The chicken on the other half comes equally moist and perfectly cooked (and also a tad on the salty side). Edge pieces have nice, blackened sear, while the inside stays just done. This bird saw serious heat before being presented with a lovely caramelised crust and soft insides. This donair/shawarma tastes ridiculously good.
If you choose, you can also put any of the mains on a platter, coming with rice, hummus, garlic sauce, salad and pita on the side.
If you want to Canadianise it, you can top your mains onto poutine, made with thick-cut fries, gravy and white cheddar curds. I am as adventurous as they come with new ideas, novel combinations, and outrageous fusions, but sometimes, the millennia-old tried-and-trues are the best. Honestly, just put this goodness onto the lovely rice. This clash of flavours just does not work well. I ended up breaking the fries and gravy away from the chicken and beef, isolating their great flavours to themselves.
Have a look at the beautiful patty, seared over scorching heat and bearing the coveted grill marks. It tastes every bit as good as it looks, caramelised on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside. Now look at the other half of this impressive burger:
Again, you see the fresh and crisp choice of toppings, generous slices of donair beef, and the ooey-gooey good sauce. Now take a peek at this monster in its whole form:
When it comes to gourmet burgers, the messier the better, and you do not need to dig in to know that this is going to be one heck of a messy burger to eat. And I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of it!
Lamar Donair & Burgers is a true gem. If you like Middle Eastern food at all, you must try this place. If you're not, you must try this place--aces all around.
For continuous updates, please follow me on Facebook @RayYuenRestaurantReview. As usual, thanks for reading and good food to you!
Certified Kansas City Barbecue Society Judge – Badge #97736
Certified Steak Cook-off Association Judge – Badge #7788
Canadian Barbecue Society Member
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