Forget Belly Dancing and Fancy Interiors, Alameen Serves Tasty Middle Eastern Food at Great Prices

The small, unassuming Alameen in the northern section of Sanlitun is vying for the title of Best Middle Eastern Cuisine in the Beijinger’s Reader Restaurant Awards (vote here through March 8), but it also would have been a strong entry in the Best Value category, had it been nominated. A party of two can easily satiate their appetites for well under RMB 150 at this straightforward, satisfying Lebanese eatery and café.
 

We recommend their savoury humus, which comes on a large plate and is priced at an incredible RMB 20. The falafel is also a solid starter, featuring five crispy albeit bland patties (RMB 30). The side of tahini does little to remedy their blandness, so I suggest ordering the humus along with it, which actually serves as a far tastier dip.

For the main course we ordered the Grilled Green Pepper Kebab (RMB 45). Juicy and tender, the kebabs are paired well with the accompanying mildly spicy grilled green pepper. Crafting mini wraps featuring a chunk of meat and pepper along with a smattering of humus on pita bread (which can be ordered at the rock bottom price of RMB 7 for a dozen pieces of palm-sized quarter pita slices) makes for delicious fun.
 

Those who order the Grilled Mushroom Kebab (which also costs RMB 45) might want to ask for a few green peppers to be included, as their kick really completes the dish. All the kebab dishes are served with a side of fries, which seems entirely unnecessary – I’d much rather simply have the pita bread.

Meat lovers will be more satisfied by the Alameen Mixed Grill platter (RMB 100), which sports far more peppery and flavor-rich chunks of chicken and savory lamb alongside its milder beef. This is a heaping dish that will be more than enough for two diners, if not more.

On the veggie side, customers will be tempted by Alameen’s classic leafy green Fattoush (a rock bottom bargain at RMB 25), accented by crunchy morsels of pita bread. The Tabouleh (RMB35) is another fine choice, thanks to the finely chopped sweet parsley that serves as its base. Most enticing of all may be the smoky mashed eggplant dish known as Baba Ghanouj, priced again at a very reasonable RMB20.
 

Alameen more than satisfied our hankering for Middle Eastern fare, and with a price that can't be beat, it's certainly worth repeat visits.

We were also charmed by the decor, which featured Arabic writing on the walls and curvaceous hookahs lining the picture windows, but was otherwise as minimalist, straightforward and on point as the cuisine, making Alameen a sturdy nominee in our restaurant awards race.

Images: Kyle Mullin