After a brief hiatus for mock exams (and no we don’t want to talk about how they went) Falafel Friday returns for its second instalment. This week, we visited a student favourite, Al Zain’s, in
the quest to see if it would live up to its reputation.

Priced at a solid £4.50, their falafel wraps are huge and filled with a wide selection of noticeably
fresh salad and choice of up to four different sauces. In terms of the falafel itself, each wrap contained a healthy 4 pieces inside a freshly baked naan bread cooked right in front of us. The
amalgamation of such generous portion sizes certainly demonstrates good value for money.

With so much going on however, at times it felt you were eating more wrap than falafel with the salad and sauce drowning the beating heart of this meal and ultimately, the crown jewel of every
wrap. Equally, this excess inevitably led to spillage perhaps as a punishment from the universe for letting ourselves get so carried away having gone two weeks without our beloved tradition.
Compared to the décor of “Falafel”, from our previous instalment, Al Zain felt at first glance like an interior design upgrade. Walls adorned with wooden planks creating a cozy, cabin like feel,
indoor heaters and TVs all stimulating an interesting mood. The seating arrangements are admittedly strange occupying a narrow space but perhaps it reflects the need to be up close and engaged with the people you share food with. Clearly, they’re doing what they can with a limited space.

As for proximity to college, Al Zain’s exceeds being perhaps the closest establishment on the entire mile making it a convenient location for the on the go falafel enjoyer.
Overall, it’s clear Al Zain’s has garnered a reputation for its shawarma, which is definitely worth the hype, but alas, this is falafel Friday not shawarma Saturday. While there was definitely a top
notch variety of toppings and exceedingly good portion sizes, the vibes somewhat let the food down and sometimes you can actually have too much of a good thing. Shocker I know!
Regardless, it was a tasty and enjoyable experience.

FINAL SCORES:
VALUE – 4/5
TASTE – 3.5/5
PORTION SIZE – 5/5
PROXIMITY – 5/5
VIBES – 3.5/5
OVERALL – 3.5/5