Damascus Delights Review: Legit Lamb Shawarma And Baklava In Tampines

Damascus Delights has authentic Middle Eastern food at Tampines MRT Station

Owned and operated by Damascus-born chef Abdulhadi “Hadi” Al Saadi, Damascus Delights is known for serving authentic Syrian food. Glowing reviews on Google testify to the quality of their food, with many praising their robust flavours and filling portions.

I’m not the most well-versed in Middle Eastern cuisine, but I can confidently say that I love a good kebab and have been eager to try more Middle Eastern dishes. 

Food at Damascus Delights

The highlight at Damascus Delights is their chicken and lamb shawarma. Shawarma is a cornerstone of Middle Eastern street food, prepared by skewering meat slices to form a big conical structure that’s roasted slowly on a vertical, turning rotisserie. 

While beef shawarma is commonplace at other restaurants, Hadi has chosen to stick with Syrian tradition by serving chicken and lamb shawarma only. Diners can have their shawarma in a few different ways: with rice, in a wrap, with fries, or keto-style with no carbs. 

While all these pairings were enticing, I decided to order their Shawarma Lamb and Rice ($13.50). Apart from the titular lamb shawarma, this dish comes with cooked onions, pickles, diced tomatoes, toum, tahini, and Damascus Delights’ signature spicy sauce atop a bed of turmeric long-grain rice.

For the uninitiated, toum and tahini are common yoghurt-based condiments used in Middle Eastern cuisine. Toum, on one hand, bears a resemblance to French garlic aioli, while tahini, on the other, is made from crushed sesame seeds. 

Here, the condiments are meant to be mixed with the other ingredients, creating a rich, punchy sauce that coats the rice and lamb nicely. 

The lamb itself was tender with a subtle gamey taste that wasn’t too overpowering, while the turmeric rice was generally flavourful and well-cooked. 

Despite not being a big fan of tomatoes, the diced tomatoes here worked with the pickles to provide some acidity that cut through the strong flavours of the lamb and sauces. Similarly, the onions added a touch of sweetness and textural contrast that rounded out the dish. 

Balanced flavours and textures aside, the portion size was pretty generous, with the takeaway bowl being filled to the brim. All things considered, it’s no surprise that this was our favourite dish from Damascus Delights. 

Next is the Shawarma Chicken Wrap ($8.50), which similarly sees chicken shawarma with toum, tahini and pickles, but wrapped in a thin, toasted tortilla. 

The chicken shawarma was properly seasoned and rather juicy, pairing well with the sauces and tortilla. While the wrap featured a generous amount of meat , it lacked vegetables that might’ve given it some variation in taste and texture. Nonetheless, it was a delicious dish that my colleagues and I enjoyed and would order again. 

For dessert, we ordered a Baklava ($5). It was rich, buttery, and extra flaky with a prominent pistachio taste. I hadn’t had this dish before, but my colleagues who are familiar with the dessert commented that this was one of the better ones they’d tried, as it wasn’t too sweet. It also remained crispy even after we left it out for quite some time, which is a mark of an expertly prepared baklava. 

We followed up the baklava with a cup of Adeni Tea ($2.50). This drink is usually made by adding a blend of fragrant spices such as cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, to milk and black tea. It reminded me of masala chai, with stronger overtones of spice. 

I must admit that the spices were a little too heavy for my taste, but I can definitely see this being a comforting drink on cold, rainy days. 

Ambience at Damascus Delights

Damascus Delights is located right below Tampines MRT Station. As it’s a takeaway kiosk, there’s no space to dine in. Thankfully, though, service seems pretty fast, so you can expect to get your food rather quickly and be on your way. 

The verdict

I might not be an expert on Middle Eastern cuisine, but I can certainly recognise a delicious meal. Given the rich and robust flavours of their food, as well as its convenient location, Damascus Delights is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. I must admit that Tampines is a little out of the way for Westies, but I’d recommend it to Easties with no hesitation. 

Damascus Delights is right next to Tampines 1 and Century Square, which are home to many new eateries to check out, including Cafe Bom Bom and Roll Gaadi. Alternatively, take a short walk to Our Tampines Hub and have XXL loaded hotdogs at Super Sub Hotdogs!

Address: 20 Tampines Central 1, #01-24, Singapore 529538
Opening hours: Daily 1pm to 9pm
Tel: 9613 9739
Website
Damascus Delights is a Muslim-owned eatery.

Photos taken by Raelynn Ng
This was an independent review by Eatbook.