North Express

Dec 8, 2020

Koobideh Sandwich $6.99

I think it's official, the man who makes their delicious laffa bread no longer works here...I'm super sad because that was one of the best things about their sandwiches here. 

The wrap was super dry and crumbly and it was wrapped twice to almost make sure that the food inside the sandwich stayed inside. The meat was still good, but it tasted like there was some gamey meat (maybe lamb) inside it today. The sandwich also didn't come with sauce or anything other than parsley and onions - which also made it super dry. Super disappointed on this trip, I wonder if I should give up on this location for koobideh sandwiches now - it's no longer as worth it as it used to be. 

Aug 7, 2020

Koobideh sandwich 

The price went up a little bit and the laffa has changed to a thinner wrap. The sandwich condiments have also changed - they no longer have the eggplant, mushrooms, tabule and other Persian sides for the sandwiches. Instead, they have the regular cucumber, lettuce and tomato - but they do still have baba ganoush and hummus. The sandwich is still pretty good, but not as amazing as it used to be.  

Jan 24, 2019

Huge Koobideh sandwich

(Banana included for size comparison)

Their sandwiches are really good - you can choose all the toppings you want from their counter and it includes items such as tabbouleh, baba ganoush, hummus, sauteed mushrooms and more. 

January 6, 2015

This place has become one of my go-to spots when I'm in the area.

And they finally have a take-out menu! 

I think the prices are a little cheaper than North next door, but I'm not too sure since I've only ever eaten at North Express.

Massive Sandwich for $6.95 (excluding tax)

It's a little bigger than a foot long sub.

So colourful! There's tabbouleh, cabbage, sauteed onions, koobideh (of course), hummus, babaganoush and more in this deliciously tasty sandwiche.

It's definitely got some tangy-ness and a tiny hint of sourness, but it's nothing overpowering and there's so many veggies packed in. Delicious!

November 1, 2014

Chicken shawarma sandwich

Also on a fresh laffa and with all the accompaniments
This time they were much quicker at serving us and preparing our orders. However, I think they haven't quite worked out all the issues with their dry chicken yet because the chicken shawarma sandwich (despite having a lot of sauce from the hummus, babaganoush and tahini) was still really dry. Conclusion: I think the Koobideh is the go-to sandwich at North Express.

October 28, 2014

Ever since I ate at Taftan Kebab, Persian food has been on my mind and I recalled that my coworkers mentioned that there was a place near Yonge and Steeles called North that served really good Persian food. So the next time I was in the area, I decided to grab dinner at North (Shomal). 

We were all set to walk in the restaurant when I noticed that there was a store next to it called North Express serving take-out of the North menu items. They recently opened a few days before we dropped by - so we had excellent timing to try out their new offerings. The menu probably isn't as extensive as next door's, but they had cheap sandwiches and lunch/dinner specials.

Koobideh sandwich on a freshly made laffa

I put a little of everything into my sandwich: marinated olives, eggplant, tabbouleh, babaganoush, hummus, beets, tomatoes and cabbage salad.
And it was all delicious! A little tangy from all the accompaniments which offset the doughy bread and I thought it made the koobideh (which is a Persian minced meat kebab) stand out more.

Chicken Breast Lunch Box
I think this might have been been better in concept than execution. The vegetables were simply steamed and lightly seasoned - but they didn't survive the journey home. Unfortunately, it tasted like they absorbed the smell of the plastic from the container as did the chicken. The chicken was also really dry after the trip home. The only thing intact was the salad.

Overall: We kind of wrote off the lunch box, but the sandwich was fantastic! The service was a little slow, but it's understandable since they recently opened and weren't really sure how to run the take-out counter yet. We will definitely be back for more sandwiches because the koobideh we had was delicious and great value for money. 

Website: http://shomalrestaurant.com/