On Tuesday night I was invited back to SAJJ Mediterranean in Rancho Santa
Margarita to cover the media event for their new chocolate hummus. Unfortunately I was not able to attend, so my partner-in-crime, Chrissy went for me.
Here’s her recap:
Originally a food truck, SAJJ Mediterranean currently operates two food trucks and seven brick-and-mortar locations in San Francisco (SOMA and FiDi), San Jose, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Rancho Santa Margarita, with an additional store slated to open in Irvine in Summer 2018.
As soon as you walk in you are greeted with a very friendly staff. The menu is a build your own where you pick a protein, grain and toppings. I saw (on Michelle’s review) that she had really liked the pomegranate chicken so I chose the Shawafel, which was a protein and 2 falafel. A falafel is a Middle Eastern dish that is mashed chickpeas and spices formed into a ball and deep-fried. I went the rice bowl and added the eggplant, cauliflower, and tomatoes and cucumber salad.
The menu said you have a choice of hummus, tzatziki, or garlic spread. I asked was it bad if I wanted all three because I can’t choose? The gentleman making my bowl laughed and said no problem a lot of people do. Make sure you add all three! They are all so good and each one adds a different flavor to the bowl. My bowl was huge and I didn’t even add all the toppings. The chicken was nice and full of flavor. The cauliflower was the real stand out to me. You can tell it was roasted off so it was nice soft. The eggplant had also been roasted off and was fairly soft. If you like a more crunchy eggplant it may not be for you. The garlic spread is to amazing I wish they sold it to buy. It is very strong so if you are not a die hard garlic fan like myself you may want to use it sparingly. The hummus was great with the falafel. Each dish also comes with a complimentary bowl of lentil soup.
Aside from the entrée, the main attraction was the chocolate hummus.
It is made with just six ingredients: garbanzo beans, tahini, cocoa powder, chocolate hazelnut spread, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. It is served with homemade cinnamon pita chips.
When I think of hummus I think of a fairly mild taste with a grainy texture. This is none of those things! It has a very similar texture to the hazelnut spread and you get a lot of that in the flavor. It is almost creamy with a just a hint of the grainy texture. It is so light almost like a moose that I could eat this by the bowl full. And, it’s “only 240 calories per 6-ounce container” so I don’t have to feel guilty. I think it would be great with some fresh fruit or even some graham crackers.
National Hummus Day is Sunday, May 13. All locations will be giving our a free sample with any order so if need somewhere to take Mom, Grandma or a special person in your life, I suggest going to any of their wonderful locations. Not only will you get a great healthy meal that won’t break the bank, but you will get to try some amazing food.
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