Paramount would have usually gotten 4 or 5 stars from me in the past, but I've noticed the quality deteriorated over the past little while. It's an amazingly well-run business that's been really successful through rapid franchising, so some quality loss is expected. But still, the change is noticeable and I'm hoping the owner does something to fix it.
The location was pretty busy for a weekday lunch so that hasn't changed. The inside is really nicely decorated with a great atmosphere for families that's still very casual. Service can be hit or miss depending on the server, but this time around it was pretty good. Appetizers were great as usual - hummus, tabouleh, and kibbeh are delicious. I almost always get one of the meat platters and got the shish tawook this time. Portion size was still huge (mostly the rice). Considering that it's pretty expensive ($16) for some rice, vegetables, and two meat skewers - it really comes down to the quality of the meat. This time around the chicken wasn't cooked as well as I would have liked and it didn't retain all it's flavour like it usually does on the grill. I'm hoping this was a one-off mistake rather than a new norm because their meat/food really was about the best you could get.
Realistically my family has been coming here for so long (since they only had one location at Dixie) so we'll be back. But if the lower quality in the food persists, there's plenty of new Arabic restaurants that offer a similar experience to Paramount springing up in Mississauga that could be a better alternative.