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| - Habbouz, a quaint Tunisian restaurant, is to be found in a small parking lot in Phoenix. It's definitely worth the drive if you don't live close by! We were welcomed by the owners as soon as we walked in. Because we had never tried Tunisian food, we were really excited, and even more so after we got in! The owners were great about explaining the menu items and assured us that we'd be having a delicious meal. Being as hungry as we were, we got the Slata Mechouiya right away to start. It was a mixture of green peppers & tomatoes topped with olive oil which was to be eaten with their traditional bread. The closest thing I can think of to what it tastes like is maybe some sort of salsa but it's made with Tunisian spices, so it was very different. Very very good!
We put in our meal orders for the Ajja Merguez and the Chicken Mechoui. They cooked it all fresh, made to order, so it took a little bit of time to come out, however definitely worth the wait! The Ajja Merguez had homemade sausage which was different & more delicious than any sausage I've ever had and the sauce was PHENOMENAL! I would seriously ask for just that in a bowl, topped with a fried egg (which they had perfectly cooked by the way - runny in the middle) and the bread and be very very satisfied! I've never had this flavor before, but like I said, I'd get it all day long!
The Chicken Mechoui which was my dish was weird. There was just something off about the chicken that I couldn't place. It tasted burnt even though the chicken itself wasn't burnt and it was really dry. I did eat the couscous that was around it. I really wanted to get rice but was told the couscous would be worth the try so I went ahead with that. It was fluffy & soft and well flavored. Like I said before though, the chicken which should have been the highlight of the dish was a big disappointment, which is the reason why I'm giving this place 4 stars.
I'd recommend getting the Slata Mechouiya & Ajja Merguez. You won't be disappointed! We'll be back!
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