Went to Sababa for a lunch date on New Years Eve day. There was no love connection with the date - or the food. My date assured me that what Sababa lacked in ambiance, that it made up for in tasty food.
Sure, Sababa makes their own pitas (they were meh), but to me - this place is not unique, and is not a good example of the complexities that middle eastern food offers. In fact, I am going to say that I found it quite disappointing. The beautiful smells of Pomegranate (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/pomegranate-restaurant-toronto-2#hrid:Ce1hRRyXhGRWruzB-AOrYQ) were not there. The complexities in flavour were not there. I had a kebab, and found it to be - meh. The serving size was not very large, and the entree seemed like it was missing something. It was overwhelmed by rice (that wasn't even warm).
I'll stick with Pomegranate and Sheherzade (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/sheherzade-persian-grill-and-dizi-toronto) downtown.