Charcoal Chicken Appreciation Society

Over the past week Maroun, Matthew and I have constructed a vlog of ourselves trying and comparing what we believe to be the best Charcoal Chicken eateries in Western Sydney being La Mono, Awafi and El Jannah. We sampled the chicken, chips, toum, pickles and bread. However we couldnt come up with an overall winner with each place having its major pros and cons, although we mutually agreed that either of these three restaurants would provide a 'phat' feed. Team Member Contributions: Maroun Ghossain: Camera Man, Driver and Editor Matthew Badrov: 2nd Camera Man and Editor Joachim Subramaniam: Location Scout (Finding the relevant eateries) and Editor Below is our vlog! Enjoy!

Over the past couple of weeks Maroun, Matthew and I have been blogging about the supposed three best Charcoal Chicken Eateries in Western Syndey being La Mono, Awafi and El Jannah. I too have been reading these blogs and decided it was time for me to swallow my pride and make the long, treacherous and dangerous journey to El Jannah. I was promised by Matthew of creamy toum, moist chicken, fresh tabouli, crunchy and crisp chips and most of all fantastic customer service. But how wrong was I. The chicken was so burnt that i might as well have been eating pieces of Charcoal, the toum lacked the kick of 'garlic' which it is supposed to be made out of, the tabouli was dry and tasted as if it was made a week ago and the chips were cold and over salted. However the one saving grace was the pickles, it was sour, salty and had a great crunch to it. These were the best pickles Ive ever eaten. Now you may be saying that my opinion is biased because I have never enjoyed other types of Chic...

Its been about 2 weeks since we started this blog to share our passion and love for the charcoal chicken dining experience/ fiesta. The feud has drawn a lot of attention in regards to the best charcoal chicken eatery in Western Sydney. El Jannah vs Awafi vs La Mono Its been a long journey, many points have been made by each side, the teams have continuously claimed to be the best and the most prestigious, It’s important to realise one thing, we all love charcoal chicken, we are part of the one team, the same team. It has been a fun journey, one where i was able to express my love for charcoal chicken with the best of friends. Tune in for a special vlog that is coming soon... Published by Maroun Ghossain #TeamCharcoalChickenAppreciationSociety

My honest opinion on La Mono & Awafi It is tough to choose which Charcoal Chicken eatery one should visit, but take it from me, El Jannah excels (despite the strengths of Awafi and La Mono) in numerous areas. I am not here to disrespect La Mono or Awafi, but rather be honest in my opinion. I’ll admit openly, I’ve eaten La Mono more times than Awafi, but I can note the flaws of both easily. Awafi simply, is the intermediate of the three Charcoal Chicken shops we’ve discussed on this blog. Nothing stands out for myself, it does its job fine, as well as providing the options of coffee and shisha (flavored smoking through traditional Middle Eastern water pipes) to enjoy post-feed. La Mono, on the other hand, is an eatery I have significant objections to. Firstly, the Chicken, in my view, is the driest of the three. It is inconsistent in its succulence each time I give it another chance. The toum, arguably my favorite piece to the puzzle, is not creamy enough and lacks the ...

When you compare the locations of La Mono to places such as Awafi and El Jannah, it is easy to see why majority of Charcoal Chicken lovers such as myself choose La Mono. La Mono is isolated from other eateries with its easy accessibility by public transport and car, whereas for the other eateries you'll be driving around in your cars for a minimum of 30 mins to find somewhere to park. La Mono distinguishes itself from the other eateries and although it isn't located where other restaurants are it is 100% worth the trip. In fact i hear the tension from the Awafi and El Jannah feud is making more customers go to La Mono! But that's just between you and me ;). By Joachim Subramaniam #TeamLaMono

I still remember the first time i visited an Awafi restaurant. I can remember it as if it was yesterday. So i was out on the town with a couple of boys who only knew El Jannah and La mono when it came to charcoal chicken. What fools. We walked into Awafi only to be instantly greeted by a lovely gentleman that was able to seat us at a lovely table, providing us with the menus and asking us if we wanted to start off with any drinks. YOU NEVER EXPERIENCE THIS AS EL JANNAH OR LA MONO BTW. This made me happy, i mean a business is meant to make its customers happy right?? The charcoal aromas filled the room, I felt welcome, i felt like i belonged!! Welcome to Awafi!! Published by Maroun Ghossain #TeamAwafi

El Jannah tames the Five Senses Sound, sight, taste, touch and smell. El Jannah’s Charcoal Chicken permeates the five senses. Sound – The energy of the restaurant is always at a high. With the cooks working hard to get their quality chicken out to hungry customers. It is a perfect casual and family atmosphere. Sight – At El Jannah, you’ll take in the fantastic indoor and outdoor seating options, the chicken as it’s cooked, the great customer service and the great setting. Taste – I can barely describe how much I enjoy El Jannah’s chicken, chips, toum, tabouli, soft Lebanese bread, pickles and much more. The creaminess of the toum is key, as described by fellow CCAS blogger Maroun in his Awafi blog, toum binds the meal together. The crunchiness of the chips and the perfect seasoning on the chicken. Fantastic. Touch – The food is always at the perfect temperature, whether or not it’s a busy night, the food is fresh. The chicken and chips are crunchy. The bread is...

Charcoal Chicken is the foundation for any good charcoal chicken eatery and La Mono is no different. Whilst other eateries such as Awafi and El Jannah prefer burnt, dry and flavourless  chicken, La Mono takes pride in what they do by letting their chicken marinade overnight in a garlic and lemon based rub that makes my mouth water whilst typing this blog up. They ensure that the Chicken has a crunchy a flavourful texture whilst the chicken is moist and juicy. La Mono also takes pride in what they do unlike Awafi and El Jannah as they like to showcase their chicken to the customer with it being cooked right behind the pay station, showing the customers how fresh and delicious their chicken is. When it comes to the best Charcoal Chicken eatery in Western Sydney, look no further then La Mono. By Joachim Subramaniam #TeamLaMono

If you know the Lebanese culture, you would know that dining is about the whole experience and not just what is placed on the table. I have visited many charcoal chicken eateries in the Western Sydney region and there are many products that most eateries don’t offer that are essential to the whole experience. Awafi, unlike El Jannah and La Mono, offers its customers deserts, coffee and Argileh. This is vital to Awafi’s success. The Lebanese culture enjoys socialising at restaurant locations with a coffee and Argileh which is a smoking device that offers the customer many flavours. I have been to both El Jannah and La Mono and neither of these restaurants have provided the full experience, as the customer that craves an argileh sesh is unable to access it at their eateries.                I have again been able to illustrate the advantages that my beloved Awafi has over any charcoal chicken eatery in West...

The Truth behind the Awafi-El Jannah Feud El Jannah versus Awafi, a feud that is not simply limited to what’s on the plate, but also what happened behind the scenes. Both establishments originated in 1998, seeking to fulfill the cravings for charcoal chicken for the people of Western Sydney. The conflict took place between two siblings, Andre and Samira, whom opened up the original Awafi in Granville, with Samira providing a larger portion of the start-up capital. Considering the nature of the restaurant as a family business, written agreements regarding their partnership were foregone. As conflict arose, so did retaliation, mistrust and allegedly, criminal activity such as arson and attempted murder. Each have tried to drive each other out of business, seeking to dominate the Charcoal Chicken scene. Either way, I know who I stand with and that is El Jannah. I can only imagine though, the success Andre and Samira might have had if they maintained a partnership. Pub...

When people think of  a Charcoal Chicken eatery it isn't normally associated with international locations such as Beirut and Paris. However with La Mono it is. The name 'La Mono' is derived from the many fantastic eateries on the renowned street called 'Rue da La Mono' in both Paris and Beirut. Meaning La Mono comes from some of the best places in the world and has brought that to Australia to provide unbeatable Charcoal Chicken to its vast customer base. The original owners were two brothers who had a desire to show of the Lebanese Culture have done an unbeatable job in showcasing this love passion for Charcoal Chicken. Next time you're eating anything but La Mono, ask yourself, is this Charcoal Chicken internationally renown? #TeamLaMono By Joachim Subramaniam