Continental Express Halal Food – The OTHER Cart on Beaver St
Take-out: Yes Good for Groups: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
3 reviews
Alexa Beck
I don't know where all the halal carts on Whitehall have gone but it's disappointing to be reduced to only a few options.
I stopped by this particular cart after the two I usually frequent were nowhere to be found. I asked for chicken over salad with red sauce and a drink. The two guys in the cart work fast and keep the line moving. My chicken was tender and good but the red sauce had ZERO kick. I'm used to it making me sniffle, nope nothing from this sauce. The salad was also disappointing since it seemed to be mostly lettuce and not much else. Overall, it's a decent place for a quick grab and go lunch but don't expect too much flavor.
One of my biggest fear with cart food is – What if I upset my stomach? Yet, the aroma coming out of food carts, when you are starving, is irresistible. That's exactly what happened with me while passing through this cart.. well, the aroma and the long line got me intrigued about this cart.
The cart is really clean as compared to the other one just steps away towards Broadway.. and at $5 for Chicken Over Rice, you couldn't ask for more. So 3 stars for all this. Unfortunately, the chicken doesn't really have any taste, and they could probably season it a bit more!
Their staff is friendly and they do wear gloves (as compared to the other cart – this guy does not wear gloves – that's a big no for me!)…
Enjoyed my Chicken over rice and did not upset my stomach either!
I always wondered why this food cart always had long lines during lunch. The food must be good, right? So let's check it out. I got on the line that had about 10-15 people in front of me. It moved slowly, at about 1-2 minutes per customer. As I looked behind me, more and more people lined up. I looked inside the cart that housed 3 men: one manning the grill for chicken and lamb, the middle man handling the cash and sauces, and the last man operating the salad, rice, falafels, and other grill for pita bread. There was a huge mound of chicken and smaller mound of lamb on the grill, all of which was cooked. The cook was constantly flipping it, spreading it out to keep all the food heated. I didn't see any holdups, as the salad and cooked yellow rice just came out of bins, and sauces only take a few seconds to squeeze. None of them really seemed to rush, but rather, just took their time. And that's when I realized, that they were probably taking their time to generate the lines. A nice tactic to generate crowds and interest for the cart.
As I waited, I was listening to what people were ordering. Some people asked for bread (pita) which they threw a couple lateral slices of pita on top of people's dishes for free. Another gentlemen asked for vegetables, to which the salad/rice guy went to a different bin that I couldn't see and then an open bin that appeared to be jalapeno peppers(?). As far as sauces, there's the usual white sauce, hot sauce. However, I noticed they also had a super hot sauce (which appeared thicker on the squeeze) and a green sauce. When I made my way to the front, I ordered Chicken over Rice & Salad ($5) with white sauce and super hot sauce. And that was when I confirmed, these guys are just slow. The first guy scooped the rice and salad into the styrofoam tray, closed it and threw it on the counter. After a few moments, the next guy picked up several small tongful's of chicken and threw it on top of the rice. It was as if he was picking apples from a bin, deciding which pieces to give. Most halal carts will throw 2-4 tongfuls of meat on top of the rice. Sauces were next which the 3rd guy delicately and slowly squeezed on top. The three men were nice with big smiles on their faces, just slow. And finally I was on my way.
Opening the tray was the usual assortment. The salad included freshly chopped crisp lettuce with a few pieces of tomato. The salad was plain with no seasoning or dressing except for being dressed with some of the white sauce, what the majority of halal carts typically serve. The chicken was very orange in color, tender, yet slightly dry. With such a strong coloring, I was hoping for some strong spices, but tasted like your usual halal cart chicken. The yellow rice wasn't bad, soft however lacked in any real seasonings. The white sauce is your typical mayo-based sauce. And their super hot sauce was not spicy at all. For those who enjoy spicy food, will easily be disappointed, while casual spice eaters might find their palate ever so slightly excited. Overall, the dish was somewhat plain in presentation, flavors, and ingredients; almost bordering bland. I was quite surprised with the deceptively long lines, but now we know why. If you're in the mood for halal, it will satisfy you, but it won't go beyond that. On to the next cart…..
I don't know where all the halal carts on Whitehall have gone but it's disappointing to be reduced to only a few options.
I stopped by this particular cart after the two I usually frequent were nowhere to be found. I asked for chicken over salad with red sauce and a drink. The two guys in the cart work fast and keep the line moving. My chicken was tender and good but the red sauce had ZERO kick. I'm used to it making me sniffle, nope nothing from this sauce. The salad was also disappointing since it seemed to be mostly lettuce and not much else. Overall, it's a decent place for a quick grab and go lunch but don't expect too much flavor.
One of my biggest fear with cart food is – What if I upset my stomach? Yet, the aroma coming out of food carts, when you are starving, is irresistible. That's exactly what happened with me while passing through this cart.. well, the aroma and the long line got me intrigued about this cart.
The cart is really clean as compared to the other one just steps away towards Broadway.. and at $5 for Chicken Over Rice, you couldn't ask for more. So 3 stars for all this. Unfortunately, the chicken doesn't really have any taste, and they could probably season it a bit more!
Their staff is friendly and they do wear gloves (as compared to the other cart – this guy does not wear gloves – that's a big no for me!)…
Enjoyed my Chicken over rice and did not upset my stomach either!
I always wondered why this food cart always had long lines during lunch. The food must be good, right? So let's check it out. I got on the line that had about 10-15 people in front of me. It moved slowly, at about 1-2 minutes per customer. As I looked behind me, more and more people lined up. I looked inside the cart that housed 3 men: one manning the grill for chicken and lamb, the middle man handling the cash and sauces, and the last man operating the salad, rice, falafels, and other grill for pita bread. There was a huge mound of chicken and smaller mound of lamb on the grill, all of which was cooked. The cook was constantly flipping it, spreading it out to keep all the food heated. I didn't see any holdups, as the salad and cooked yellow rice just came out of bins, and sauces only take a few seconds to squeeze. None of them really seemed to rush, but rather, just took their time. And that's when I realized, that they were probably taking their time to generate the lines. A nice tactic to generate crowds and interest for the cart.
As I waited, I was listening to what people were ordering. Some people asked for bread (pita) which they threw a couple lateral slices of pita on top of people's dishes for free. Another gentlemen asked for vegetables, to which the salad/rice guy went to a different bin that I couldn't see and then an open bin that appeared to be jalapeno peppers(?). As far as sauces, there's the usual white sauce, hot sauce. However, I noticed they also had a super hot sauce (which appeared thicker on the squeeze) and a green sauce. When I made my way to the front, I ordered Chicken over Rice & Salad ($5) with white sauce and super hot sauce. And that was when I confirmed, these guys are just slow. The first guy scooped the rice and salad into the styrofoam tray, closed it and threw it on the counter. After a few moments, the next guy picked up several small tongful's of chicken and threw it on top of the rice. It was as if he was picking apples from a bin, deciding which pieces to give. Most halal carts will throw 2-4 tongfuls of meat on top of the rice. Sauces were next which the 3rd guy delicately and slowly squeezed on top. The three men were nice with big smiles on their faces, just slow. And finally I was on my way.
Opening the tray was the usual assortment. The salad included freshly chopped crisp lettuce with a few pieces of tomato. The salad was plain with no seasoning or dressing except for being dressed with some of the white sauce, what the majority of halal carts typically serve. The chicken was very orange in color, tender, yet slightly dry. With such a strong coloring, I was hoping for some strong spices, but tasted like your usual halal cart chicken. The yellow rice wasn't bad, soft however lacked in any real seasonings. The white sauce is your typical mayo-based sauce. And their super hot sauce was not spicy at all. For those who enjoy spicy food, will easily be disappointed, while casual spice eaters might find their palate ever so slightly excited. Overall, the dish was somewhat plain in presentation, flavors, and ingredients; almost bordering bland. I was quite surprised with the deceptively long lines, but now we know why. If you're in the mood for halal, it will satisfy you, but it won't go beyond that. On to the next cart…..