Unnecessarily Cruel

Cibusts

This post is way way waaaaaaaaaay overdue.  Like two months over-due, so 10Bis - my apologies, you deserve better.

So I clearly had no idea how good I had it till now.

I recently moved jobs, and with this, lunch providers.

I am now a Cibus-ite, and I feel it is only correct to get down on my knees and beg forgiveness of 10bis. If only I had known what a terrible, un-user-friendly, and buggy website Cibus has...I likely would have been much kinder to the 10bis staff - who clearly care much more about their client's user experience.

Below are some screenshots, so you can witness the horror firsthand.

First off, if we want to talk horror - the Cibus website only works with Internet Explorer and Netscape! Yes, you heard correctly NET-FRIGGIN-SCAPE! (Those of you born after 1994 likely have no idea what this compound word means or represents.  I'm sure you understand both words individually - but lumped together...what could this mean?! It's a circa 1993 browser that died even before AIM and ICQ - may it RIP).  A guy in our office uses a Mac - and he hasn't eaten since he got here.  He's literally dying of malnutrition as I write this.  It's a really sad and unfortunate story.

What's more - just when you thought you couldn't find more frames within frames within frames - LO AND BEHOLD.  More frames!  And they're all this dark loop of death - where if you accidentally click on one link - there's NO GOING BACK.  AAAAAHHHHH.

The Superfluous Double Login

The Grotesque UI

And once you click on one of the restaurants - there's also no going back.  There are also restaurants that have NO MENU!!! WTF?!

Overall Experience: -3 

1. All of the restaurants are infinitely closer and the food takes longer to arrive.

2. The UI is the saddest and worst excuse for coding I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing in this lifetime.

3. They don't EVEN GET what's wrong with the website - i.e. shitty customer service that relegates the problem in an Apple-esque manner (minus the cutting edge technology) - "there must be something wrong WITH YOU!".  

It really gives me paroxysms.  And not the good kind.

Baba OJ

10Byte

The reason I haven't really posted anything lately is mostly because I haven't eaten anything new/worth posting about for a while now. I pretty much maxed out on all the restaurants available to order from... so you can imagine how pleased I was to have a new victim.

(And just as an aside, this is the first time I'm posting from the Nexus--so there may be glitches and formatting deficiencies.)

The PLACE: O&J Chicken Grill

The ORDER: Buffalo Wings Lunch Deal עסקית באפלו ווינגס
Buffalo wings with two sides ( baked potato and rice), vegetable salad, tehina, dips of choice (mayonnaise), and home baked bread.

The PRICE: 32 NIS

The DELIVERABLE: In the same way that the schnitzel foccacia was an over-sized schnitzel in an under-sized pita... the home baked bread was basically a small pita. The salad was a bit soggy, the about 10 or so buffalo wings (a respectable amount) were not spicy at all (a good thing to me), and the baked potato was a bit burned (but I happen to like it that way).  Most importantly though the wings  tasted gooooood... with a genuine barbeque taste and the rice was fine enough.

The VERDICT: Nothing mind blowing for 32 NIS, but a good and filling enough meal... and I would definitely order a whole 'nother helping of the wings.

PiNOTi.

I decided - in order to organize matters a bit - to label my posts more systematically.

So starting from this post - you'll know what you're in for.

10Byte

Pinati, it turns out, is above good business sense.  While I have fond memories, and a deep love for their kubeh chamusta - I must say their overall strategic business plan is quite lacking.

I get the whole office (i.e. the whole part of the office that actually listened when I spoke - approximately four individuals) in a Pinati frenzy.  As we come to order I notice, to my dismay, that hummus is not offered as a side to their lunch deal (and how can you eat kebabs without hummus?!).

Assuming this is a minor oversight, as hummus is indeeed priced the same as the other side dish options, I ask them (of course expecting none other than a cooperative reply) - to allow me to order hummus instead of another side dish option.  Our conversation (as with all conversations - this is slightly paraphrased):

Me:  Hi, I see that the website doesn't have hummus as a side for the lunch deal - can I just put it in the comments area?
Pinati Manager:  I'm sorry, company policy doesn't allow this. 
Me: But it's the same price as the other side dishes.
Pinati Manager:  Again, sorry.
Me:  You're aware that all of your competitors do provide this option, and they're cheaper.
PM: Yes, we don't care.
Me:  If I cancel, we're all going to cancel - would you rather lose 120 NIS, than 12 NIS?
PM: Yes.
Me:  Suit yourself.

And we cancelled the order.

The VERDICT:  Priced four NIS higher than Abu Muchta (חומוס פול אבו מוך) and Hummus Sayid (חומוס סעיד)+ unaccomodating = poor business sense and wholly unlikable.

Gezundheit!

A new place opened up on our 10Bis this week called Bishvil HaBriut (roughly translated - For Your Health), and after looking over the menu, it became increasingly clear that food and health are apparently subject to interpretation. Despite the somewhat troubling/misleading name (the last thing we want is a healthy lunch) we decided to order from their, although less healthy, but rather tasty sounding menu.

The whole office pretty much jumped on board (this is only about half the orders...), so we got a nice impression of the entire menu.

The ORDER: Asado in Sweet Sauce with a Side Dish and a Personal Salad אסאדו עגל מתקתק בתנור מוגש עם תוספת לבחירה וסלט ירקות אישי

The PRICE: 30 NIS!!!!

The DELIVERABLE: Hooooooly mooooooly. I think we have a new winner for 2010...first off, they had to process maybe 20 orders from our office (and although this might have been the reason they arrived slightly late) - I have to say the packaging was phenomenal. Each order was individually packaged, with the person's name highlighted - and the packaging of the food was perfect - no spillage.

Onto the food...when ordering they had quite a few interesting choices, it was tough call - from Chicken in Date Honey (Silan), to Chicken in Sweet Chili Sauce, Homemade Kebabs, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Asian Chicken in Carmelized Sauce, Chicken in Curry and Coconut Milk...and the side dishes - Rice, four kinds of mashed potatoes (with fried onion, without, pesto, and wasabi- I took the latter...as I like to be adventurous), mejadra (rice with lentils), bulgur with pasta, pasta...and more (can't remember everything). A really diverse menu, to say the least - for a really ridiculous price.

First off, the dish itself was humongous.  It's hard to gather that from the angle of the picture - but the container was quite large.  It was a hefty portion of meat with an even heftier portion of mashed potatoes (and being a meat and potatoes girl - this made me rather happy).  The asado was soft and well-cooked, and the sauce was great (I think it was a silan-based sauce) - the perfect amount of sweet to salty. The wasabi mashed potatoes were a little strong - but definitely an interesting option (it's lucky I'm a little stuffed up - because it definitely opened my sinuses). The other options - rice/regular mashed potatoes/pesto mashed potatoes/mejadra - were taken by other people and were really liked (the mejadra - got a bit of less enthusiastic review - since it apparently had gratuitous inexplicable lemon pieces in it).

The meurav yerushalmi (jerusalem grill mix) - was also a little less liked - as it was a bit hard, apparently. But the chicken in silan, and the asian chicken in carmelized sauce were a hit.

Oh and the cute little salad on the side was great!  Corn/carrots/cherry tomatoes/lettuce/cabbage - a lot of investment for a small side salad. 


The VERDICT: Impressive. Crazy cheap food that is quite good. Five stars!

For the Love of Yogurt?

Just when I thought this Muesli to Go place was ready to fall on its face and wither away into oblivion...

We get another such place?!

And this place called MyGranola charges[now brace yourself this is going to be hideously painful...] between 38 and 50 NIS for friggin' yogurt?!

I could get a garbage bag full of yogurt/fruit and/or granola for that price - and half a garbage bag full of all of those for that price.

Really? You have to uber-dedicated to yogurt eating to pay 40 NIS for it.

What alternate delusional universe are these people living in?

But then again, anything is possible in Tel Aviv.

(Oh...and hi Lior! Thanks for the popcorn, and for reading!) :-)

Honorable Mentions קצרים

Below is an amalgamation of things I should have posted about long ago. So in no real notable order - kind of like the Torah...

GOOD EXPERIENCE: Adrenaline junkies that we are - on a day that we had 45 minutes TOTAL for our afternoon meal - we decided why order when you can go to the local burger joint?! We decided to head to Black Bar N' Burger בלאק בר נ' בורגר in Petach Tikva - and by the time we parked we had somewhere in the vicinity of 39 minutes for our entire escapade - including the drive back to the office. We notify the waitress of this even before we sit down - saying, if she doesn't think they can uphold the tight timeframe - then we'll order take out instead. Lo and behold - Black like a good challenge themselves. "Bring it on", says she. We told them whatever's ready - bring it out. Also - without regard to any specific chronological order.

Booooooy did they deliver. Quicker than we could eat - (well, me, not the boys) - they had our orders out. Drinks, starters, 2 burgers, and a salad. (Yeah, guess who that was...I know I should be so ashamed I shouldn't even be posting this - but in my own defense, the spouse and I had already planned on big fat steaks that night - and despite being a meat lover - even that was too much cow for my conscience).

WORSE EXPERIENCE: The office decides to order Burger Ranch בורגר ראנץ' this week, and while till now I've been a Burger Ranch refusenik (as a result of a previous bad experience) - I decided to give them another try. We place the order and shortly thereafter they give me a call (below is a short transcript of the conversation):
Burger Ranch: Hi, you asked for the sauce on the side, and that'll be an extra shekel.
Me: Really? But if I had asked for it inside the burger it would be the same price?
BR: That's correct.
Me: Ok, no thanks.
BR: The other burger that was ordered - we don't have sour kraut.
Me: Um, that sucks.
BR: The person who ordered juice, we don't have that either.
Me: Allow me to patch you through to my colleagues.
BR: We don't have any juice.
Colleague A: Ok - then I'd like an extra side of fries instead.
BR: Ok, we'll send juice. (I SWEAR THIS IS ALL FACTUAL).
BR to Colleague B: We don't have any sour kraut.
Colleague B: That's cool. (He's just such a nice guy).

And then after this conversation the meal failed to arrive for nearly another two hours, and this branch is five minutes walking distance from our offices. Huh?

(Just as an aside, the meal itself wasn't half bad, but the whole song and dance before left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Oh and the last bite was burnt. It could've been that too.)


EXCITING NEWS FOR THE JEWS (and any and all other races and ethnicities):
A) So I had initially soured a bit on River when in my last order I had asked for extra sweet potato chip things they put on top of the noodles - and didn't receive any...and then TODAY (drum roll please...) - I discover that for a measly five new Israeli shekels - I can have a whooooole box of 'em! WOOOOHOOO! Gooooo River ריבר! It just gets better and better!

2) Pinati פינתי has come to Petach Tikva - and yes, I have already, had their very lovable Kubeh Chamusta. (And they got rave reviews all around - even from the chicks in accounting who are hard-asses. More than me...if you can believe it.)

iii) The higher you climb the harder the fall. BISIM ביסים ARE POOPIES! (Not food-wise - but service-wise). So they forgot the same chick's order TWICE in one week, and everytime she called them they either 1) accused her of being a pathological liar; or b) told her they didn't have time to deal with her. LAME is an understatement. If you forget a person's meal not once but twice in one week - you had best apologize all over yourself, and offer serious restitution. No, the lame coke you offered does not constitue serious restitution. We now hate you. Demoted.

That's all for now.

Lumus or Humas (No not the disease)

I'm finally blogging again, as I've had an actual vote of confidence in my blog (really this wasn't just another figment of my imagination or a far-fetched fantasy...this actually happened with witnesses and all). I officially have a one precious reader (hi Jishai!)

So I shall try not to disappoint...

Humus Ful Abu Moch חומוס פול אבו מוך

We decided to order from this local joint called Humus Ful Abu Muchta (Ran says Abu Moch is funny enough in and of itself...but I am more partial to the Abu Muchta). I decided to be a renegade and try this place because I had already ordered from Humus Sayid in the past (which I forgot to take pics of - so I no official blog post) - and it was way oily *albeit very good* - so, I figured I'd give this place a whirl.

The ORDER: Kebab Lunch Deal with Two Sides (I took Humus [err, duh] + Rice) עסקית קבבונים על האש עם שתי תוספות
The PRICE: 28 NIS
EXTRAS: 1 Egg (2 NIS), 1 Serving of Falafel [5-6] - (5 NIS)

The DELIVERABLE: While I was ready to get extra excited about the order as it was packaged brilliantly - a phenomenon which has cost Bisim it's place at the top of my list of favorite places to order from...after one too many mistakes with mass-packaging - alas alack, nothing gold can stay apparently. Or it looks better on the hanger or insert any other cliche to the effect of - don't judge a book by it's cover (THERE YOU GO!) (And yes, I am fully aware that the first cliche doesn't actually mean that...but hey, there's a limit to what I can actually remember from the 6th grade).



After opening up my nicely packaged and labeled meal - they had replaced my rice with french fries. Really? If I intentionally ordered rice instead of the obviously better tasting french fries, perhaps there was a rationale to this strange predilection...and mayhap you could have deigned to ask if I had wanted a more healthy alternative. Sheesh (not kebab - no pun intended). On the up side - there was the unexpected pleasant surprise of a pita, pickles and olives, and some freebie salads on side that at least partially made up for the annoying side dish replacement. I should also mention that for 5 NIS the falafel was a nice portion.




The VERDICT: Good food + good price - but CARDINAL SIN of side dish replacement. Eh.


Lucas לוקאס (Again...)

I had been waiting for a Lucas Chef's Special for a couple of months now, at least (is that a little too obsessive? I had literally been checking every day - since I once saw somebody order the dish - and I had missed the boat), lo and behold the fine morning of December the 13th was the moment I had been waiting for.

The ORDER: Chef's Special - Beef Bourguignon - Beef Stew in Red Wine with Root Vegetables, Served with a Leafy Salad, Bread, and Olives and Pickles הצעת שף - ביף בורגיניון - צלי בקר ביין אדום עם ירקות שורש מוגש עם סלט עלים לחם וחמוצים
The PRICE: 29 NIS

Boy had I been waiting for this one - I excitedly tear open the wrapping like a child on the first day of Hanukkah - and no bread. Wah Wah Wah. Game over. How can you eat beef stew with no bread?! I ended up having to eat my meal with a spare laffa (a large flat semi-burned bread) - certainly not the crackly bread I was envisioning. And it wasn't even that good - a disappointment to say the least...not quite worth the wait. It lacked salt - and even tasted quite a bit watery.



The VERDICT: In this case, it was not better to have loved and lost...LAME.

Lucas with the Lid Off

I was really craving a burger when Yom Kippur got out (but couldn't satisfy the urge that evening - so it had to hold off for the next day). My office mates have a tendency to think that Burger Ranch = burger, but I needed a real burger.

So I did the responsible thing, I ordered Lucas.

Lucas should actually be commended - a while back they lowered their lunch deal prices by 22% - and now their 250 gr burger deal is actually quite a bit cheaper than Burger Ranch!

The ORDER: 250 Gram Burger Lunch Deal עסקית בורגר 250 גרם with one side dish (Fries, Israeli Salad, Rice, Mashed Potatoes) - I ordered with Fries

The PRICE: 29 NIS

Special Requests: My friend asked for only lettuce, and they came through. You also had the choice of selecting the degree of cooking - I chose Medium (since I thought Medium Rare wouldn't go over so well in a delivery).

The DELIVERABLE: A nice big burger packaged separately from the fries, and clearly marked with degree of cooking, and special requests. Since it comes from Tel Aviv, and a good couple of hours later - the one perk about ordering Burger Ranch, where it comes hot from the grill - it came cold. This burger definitely blows any burger chain burger out of the water - that is a tasty burger. I also liked that you get a nice little baggie with condiments - with a nice amount to pull you through the meal without having to search the kitchen drawers for extras - and they were Heinz (none of this Osem madness). They probably could have been more generous about the fries, but seeing as I didn't even manage to finish my burger (I know, pathetic), I shouldn't be greedy.

The VERDICT: Probably would have been a better sit in meal, but definitely value for the money, and a good burger in general. Good stuff.

Eat your Vegetables!

I'm aware I'm double-posting but I didn't realize how difficult it is to actually maintain a blog (I was pretty sure at some my point this blog would become self-sufficient).

My friends ordered from a new Asian place - and since nothing really appealed to me on their menu (have I mentioned that I'm picky with my stir-fry?) - I went out on a limb with something completely different.

Tag'in טאג'ין

The ORDER: Lunch Deal Main Dish with Two Side Dishes served with Pickled Vegetables עסקית מנה עיקרית ושתי תוספות וחמוצי הבית

The PRICE: 29 NIS

My CHOICE: Chicken Meatballs with Olives, Buchari (I'm definitely misspelling this one) Ushpalau Rice, and Vegetables

The DELIVERABLE: The packaging was leaky - which I hate, by the time you've gotten the food to the kitchen it's dripped halfway across the office - and then you have that panic attack when you actually have to open the bag and you know it's going to spill everywhere in the kitchen too.

The chicken meatballs and olives were spot on - they tasted just like home - and the meatballs themselves were huge. The rice was fine - a bit dry but edible and tasted good enough - the vegetables were seriously lacking. They were more soup than a vegetable side dish. Now I usually like vegetables - but this was not appealing.

The VERDICT: Filling meal - good enough, when in a bind.

On a completely different note - and on a completely different day - but I figure they still deserve props - my friends ordered from a place called HaTabun VeHamangal - which is the McDonald's equivalent of an Israeli typical restaurant (they're a chain and I think they have one in every city). There are the more generic versions that can be called Mangeliyat HaSteak, Steakiyat HaTabun or any other such thing, and they all usually bring you with your meal a lot of salads and pitas - with free refills.

This place decided that if the customer isn't going to come to them - well hell, they'll bring it to the customer. This was the most insane order I've seen in a long time. (They offered a table and chairs too! But you know there's a limit to what one person can eat.)

SHANA TOVA U'METUKA AND CHAG SAMEACH TO ALL OF AM YISRAEL!

May this new year bring us many good 10Bis meals!

Epiphany.

There has been an annoying phenomenon I've been encountering since my first order with 10Bis.

I'm having trouble finding a place I really enjoy ordering from, and not one that's just good enough in comparison to the other sub-par places. What surprises me the most is that I've ordered many times from a lot of these places from home, and it's been great.

So here is the thought...do these restaurants see a 10Bis order and they think - eh, we can just throw this meal together - no biggie? What is it about a 10Bis order that makes every restaurant fail at the basic task of providing a good meal?

It might be the many orders that come in simultaneously - but really, if they had a packed restaurant would they behave the same way? I'm fairly certain they wouldn't. It's just something in that 10Bis Mark of Cain.

Take the following restaurant.

Ba Li Kooskoos.

The ORDER: The Orange Dish המנה הכתומה - Chicken drumsticks with Carrot, Squash, and Yams

The PRICE: 29 NIS

The DELIVERABLE: I've had this dish tons of times - it's one of my favorite meals. This restaurant sits on the corner of my street. I've ordered this dish from home, and I've had take out. I just don't get it. While it tasted the same. It came with 25% less cous cous, and no vegetables in the soup. This is a place I KNOW can do better than that. It's really disappointing. They've had really low scoring on 10Bis and I've been urging everyone to eat there, since I really did like what I had in the past. And lo and behold, even one of my favorite places was pretty lame. (And I've lost some credibility in doing so...REALLY THEY'RE GOOD I PROMISE!)

Maybe I'm being too hard on these places, but I know that in their heart of hearts - they don't even want to have to work with 10Bis. They want to be one of those restaurants that can forego 10Bis and still be successful. But they can't.

So why not appreciate the customers you have through 10Bis?!

I just don't get it.

The VERDICT: I usually love this place. Good taste - could use a little more umph.

Consistency is Key.

So despite my previous incident, I decided to be a renegade once again. (This could likely have been sheer stupidity - but I like to consider it being adventurous and bold - I may have also seen someone recently eating this dish and thought it looked rather appetizing - but that doesn't detract from my renegadism/ity).

BENTO
The CLAIM: Noodles/Rice Stir Fry with Chicken and Vegetables מוקפץ נודלס/אורז נתחי עוף וירקות
The PRICE: 34 NIS


The DELIVERABLE:
Now this is what stir fry is supposed to look and taste like. The right noodles - not those gross XXXL ones that have the consistency of worms (I know this from watching Man vs. Wild) - it even came with those little sweet potato fry things on top - I love those! And the right vegetables - no extranious corn/peas.




My only complaint is that there wasn't enough chicken - by the time I was halfway through there was no chicken left (and this being one of those times when I didn't intentionally pick out all of the chicken first, and then pout about it later).

I also need to give Bento props for their exceptional branding. I really do like their distinct bags/chopsticks/boxes. It makes you feel like they care about their image, and consequently - their customers. It also gives you this nice fuzzy feeling inside that you know no matter what - it'll always come packaged nicely.



The VERDICT: Good price + good meal + pretty little boxes.

Denied.

So just as a POC (that's a proof of concept for all the non-nerds who read this blog...uhh, who am I kidding really?) of my previous post - note the time the pic below was captured.

That's right 10:10 like clockwork - the site fails to load. I love how you always have one more refresh left in you - just when you think you're all out.

Guess who had to order a lousy salad from a local place that thinks alfalfa sprouts are cutting edge and need to be put in everything (including your soda)?


Just shout it out when you think you know the answer.

So Much for Reliability.

So not only does the current scoring system suck (it'll take a while before the new system actually bears fruit...) - it's completely not reliable.


Why is it that in all of the categories this restaurant has a 4-5 star rating...yet an overall score of 2 1/2 stars?!





Now I'm not the mathematician of the century, but something smells fishy to me.

Conspiracy anyone??

Delicious Self-Torture

I only let myself order Indian food about once a month - because despite the pleasure in the eating, it leaves a trail of destruction in its wake.

Knowing this - I chose to order Tandoori.

The CLAIM: Tika Masala Lunch Deal עסקית טיקה מסלה
Served with a side of rice, lentils, potatoes, and naan.
The PRICE: 30 NIS

The DELIVERABLE:



Although this may not look so appetizing (and the packaging could have been better - their food always leaks) - the taste delivers, and it's definitely a bargain.





My favorite part is the Tandoori surprise. The order claims to come with a side dish of "lentils", but every time I've ordered it's been something else: beans, chickpeas, miscellaneous glop. It tastes good though, so I can't complain.


The VERDICT: Taste is good - can be a bit messy. Brace yourself for a good helping of heartburn after though. The lunch that keeps on giving.

10Bis Fail. D'oh.

So I encountered the 10Byte below on Twitter, and felt I needed to post it.










I really couldn't give a crap what 10Bis is having their period about - if they make a gross error like this - they better get their ass in a cab and personally pick up that Aroma salad. WTF? What gives? You pay for a service - and they just don't provide it. What kind of bullshit is that?

What's 10Bis good for if not to ensure you actually get your friggin lunch. That's their entire job - they don't do anything else.


Just when I think they're getting their act together.

Mission Accomplished

10Bis made the change - along with some other nice GUI changes....and within the week as promised.

It doesn't get better than that!





I just hope it's not on some alternate website that only I'm redirected to - and everyone else thinks I'm nuts.

(I think I'm the first person who used it).

Nothing to Write Home About

So today's lunch was a bit thrown together and last minute - as I only got to the office at 11:00.

I had to order from some local place called the Ass Cafe (I'm thinking they meant Ace - but we won't be sticklers).

The CLAIM: Sandwich Lunch Deal עסקית כריך

A sandwich on rye bread with a drink.

The PRICE: 19 NIS

My CHOICE: Egg Salad Sandwich on Rye with Tomatoes, Lettuce, and Pickles with Coke Zero.

No Special Requests.

The DELIVERABLE: An egg salad sandwich on rye with tomatoes, lettuce, and pickles & Coke Zero.

Pretty simple.

What you see (and what they write) is what you get.

No big news here. I guess it's value enough for the price.

The VERDICT: Could have been worse.

On another note - while it's no brainer that Pizza Hut is the best pizza in Israel - apparently their service level is up to par as well.

Three colleagues of mine ordered the three pizza deal (yes - the boys have an appetite) for 120 NIS.

One of my colleagues - entered peppers for his topping choice - and requested in the comments that they actually top it with Feta cheese as it wasn't among the options, and lo and behold:

They did.

Good job.

Oh, but just as an FYI - this order did come with a suspicious energy drink called "De Puta Madre - 69 Para Siempre". Seriously. Which the Rabbanut approved. I guess their Spanish is a bit rusty. Now that's class Pizza Hut.

And We Have a Winner Folks...Bisim!

10Bis has broken my free spirit. While I previously liked to consider myself open to trying new things...after a few serious debacles, I decided to forego this audacious, brash, rash behavior.

I like to go for a sure thing now.

Bisim is a sure thing. This is the third time I've ordered from there (and although there were two stain incidents with my other meals - which obviously cannot be attributed to them in any way - but annoying nonetheless) I must say I'm a happy camper once again.

The CLAIM:

Caesar Salad with Chicken Breast, Lettuce Hearts, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Onion, served with a roll of choice

My CHOICE: Caesar Salad

Special Requests: Chicken and dressing on the side

The DELIVERABLE: What can I say? They don't disappoint.

From the PACKAGING:

Everything was separated as asked for, and neatly and cleanly packaged - and I got TWO (rather fresh - might I add) rolls! Score!

To the FOOD:

The condensation on the container tells you it's fresh vegetables that came nice and chilled - while I'd have preferred more lettuce hearts (it was mostly regular chopped lettuce) - this was definitely not one of those salads you could have chopped yourself. Nicely cut, attention to the size of the vegetables (onions thinly sliced - as they should be), with a nice freshness to the vegetables. Plus - they didn't add any unmentioned/undesired vegetables. I hate the vegetable surprise.

The chicken as you can see also came warm - which is a tough combination and very impressive - chilled salad plus warm chicken. Definitely earned extra points for that.

The seasoning of the chicken was perfect for Caesar salad. I have a serious issue with places that'll market their chicken salad as a Caesar salad when there's no real differentiator between the two. The chicken is usually grilled the same way on some flat top grill whether it's for a chicken salad, Caesar salad, or grilled chicken breast with french fries. Such is not the case with Bisim - this is the exact seasoning for Caesar salad. (Which may be a complete coincidence - making their chicken salad or grilled chicken with fries taste very similar to a Caesar salad - but since this was my dish, I was rather pleased). The dressing was also just right. Although this was a kosher restaurant - so it couldn't be the traditional anchovy Caesar salad dressing - it was as close as it comes for the kosher version.

The VERDICT: Full stars all around - except for speed - because really even though they arrived earlier than most, it still took two hours. Definitely RECOMMENDED.

The Lag

I definitely agree with the 10Byte below.

Why do establishments, that would never allow such a lag in delivery time for a home delivery, enable this 10Bis phenomenon?

50 mins. (the average delivery time when you order from home) is torture enough when you're hungry - an hour and forty minutes is insane!




That would never fly in any other circumstance - so why exploit people that have their hands tied?

Not cool.

Pre-Breakfast Lunch

As if the constant 10Bis trials and tribulations aren't enough - they consistently want to test your dedication.

For example. Before you've even finished your morning coffee, and have gotten past the daily nausea from the cafeteria in the building lobby that seems to be frying onions at 9 a.m. EVERY DAY...you have to know what you're having for lunch. Because 10Bis really has a great customer retention policy.



Note that all the orders close at 10:30 a.m.

And while you may be thinking - 10:30 isn't that bad to start thinking about lunch - well guess again. You can't really procrastinate - like we all love to do - until 10:30, because their website seems to mysteriously crash EVERY SINGLE DAY at 10:07 until 10:43. So you really should know what you're having by 9:52 - you know so you're not eating fried onions from the cafeteria downstairs.

What gives?