Midtown Lunch

It’s always a gamble when you head to any street cart with one item in mind, keeping your fingers crossed they will have it when you get there. I headed to HM Halal on Greenwich (nr. Beach) in Tribeca with the intention of trying the salmon over rice after a rave from lunch’er Mike. And I didn’t really have a back up plan should they not have that one item, so of course when I got there and was told they had already sold out I did the next best thing which was ordering a chicken and lamb combo over rice ($5.50). After all, it had been a while since I’d had the cheap lunch of kings.

There’s not a whole lot in the outer fringe of Tribeca for a reasonably-priced lunch, and not a whole lot of street cart options. HM Halal sits feet away from an Xpress Power Lunch cart but HM seemed to be getting most of the business. Perhaps because of the friendly guys working there?

This was your standard plate of lamb/chicken over rice but I did like the addition of a falafel without even asking. Also, you might want to ask them to go easy on the hot sauce if you get it since it pretty much overpowered my taste buds with its thick, chili-powder flavor. I asked for a little white sauce, and he heeded that request so much that I barely got any. What I should have said was “Yes, but please don’t drown my meat in it.” You eat, you learn people.

Out of the two meats I thought the chicken was better, mostly because the chunks of gyro meat hadn’t been crisped much. The chicken chunks had a nice flavor and weren’t dry at all. The yellow rice was standard, as was the bonus falafel. If I do come back here I’m going to get there at noon to get some of that fish.

This is probably not going to replace my go-to source of chicken and lambo over rice in Tribeca, C&H Halal on Chambers & W. Broadway, but if you’re in the area this is a good deal for a street meat combo.

HM Halal, Greenwich St. (at Beach)