How Does Soom Soom’s Sabich Stack Up Against Taim?

I’m no expert on the Sabich, that wondrous vegetarian sandwich that is rich and greasy enough to make even meat lovers rejoice. Taim has certainly gotten the most press for their stand-out version both at their falafel joint downtown and at the ML favorite food truck. And it’s the only version I’ve ever tried.  So I was eager to taste the sabich at SoomSoom, which now has two locations in Midtown and has gotten high marks from Anna for their falafel sandwiches. The sabich at SoomSoom is a little cheaper than the one at Taim and includes unlimited toppings from their salad bar. So it’s obviously a better value, but what about taste?

The Soom Soom sabich comes with potatoes, in addition to the usual hard boiled eggs, fried eggplant, hummus, and tahini. But the rest you have to build yourself. I found this sandwich to not have as many flavors and textures as Taim’s wondrous version. This was just a mess of richness (egg, potato, eggplant) that didn’t have much flavor on its own. I guess the key is to pick the right toppings from the salad bar.

The problem was by the time I had my late lunch, most of the vegetables had been picked over and a few containers were completely empty. I snagged some hot sauce and pickled carrots and cucumbers, which certainly helped with flavor and crunch. I was also disappointed that the eggplant was stringy instead of crisp. The pita bread, however, was soft and fluffy and the hummus at the bottom of the sandwich was nice and tangy.

This is definitely a filling sandwich and with the right combination of salad bar options, you could have a tasty lunch. But on its own, SoomSoom’s version pales in comparison to Taim’s masterful flavor bomb.

SoomSoom Vegetarian Bar,
670 Lexington Ave (btw. 55+56th), (212) 712-2525,
8 West 46th Street (bw 5th and 6th)

6 Comments

  • Because I’m more comfortable asking a stupid question on the internet than in person, someone help me out with the pronunciation. (You know, before I say it wrong while actually ordering.)

    “Sabich” with a short a (saaa-bich) or long a (say-bich)?

  • it’s really sahhhh-beech, with the “ch” not being an english “ch”, but a hebrew one, so like a scratchy ending.

    You can hear it pronounced here at about the 15 second mark.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXR1zJGBBqY

  • I don’t know if Soom Soom’s sabich is any good, but I like it. It’s filling and I love the egg.

    I don’t remember the last time I saw something about Taim coming into northern Midtown, so I haven’t been able to try it. Last time I visited them their lines were ridiculous.

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    Brian, not sure how fair of a comparison since you did not build the sandwich with the same or comparable components that Taim’s pre-configured sandwich has.

    From a well known Israeli Sabich shop, the proper way to build a “sabikh”: “take a pita, spread it with hummus, and stuff it with cucumbers, tomatoes, optional pickles and cabbage, fried eggplant slices, and slices of hardboiled egg, then top it all off with techina, amba (spicy/sweet mango sauce), charif (hot sauce) and additional hummus.”

  • IMO, quality and taste of Taim is much better.

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