Kat's 9 Lives

Be sure to come early and beat the rush. There are a lot of companies nearby so they tend to get filled fast for lunch. You can find tons of executives here enjoying lunch. **hint hint, bring your resume!** lol Ms. Lin and I arrived early for lunch so we got a seat immediately. It's a small quaint place. Keep in mind that the noise level can get high as it gets more and more crowded. The menu wasn't too big for lunch. If you are in a hurry to get back to work, I would recommend that you call ahead for a pick up.
Of course they bring your complimentary bread to start. Ms. Lin and I decided to share the Lahmajun, which is a stuffed Armenian Pizza. Aside from the ground meat inside, they have some fresh tomatoes and onions stuffed inside that add to the texture. They came out folded like a taco. I thought these were just okay when we had it.
For our main course we both got the Chicken Kebab. The difference was that I chose to just get the chicken by itself and Ms. Lin ordered it with the salad. I asked the server what she recommended and she suggested the chicken or I would have thought about getting another dish so that we can try more things. The reason that I didn't get it with salad was that you get an extra piece of chicken by itself and it was 50 cent cheaper. So I thought, "Why would I pay more for salad and lose a piece of meat!" lol Mine was marinated and charbroiled skinless chicken breast that's served on a bed of rice pilaf. For some reason I got the short end of the stick again. My chicken was a bit dry and overcooked. I wasn't too thrilled with my choice... then...
As always, Ms. Lin has the better dish! lol This is one of the rare times that I will say this... I wish I got it with the salad! lol The salad that comes with the chicken is their Gourmet Salad composed of tossed green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, feta cheese, and black olives. This was actually very refreshing and really helped make the flavors pop in your mouth. I stole quite a few bites to enhance my own dry chicken. Ms. Lin was kind enough to share some of her chicken with me. Her chicken was actually moist and I gave her a bite of my dry chicken to see what I mean. They are not very consistent. I would have enjoyed my meal a lot more if I had her dish! =P lol
Since I was not completely satisfied with my meal, I opted to try their Baklava. I am always a sucker for Baklava. Just thinking about the flaky filo dough crust makes me drool. Unfortunately the one they served here was made with walnuts. I am not a big fan of walnuts to begin with. =*( The Baklava was a bit on the sweet side for me though.
All in all it was aiight and I would come here for lunch if I worked nearby too... but only with the salad now. lol The consistency was not the greatest but I think if you get the good batches it would be a nice refreshing lunch. It's $10 for the Chicken Kebab with Salad, which wouldn't be too bad for lunch. I think that would be the only thing I'd get next time. It makes a hearty and healthy meal. The good thing is I have Jack's Bakery down here for great Armenian food too. ^_^

The Armenian Gourmet
929 E Duane Ave
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
(408) 732-3910