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

The time has finally come that I put up this post. HW has been raving about Jack's Bakery since I met her and I never had the time to check this place out. So on a Saturday afternoon, just for HW, I got up to meet her there. Later on that day I had plans with PK for sushi, so I phoned her up to see if she would like to join us and I'd pick her up. So it turned out to be a girl's day out. HW was already there and in the kitchen! She took this really awesome video of how their Kuftes are made. Once she loads it, I will link it on my site too ^_-.
Since this is like a second home to HW, we were all given a nice piping hot cup of tea. As many of you know, I am not a big fan of teas nor hot drinks. Still, I can't be rude and I am always willing to try new things out so I kindly drank the whole thing. Of course I added tons of sugar, but the tea was very flavorful and packed a heavy cinnamon flavor. Jack was very sweet and didn't charge any of us for the tea since we were guests with HW. =)
They have very colorful menus allowing you to see which dish looks most appealing to you. HW knew what she wanted and has been there many times, it is like a second home to her. lol She chose to order 2 Kuftes. You can order them by the piece. Inside was well-seasoned ground meat and other ingredients. They make the dough into a hollow shell, fill it, and then fried. It goes great with fresh limes.
Another favorite of HW was the Lahmajun, which was like an Armenian Pizza. PK and I tried a bite and we both really enjoyed it. The crust was very thin and had just the right texture. Everything was very well-seasoned and covered the entire crust. The best part was that it only costs $1.50! So of course I added an order after we tried it. Why not!? lol
Last but not least, HW ordered the Spicy Cheese Boyreg. It's a nice thing layer of dough folded to envelop the spicy homemade cheese. This was nice and flavorful. It was much better than the cheese bread we ordered because there were more levels to taste. I also liked that it wasn't as buttery. Did I mention that I love cheese! lol
For our cheese bread, we got the Cheese Manaish. When I saw the photo I had to get it because it seemed like there would be a ton of cheese on it. The dough was a lot thicker on this and there was a good amount of cheese. It was more of a buttery taste that overpowered all else. I wished it was a little more saltier or spicy to give it that extra kick. Still, it was good.
PK and I shared the Shawarma Sandwich. This was different from the regular shawarmas I have had in the best. There are a lot of pickled vegetables inside that give it a different texture and a bite to the whole thing. The meat was flavorful and well-seasoned.
As a pair we tend to try almost everything, haha. We also decided to share the Adana and Chicken Combo. This comes with their homemade Hummus that was very flavorful and packs a great kick. Adana reminded me of a Beef Koobideh, but with a slight different taste since this is Armenian cuisine. The chicken was very tender and flavorful. Everything went great with the Armenian Rice. I mixed in the fresh slices of Purple Onions and roasted Tomato to give every bite a special kick. They give you bread on top that goes great with the hummus.
All in all the food was delicious and Jack is very sweet. He gave all of us free Baklava at the end and asked if we wanted more. I wished they were made with pistachio but they were made with Walnuts. Still, they were flaky and good. Did I mention that they photograph beautifully! ^_- The prices are very reasonable and so much more to try. It's a very cozy and warming environment. Jack is always fun to talk to and I love coming with friends. Did I mention that I have been back another 2x already with HW? haha Keep checking for more about those trips! lol

Jack's Bakery
10515 McFadden Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 775-6773