Rating: NNNNN
depending on which way your seat faces on the patio at Merhaba (4 Elm, at Yonge, 416-506-1221), a year-old Turkish take-away, you can either take in the touristy row of restaurants along Elm’s side-street oasis or gawk at the geeks who think Yonge Street is still fun street.
This literal hole in the wall — indoor seating: two — dishes up a respectable falafel ($2.99) as well as reasonably priced and amply portioned Middle Eastern fast food.
The salad combo ($3) features a heap of crisp iceberg lettuce, English cucumber, garden tomato, Spanish onion and chickpeas doused with yogurty dressing and sprinkled with spicy zahtar (ground sesame seeds, sumac and thyme).
This salad also makes up half the vegetarian platter, with the addition of a deep-fried chickpea patty, grilled potato wedges, tomato and zucchini slices, skinless eggplant rounds and slivered green pepper over rice. The same salad complements the chicken platter ($5.50) of yogurt-marinated barbecued chicken breast.
4 Elm, at Yonge, 416-506-1221
