Amoura - Mediterranean, South San Francisco

713 Linden Ave, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 754-6891
Parking: parking lot
http://www.amourasf.com/
Hours: Lunch opens at 11:30am, Dinner opens at 5:30pm, Closed Sundays

Last Visited: May 27, 2016

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$

Amos, my Mediterranean food expert friend, first told me about Amoura back when they opened about a year ago and in August 2015, we visited and created our own tasting menu for lunch.

After this initial visit, I soon returned for dinner and recently went back for lunch.  I've also had the food for takeout a number of times, but aside from the salad, it's never as good as immediately from their kitchen.

Located in a brick building, you wouldn't expect Amoura to look like much on the inside, but the decor is bright and classic, great for small or large parties.  They also have a bar, but I have yet to see someone sit at it.

I've tried a few things on the menu which changes minimally throughout the seasons.

- Fried chickpeas - During our 2015 visits, both for lunch and dinner, we were given fried seasoned chickpeas as an appetizer.  These were nicely flavored and the frying lightened the texture of the chickpea.  However, gone is this complimentary perk though in 2016.  You can order spiced nuts for $4 though.

- Falafel and Tahini Sauce (6) - Amos told me it's good when there is a lot of green in them.  These were light and had a lot of green.  Based on his expert assessment they're good.  The outside is golden brown and crunchy and you can see the abundance of sesame.  I thought the sauce was just okay though. $6

- Avocado and Roasted Carrots Salad - This is probably my most favorite thing from this restaurant.  With just a touch of black and white sesame, creamy avocado is paired with roasted carrots and persian cucumbers.  The light touch of dill, feta, and olive oil round out this simple salad that tastes oh so good.  Must try. $8

- Smoked Black Cod Flatbread - charred green onion, creme fraiche, dill - The flatbreads are sizable and good for sharing.  While there are several flatbread choices, this is one of their most popular and unique ones.  Depending on the season, you may see sturgeon with the same ingredients in place of cod.  The smoke flavor is pretty strong, but not overwhelming.  All of the flavors pair well together, even if the charred green onion may sometimes be a little too charred, but never inedible.  You do need to enjoy dill though - there is lots of it.  I've tried this one multiple times now. $13

- Grilled Lamb Kebabs - summer squash, cucumber, bulgur, green chutney - The lamb is juicy and did not have a gamey flavor.  There is a lot of squash and bulgur, almost too much compared to the quantity of meat.  $15

- Chickpea Stew - Swiss chard, spiced yogurt - I was hoping the stew would come out piping hot, but according to Amos, it's not unusual for it to be served just slightly above room temperature. The texture of the stew was nice and it was just above room temperature.  The photo shown here is for a half portion (which they kindly split for us when we told them we were going to share all of our dishes).  $16

- Braised Lamb Shank - beluga lentils, chicories, tumeric - The two rib lamb shank is tender and well seasoned, but ever so slightly gamey. The lentils were a little too hard for my tastes, and although I brought most of this home as leftovers, I still didn't enjoy the lentils the next day.  $23

- Special Pizza - Prosciutto, arugula, and egg - This was just okay. The flatbread had the right texture, and the egg, which must have been cooked separately, was cooked fine, but the prosciutto and arugula were put on the flatbread a little too early and had started to dry out a little (you can see how shriveled up the arugula is), so I didn't enjoy the toppings as much. Price unknown.

- Mango Vanilla Mojito (non-alcoholic) - mango, citrus, mint, and seltzer - Refreshing $6

The good: the food is tasty, there is parking adjacent to the restaurant, and the setting is pretty nice for South San Francisco.  Dinner service is a lot more attentive since it's not nearly as busy as during lunch.

The bad: if you're coming here for lunch, it's not one of those places you can go to quickly and be out in an hour.  For our party of four, we were there for over an hour and noticed that a nearby party more than twice our size took even longer to receive food even though they ordered at the same time we did.  We were nearly halfway through our meal before they were served.  This is the largest area of opportunity for them.  Also, it takes a really long time to have them give you a check, even after you ask for it.  They were apologetic during my most recent visit about taking a long time (more than 15 minutes) to bring the check, but it's still rough to wait so long during a weekday lunch.

I recommend trying Amoura, but just give yourself extra time for dining, especially during lunch.