To have a good dinner at Yum Yum, a new Middle Eastern restaurant at 4125 S. Howell Ave., you don't need to bring a lot of money, but you might want to bring a hat, a scarf and possibly some gloves.
Yum Yum is located in the former Sahara Cafe spot (before that it was a Boy Blue Custard stand), which wasn't exactly an all-seasons destination. New owner Tarek Fleifel has somewhat winterized his indoor dining area with a permanent structure and bar seating for about 10, but honestly, it's a bit too cold to dine in, at least during winter.
Nevertheless, the food is great and definitely worth a call for carry out. And, if you do decide to brave the elements and dine in, the bowl of complimentary lentil soup definitely helps heat things up until your food arrives.
The main staple here is Middle Eastern cuisine, with a special focus on kabobs (beef, chicken and kafta, which mixed onions, parsley and seasonings into the ground beef) and shawarma, a wrap of shaved meat, tomatoes, cucumbers and tabouli.
For falafel fans, the restaurant is a true winner. The falafel sandwich (a mere $2.99 for a filling pita wrap) comes with pickles, tomatoes and hot sauce, if desired. Surprisingly, it's served with Jerusalem salad, not tahini, in the pita and no hummus, which are standard with this dish. But when the thin pita and soft, savory chickpea balls are fried to perfection, it hardly matters what else is in there.
As authentically Middle Eastern as Yum Yum is (Fleifel and his wife are originally from Lebanon), there also are a number of menu items that cater to those with more of a classic American palate: hamburgers, hot wings, Philly steaks, even broiled tilapia -- they're all there.
We can't attest to how these wings stack up compared to other varieties around town, but we can vouch for other appetizers. The fuul -- a spiced fava bean dip served with warm pita bread -- is a hearty way to begin your meal and the herbed potatoes make a great side dish (even if you go for the burger). And, of course, the hummus and musabana (chickpeas with chilis, lemon, olive oil, tahini and parsley) platters are a fine way to start sampling the menu.
The desserts look equally tempting, including funnel cakes, baklava or kunafa (a popular sweet pastry).
When the weather warms, Yum Yum will probably be a great place to sit and enjoy a meal, either inside next to the ordering counter or on the outdoor patio adjacent to the parking lot. For now, carry out still seems the best bet. The restaurant also offers free delivery for orders of more than $10.
Yum Yum is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and closed Sunday.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
