Sam's Kabob Room After Gordon Ramsay Makeover

With a new menu and a new modern look, opened back up last week after celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay at the Old Town Monrovia restaurant.

Formerly characterized by an old-world atmosphere that included brick walls with art showing images from across the Middle East and Mediterranean, the interior of Sam's is now decidedly modern.

White tablecloths and the walls were repainted in a bright blue and other box-shaped bright colors and chalk boards now line the walls.

Patch and after the makeover and the differences in the food were stark. A new pared-down menu matches the reduced portions now served and the chefs revamped the presentation of each meal.

A dinner plate previously contained a heaping helping of meat served over rich rice pilaf with a bland hummus and stale pita bread. Couscous now replaces the rice and the meats--which feature new marinades, according to the chef--come on a single skewer. The food is lighter and brighter and flavorul.

The excited staff of the restaurant hope the new look and new menu will bring new customers in.

"Right now I hope everything is going to change in the future," owner Sam Najjar told SGVN photographer Walt Mancini.