Pasha – Finally! Some Quality Moroccan Food in Singapore!
PUBLISHED February 6th, 2012 09:56 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2016 05:00 pm
SADLY, PASHA HAS NOW CHANGED CONCEPT TO LA SCALA, WHICH WE HAVE NOT VISITED YET (OCTOBER 2012)
Ok, let’s be straight up, minus a few (Blu Kouzina, Pita Pan, Anar and a couple of others) Singapore’s Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Restaurant selection is nothing to shout about so I was pretty eager to head over to one of the new players on the scene, Pasha, a purely Moroccan restaurant located at the Sultan Hotel on Aliwal St/Jalan Sultan which opened only 2-3 months ago.
Finally last night, myself, Ms Demeanor and the Mr Sunday 😉 (the man behind the Citynomads website coding) met up for some drinks and dinner. We started off at the ‘Magic Carpet Lounge’ upstairs, which is the lounge/martini bar part of the venue…A very stylish but unpretentious place. The staff were super friendly and Dina, the Bar Manager was keen to show his mixology prowess.
Shown above is Dina in action and two of the creations made: a ‘Cucumber Cooler’ (made with Hendricks Gin) and ‘Sparkling Berries’ (effectively a Strawberry Martini with Grand Marnier and Sparking Wine). Both were decent though I was particular fond of the Cooler..as the names suggest, it was super refreshing and just what was needed after a long, hot walk outside.
After getting in the mood, we headed downstairs to the main restaurant area and with rumbling tummies, ordered our meal. It was at this point that I bumped into Executive Chef Said, a very friendly Chef I had by chance met over a year ago, well before Pasha had opened! A Moroccan-born fella’, my confidence and expectations for the meal instantly grew.
Having spent sometime myself traveling around Morocco, I was pretty familiar with the dishes and was keen to test a few of the traditional favourites. For drinks, to keep in the spirit of things, we ordered a bottle of the 2007 Chateau Ksara Red ($85) – A Bordeaux blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot from the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.
This was my first experience with Lebanese wine (which I have heard a lot about) and I must say I was most impressed. It was an elegant, medium bodied wine with full fruit flavours while still maintaining a subtle, earthy balance. I would definitely order this bottle again.
Ok, so it’s about time I got onto the food… First up was the M’Sharmal Salad ($16, Steamed Eggplant marinated with herbs and spices). Maintaing a smooth texture, the eggplant contained a delicious spicy herb filling which complimented the subtlety of the eggplant nicely. As shown below it was also served with some pita bread and boiled eggs.
Below is the Casablanca Meshoui Salad ($16) which was basically a mixture of salad greens, some soft and flavourful white asparagus and the meshoui, a kind of Moroccan ratatouille. A pleasant salad with good textual combination.
For a third starter, we ordered the the Cod Fish Kebab ($16), which came with some meshoui salad and herbed couscous. Although a small portion, the fish was beautifully well-grilled. Soft in the middle and a cruchy charcoal crisp outer layer.
And finally on round 1, the Mezze platter ($18). Had to be done! How could I resist a plate full of falafel, hummus, stuffed vine leaves and salad? Cannot!
Pretty solid all round. Falafel was very good (bested only by Pita Pan at MBS, sorry guys) and the hummus was creamy goodness. I also rather liked the big slab of the harissa spicy sauce in the middle…Wonderful fresh-made chili sauce is always welcome in this Nomad’s stomach :-).
For the mains, we decided to go traditional and order a lamb tangine (Barkouk Tagine, $28) and a couscous dish. The lamb looked and smelt incredible. It brought me back to Marrakech (THE CITY, NOT the restaurant in Clarke Quay of course ;-). I actually do this sort of cooking at home a lot and it never ceases to amaze me how well prunes, apricots, raisins ans sesame go so well with meat! Pasha’s was very authentic. However, it was not the favourite….the gold medal for me went to the couscous dish…
The Couscous Royale Pasha ($36) was, without a doubt, my top dish of the night. Well cooked couscous coverd in pumpkin, chickpeas and three kinds of meat…nom nom nom. The Merguez sausages were particularly good. What I particularly liked was that the whole dish came with a massive broth/sauce to drizzle (or pour in my case) over the dish…it was superb! It made everything that little bit more moist and the strong flavours combined like a symphony. Very, very recommended!
At this point you might be thinking that we were done… NEVER! Hahaha, we still had room for dessert..(I do have an insatiable appetite after all), and the beat goes on.
Walnut & Pistachio Cake ($15). Mr Sunday really enjoyed this one. I liked it but also found it deceptively ‘healthy’ tasting if you know what I mean!
Personally my preference was for what you see below, the Slilou cake ($15)! According to Chef Said, this cake is usually made as a sort of biscuit traditionally BUT he decided to try it in cake form…And boy was it good. If you like dark chocolate, save room and order this, just image an orgy of pistachio nuts, butter and thick dark ganache chocolate…this is it. It also comes with a healthy dollop of ice cream which accompanies beautifully.
And then finally…a massive pot of mint tea with petits fours (all quite delectable). This Mint tea by the way is the best in Singapore, ’nuff said. Perfectly brewed and a healthy amount of mint (as you can see).. None of this usually Arab St crap mint tea which often involved a glass of hot water and one lonely mint leaf… I’m convinced they cut down a whole plant just for our tea…A perfect ending to a fantastic meal…Mr Sunday is already going back this weekend I hear, and I shall also be returning soon, perhaps to try out their lunch.
Shukran Befez Habibi(s)!
Written by The City Nomad
