PUBLISHED November 14th, 2013 01:55 am | UPDATED January 20th, 2016 09:06 am
It was with a heavy heart that I saw Pasha, over at The Sultan Hotel close down last year. Frankly, under Executive Chef Said Ibrahim, a Moroccan national, it was the ONLY decent place to get authentic Moroccan food in Singapore. Forget all these places around Arab Street – they are all terrible.
My heart was last week lifted with news that Chef Ibrahim has opened up his own casual Moroccan dining restaurant down in Eunos called Pastilla Café. Having now been down for an indulgent lunch, I am pleased to report that Chef Said and his wonderful Moroccan cuisine is back, and even better than before.
The vibe at Pastilla Café is completely different from Pasha. Don’t come here expecting fine dining, an intricate interior design and elaborate placing. Pastilla Café is very much a casual joint with simple design, furniture and features. Whilst this may not help create a berber-type escape from Singapore, it does however mean that prices here are incredibly reasonable while the quality of the ingredients are still top.
To give substance to this claim, just look at that Mousakka ($13.50!!!!!). This beautiful claypot-filled comfort-food-gorgeousness came bubbling out on to the table. Honestly, if you can eat a whole one yourself I’d be impressed it’s such a big, filling portion. This take on a Mousakka is stuffed with succulent minced lamb meatballs, capsicum, potatoes, tomatoes, melted cheese…even penne pasta! There is a vegetarian option for $12.
The Lamb Tagine ($18.50) is certainly decent. Succulent meat that falls right off the bone into a more-ish spiced sauce. However, of the mains I tried, it was the Couscous Royale ($20.90) which I just couldn’t stop eating. It’s just awesome. Perfectly cooked couscous topped with pumpkin, carrots, lamb merguez and more, and then topped with a beautiful savoury sauce. And for dessert, the Uma Ali ($5) is a superb, sweet ending to the meal.
Pastilla Café may not have the most exciting decor or interior design. What it does have however is excellent, authentic Moroccan food at a price that is incredibly reasonable.