I had dinner with SO at Pasha, a Turkish restaurant on Thursday night. We were seated shortly upon arrivial. The restaurant is lovely. With its warm red and golden wall, exotic Turkish furnitures and colorful Turkish decorations, we felt like we were in Turkey!
Our dinner started with Cauk and Iman Bayildi. Cauk is made of plain yogurt with diced cucumbers, mint, dill and a touch of garlic. SO likes it a lot. It's a something I could totally make at home. Iman Bayildi is chilled grilled baby egglant stuffed with veggies and pinenuts. The smoky eggplant balanced out the sweetness of onions, bell peppers and tomatoes. It's so divine that I wish it comes in a bigger portion.
For main course, I had Hunkar Begendi. It's cubed baby lamb cooked in tomato sauce with rosmary and oregno, served over charcoal roasted eggplant puree. The lamb is soft and flavorful. SO ordered Tavuk Adana, which is grounded chicken with herbs and spices grilled on a skew. I have to say it's one of the best chicken dish, if not the best I've ever had! SO cut me a big chunk of his chicken. I jokely suggested to switch plate with him. Haha, I love it very much!
We had dessert sampler plate at the end of the meal. The samplers include Elma Tatlisi, Kaymakli Kayisi, Baklava and Cevizli Incir. SO's favoriate is Baklava, which is layered phyllo pastry with walnuts fillings in honey syrup. It's a little bit too sweet for my taste though. My favoriate is Elma Tatlisi, or porched apple in cinammon syrup served with pistachio ice cream. The pistachio ice cream is light and fluffy. It tastes almost like whipped cream.
Besides beautiful deco and delicious meals. Pasha also serves yummy eye candies. lol. That's right. They've got some hot Turkish waiters there. Bonus points for Pasha!
