Ahhh….Israeli and other Middle Eastern-inspired cuisines. It’s definitely the latest “it” cuisine here in the city, and like most ethnic cuisines, it isn’t likely a passing fad. I feel that it’s definitely here to stay (because it’s just so good). In my opinion, once a culture’s food rises out of the mom-and-pop, “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants, you’re THERE. Chinese food arrived some 20 years ago (though unfortunately, many Markham area restaurants seem to be stuck in the 90s in terms of style, but that’s a whole other story). Anyway, recently, my husband and I had the chance to finally have dinner at Fat Pasha, a newish restaurant on Dupont and Spadina.
Hummus and pita
I had been to Fat Pasha before, but it was for a media event. While I had the chance to try some of the restaurant’s food, it wasn’t a proper sit-down meal. I had a chance to look at the menu online before going to dinner, so I had a rough idea of what I wanted. The menu is definitely crazy-looking. In fact, it takes a moment to figure out how things are organized – which ones are appetizers, which ones are mains, etc… – considering its varying-sized fonts and colours. It’s pretty psychedelic looking. However, once one figures it out, they’re set.
Brisket with Aleppo corn salsa
Everything on the menu is meant to be shared and the portion sizes are quite substantial. We had originally intended to order two mains – a meat and a vegetarian – plus a side dish. Our server told us that it would be too much, especially if we were ordering two starters. Fat Pasha’s menu offers three different kinds of hummus, but we opted for the regular. We also ordered falafels and for our mains, the brisket (which comes with Aleppo corn salsa) and schmaltz fried rice (lentils, pistachios and vermicelli). It’s actually very hard to say which item we liked the best – they were all amazing! However, if I had to pick, I’d have to say that the brisket finishes on top. It was extremely tender, easy to pull and the corn salsa was an excellent accompaniment to the dish. The other items are all tied. I have to say, though, that my second favourite dish was something I didn’t order at the dinner. The roasted cauliflower head, which comes with halloumi, pomegranate, pinenuts and tahini, and available in both full and half sizes is absolutely heavenly. The falafels, which we ordered, were good (came with a slice of pickle and onions), as was the hummus and pita. The hummus was just the right texture, with a more than generous drizzle of olive oil and the pita was not just warm, but HOT (as in please be careful kind of hot. Not that it’s a bad thing). I also liked the the fact that there were whole chickpeas on top.
Fat Pasha is worth a return visit. There are plenty of other items on their menu I’d love to try, including their gorgeous Daily Salatin platter (a patron one table over ordered it), the Nutella babka (dessert) as well as their brunch. I hear that the shakhuka is AMAZING.
Fat Pasha is located on 414 Dupont Street, not too far from sister restaurants, Rose & Sons and Big Crow. Fat Pasha’s hours are Monday and Tuesday, 5 PM to “close” and Wednesday to Sunday from 11 AM to 3 PM and 5 PM to “close.” Reservations can be made by calling 647-340-6142 or online through OpenTable.
