What I Got: Humshuka Hummus, Falafel Laffa, Chraime Moroccan Fish, The Kitchen Kadaif

Price: $$$

Location: NYC

Review:

Humshuka Hummus – The Humshuka includes fresh hummus topped with shakshuka sauce and one poached egg.  It is served with 2 warm pita from dipping.  Shakshuka is a warm dish made with poached eggs in a tomato, bell pepper, onion, and garlic sauce.  This “Humshuka” is a a fresh, creamy hummus topped with shakshuka.  The shakshuka sauce is delicious and flavorful.  The tomatoes and peppers are fresh and bright while the onion and garlic add great savory flavor.  The sauce melds with the nutty, earthy hummus.  The hummus gives the dish richness and a velvety texture.  The poached egg has a gorgeous golden yolk that oozes into the dish in its rich, sticky glory.  I like to eat this on my own as a meal, scooping up generous heaps of the scrumptious hummus, shakshuka sauce, and egg with the fluffy, warm pita.  It is also an excellent satisfying appetizer to share.  It may be messy, but it is an ultra comforting dish that always leaves me licking my fingers to enjoy every last morsel.   

Falafel Laffa – The Falafel Laffa is a pita wrap with hummus, falafel, chopped salad, pickles, and tahini.  It includes a generous amount of flavorful, moist falafel with the perfect amount of creamy hummus.  The tahini is nutty and subtly bitter.  The chopped salad includes bright, juicy tomatoes, refreshing, crisp cucumber, and herbs.  The best part is the pickles.  They add wonderful briny flavor that cuts through yet compliments the flavors of the hummus, falafel, and tahini.  I love falafel wraps and this one is excellent!

Chraime Moroccan Fish – The Chraime Moroccan fish includes slow cooked salmon in a sauce with sweet, hot red peppers, lemon, cilantro, and garlic served over couscous.  The salmon is incredibly moist and flakes apart beautifully.  The sauce has the perfect kick of spice with a complex blend of flavors.  The peppers are spicy with a hint of sweetness that contrasts from the savory garlic while the bright lemon and cilantro balance out the savory and spicy flavors.  The couscous soaks up the sauce and adds its delicious, nutty flavor and enjoyable texture to the dish.  All the ingredients come together to make each bite flavorful and exciting.

The Kitchen Kadaif – The Kitchen Kadaif includes halva parfait on shredded filo dough topped with halva and silan (date syrup).  The halva parfait is made from sweet cream whipped with halva.  It is airy, incredibly creamy, and perfectly sweet and nutty.  The luxurious halva parfait melds with the crisp, filo dough drizzled with the sweet date syrup creating the perfect contrast of textures and flavors.  While the halva parfait has a nutty, light sweetness, the silan has a deep, caramelized sweetness from the dates.  The dessert is topped with crumbles of halva that melt in your mouth.  I love the flavor of halva, but often find eating it plain to be a bit boring.  This dessert took halva to the next level!