Category: Brasserie (£££)
Pasha is a posh Moroccan restaurant in Gloucester Road and it unfortunately did not impress me at all. Pasha and my relationship was off to a bad start as its website plays a very very annoying music which took me forever to switch off resulting in me being highly irritated. This would have been already enough to put me off Pasha forever,but I had to give it a chance:I needed a pre-concert restaurant before going to the Royal Albert Hall and Pasha happens to be 50% off on Taste London. So there we go.
Using our taste London card we did not feel ripped off,even though we were not entirely satisfied with the food (yellow light). Paying full price however would have really really hurt (red light).
I have to admit I was impressed when I entered the restaurant. Everything is gold and glittery and beautifully decorated,bordering on kitsch with candles and lanterns and rose petals scattered everywhere. If they had just put the same attention to their food,this would have been a blissful evening. All the dishes however had one thing in common and this was exceptional blandness and I would have happily exchanged kilos of rose petals against a little bit of chili or some seasoning…
Also the waiters did not quite fit into the concept of oriental palace. The young man did his best and was at least friendly,while the waitress was plain rude. There was no ‘please’or ‘would you’or anything else remotely polite but shouted commands starting with ‘lady’. I don’t think she meant to be rude (this is my belief in the goodness of human nature) and she is just in the very wrong job. I would recommend something for her without ANY customer contact.
We received some complimentary olives and bread. Olives were quite nice,the bread was not that great I have to say with one kind being too greasy,the other too dry.
We shared 5 different cold and hot starters between the five of us. I usually love the smoky flavour of the roasted aubergine puree. Pasha’s Zaalouk (5.50) was bland and unsatisfying. The deep fried baby squid (Makale Samak (6.25)) looked very much like Italian calamari and was not bad actually. It came with a chili coconut dipping sauce which I thought tasted great. I think this sauce might have actually been the highlight of a whole dinner of mediocrities.
The Saltaoun (5.95) –crab and sweetcorn falafel –were the lowest point:dust-dry and completely tasteless,it was a very unsuccessful dish. I can’t say what the sauce was it came with as it also did not taste of anything at all. The beetroot salad (4.75) was interesting and I rather enjoyed it. The sweetness of the beetroot and acidity of the orange harmonised very nicely with the honey and cinnamon in the dressing. Kataifya Keffta (7.25),wrapped prawns with citrus avocado purée,were again rather mediocre.
For the main I had the S’csou Lalla Aicha (15) –char-grilled chicken breast on couscous. It was supposed to be marinated in saffron,lemon confit and ginger,neither of which tastes I could pick up. It was a generous portion and,even though the chicken was a bit dry,it was not bad as such. You would not call it exactly an explosion of flavour however,and eating it was similarly unsatisfying as eating when you have a bad cold with a blocked nose and you can’t taste anything.
The others shared the Sniwat Laham Meshwi (19.50) –mixed grill of lamb,chicken,merguez skewers and tomato salad. This dish seemed terribly overpriced. The meat was ok but nothing special and it did not come with any sides.
I thought it was a shame that the food did not live up to the expectations induced by the exotic atmosphere and the comparably high prices. Whilst the quality of the ingredients did not seem bad at all,the complete lack of flavour was strangely depressing and I was also depressed by the rude waitress. In the end not too much would have to change to make this into a really decent restaurant,but as it stands at the moment I would not recommend it.
- Food:5/10
- Ambiance:7/10
- Service: 4/10
- Value for money: 6/10 (Taste London 50% off),3/10 (without offer)
- Chances of returning: 2%
- Verdict:mediocrity decorated with rose petals (is still mediocre).
Moroccan cuisine has the potential to be so delicious –shame you had a bad time!! There’s another place in Covent Garden called Souk (I think) that is also overrated,dont go there. One I like is a small place called Original Tagines on Dorset St,behind Selfridge
Good that you say that Moroccan cuisine can be delicious! I would have otherwise given up on it by now…as the only other place I had tried before was Souk couple of times and this did not blow me away at all (as you say,overrated!). I shall try now Original Tagines –but,Moroccan food,this will be your last chance!
If you go at lunchtime,the set lunch deals are a relatively good deal. There’s certainly quantity but again the food lacks some flavour!
Thanks,I’ll try them for lunch!
I’m sorry your experience wasn’t great. We went a couple of days ago and did a little write up that you can see here http://bit.ly/9Vx1np. We didn’t find the staff rude but as you will read I was less than impressed with my main dish. It was a bit bland and not the rich Morrocan tang that I would have expected. I think there is such great potential but I’d recommend they find a new chef,and sharpish,before they get any more mediocre reviews.