Restaurant Review: Assaha Lebanese Traditional Village, Paddington

Image source: Assaha Website

 As I mentioned in an earlier post, my family was here in the UK for holiday so we did a lot of touristy things which I can't wait to share with you guys :)

One of the things we did was try out different cuisines (my two younger brothers were on a mission to try out cuisines from around the world). Luckily for them London is just the right place...

Seeing as the first half of their holiday was during Ramadan (holy month of fasting for Muslims), we could only go out for iftar (breaking of fast). On one of those days we were debating on where to eat when my dad mentioned a Mediterranean restaurant that his friend took him to on one of his business trips. A quick phone call to said friend, and we got the name, ASSAHA.

Before we went to the restaurant, my dad was already giving great reviews, I was intrigued at this point cos the last time he was there was a few years ago but he could still remember the place.

 

When we walked in, the decor wasn't that much noticeable to me (partly because I was fasting), our table was reserved on the first floor. But my dad requested we be seated on the ground floor and boy was I glad. As you can see from the pictures above this isn't a usual scene for London. It was like we walked into a time machine, the medieval interior was set out to look like a souk (A marketplace). I was highly pleased. We were all oohing and aahing with clicks of our cameras.

Some antique artifacts were on display and some had price tags as well. I'm not sure if they're for sale or not, but it gave the place an authentic feel.

Because we were fasting, we ordered our food first, then went to pray. The staff were nice enough to provide prayer space and a mat. There was a set Ramadan Menu and you had a few courses to choose from. The variety was okay although I would recommend you ask the waiter for words you don't know or check google for images like we did ;)

Here's what we ordered.....

Starter was Cream of Chicken soup which was creamy and delicious with a generous amount of chicken in the soup. It was served with with  Pita bread and the pastry below.

We ordered a selection of main dishes to share, the portions were large and we ended up not finishing it. Take away packs were of course provided on request!!

The Menu was divided into  
Salad: We had the Assaha Salad and Fattoush
Mezze: We had hummus, fresh potatoes, mixed pies,and falafel
Main Course: We had Lamb tikka,Shish taouk, Grilled Kafta, Chicken  kabssa Kebbeh bil laben 
Check out a few pictures below....                                                       

This was my favourite. Lamb tikka. The rice was well cooked and fluffy, the lamb was well spiced and the chilli sauce was perfect!!

I didn't like the drinks on the set menu so I ordered fresh apple juice which the waiter made special for me :) There was a wide selection of salad which was zesty and spicy. I liked it but it wasn't a hit with the others. The chicken was a bit dry for me but I loved the lamb so much!! I liked everything except for Chicken kabssa Kebbeh bil laben (Chicken in yoghurt).

We were served Arabian tea and Baklawa for Desert. I had lots of sugar in my tea which I think is the best way to have Arabian tea.

In conclusion I give Assaha 5/5 review. I recommend this place to everyone and I am planning my next visit with a few friends very soon. Maybe I'll do another review for their regular menu :)

Good points: Authentic food, Good decor, Nice and accommodating staff, Large portions.
Bad Points: I can't think of any, only the price is a bit steep. For the set menu we paid £25 for Adult and £12.50 For child
Recommend:  Lamb Tikka

with love,
meera