With family in town for the week, we were looking for somewhere different to take them. I had been to B’Stilla when it first opened, and thought this would be the perfect place to try something new. Pronounced Bas-tee-yah, this is a Middle Eastern, Moroccan restaurant specialising in shared dishes and an abundance of spices.
SERVICE & ATMOSPHERE
We had made a booking for a Thursday evening at 7pm and when arriving to the restaurant, there were only a hand full of tables. Our group of 5 were seated on a large round table which was perfect for conversation and being comfortable.
The service was friendly and very attentive throughout the night. As soon as our drinks were almost empty, our waiter was by our side asking us for a top up.
The atmosphere was modern with touches of warmth throughout. The space brought out some features of Middle Easter vibes to help compliment the food.
FOOD
I was a bit unsure on whether my parents would like the style of food, so I kept the ordering on the safe side with a few small entrees to start and a few larger dishes and see how we went from there.
MC loves anything pickled, so we started with the ‘Aromatic pickled Heirloom vegetables’. They were far too ‘picklely’ for me, however MC loved this dish!
Out at the same time was the ‘Grilled batbout flat bread, with tomato citrus jam’. Batbout is a turmeric and oregano grilled flat bread, which is quite sweet and fluffy bread.
Quick to follow was the ‘Tangier BBQ’d octopus with tahini remoulade and kale’, and the ‘B’Stilla, duck & chicken pie with almond, cinnamon and saffron’. I had to skip on the octopus due to my unenjoyment of seafood, however the rest of the table raved about this dish.
The traditional Moroccan pie was sweet, savoury and nutty all in one. The savoury came from the beautiful combination of duck and chicken, followed by a sweet finish from the cinnamon and icing sugar on top of the flaky pastry. It’s quite different, and is something you would find in Morocco at street vendors.
Once our entrees were finished, we patiently waited for our mains to arrive. A short wait later our two main dishes had arrived to the table with a beautiful presentation. The highlight of the night by far was the ‘Beef short ribs’ with carrot jam and herbs.
The meat was fall off the bone tender with a slightly crispy skin. This was the winner for everyone tonight. The beef worked beautifully with the carrot jam and abundance of herbs used.
Finally out was the ‘Corn fed chicken’ with freekah, green charmoula and pistachio. Charmoula is a traditional marinade that varies between regions and families. It consists of a range of different herbs and spices, which accompanied the pistachio mixture the chicken was sitting on.
Overall, we had a very enjoyable dinner. The staff were attentive and friendly, and the food was unique and different. I’d definitely recommend B’Stilla to those looking for something new and fun.