Reviews

Review by Lizard Lover on October 29th, 2005

I have heard good things about Aladdin from friends but, not being a big fan of Middle Eastern food, I had never ventured in before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Upon entering, my lovely partner and I were enamored by the exotic décor. We were promptly seated at a corner booth with plush cushions. We were lucky enough to be on time to see the belly dancer which danced amongst the tables for about ten or fifteen minutes.

We started with hommus, which was a finely ground mixture of garbanzo beans and, tahini paste (sesame paste). This was very smooth and came with olive oil drizzled on top and parsley neatly chopped in the center. The pita bread, which accompanied the hommus, was warm and fresh. We loved this dish.

Next came the sambousek. These were nicely fried pastries filled with ground beef, onions and pine nuts. They were very tasty and we quickly gobbled them up. Another hit for us.

Next came our main courses. I had the lamb chops with which I chose couscous as the accompanying side dish. The couscous was covered with onions and peppers making quite a tasty dish. The lamb chops were perfectly cooked and tender. A side salad of fresh greens and a lemony dressing came with the dish.

My partner had the kafta kabob which was grilled ground beef with onions. I snared a piece and it was much like a grilled meatloaf and quite tasty. She chose rice as an accompaniment which was long-grain and very fluffy, not sticky. Her dish also came with “pizza” which was pita bread with red pepper sauce, onions and peppers. This was too much for either of us.

For dessert, we sampled the ashtalieh which is some kind of custard with honey and walnuts on top. This was not a hit with us. The custard was set in some places and runny in others. We couldn’t quite tell what it was made from but it didn’t seem like milk, cream, or any other dairy product.

Thank goodness we also ordered baklava which had just been taken out of the oven. It was extraordinary with many layers of crisp phyllo leaves and a generous layer of honey, cinnamon and walnuts. It oozed with the honey, lemon and cinnamon syrup. It was heavenly.

Overall, we had a wonderful dinner with new and different taste sensations in a comfortable atmosphere. The service was prompt and friendly.