17 Jun B’Stilla, South Yarra
B’stilla’s menu is designed around sharing plates. With the two of us, we were recommended to order two small plates, a large plate and a side or salad. It sounded like quite a lot of food, but since we were there we may as well try a wider variety of dishes.
B’stilla – duck & chicken pie, almond, cinnamon, saffron ($14)
B’stilla – duck & chicken pie, almond, cinnamon, saffron ($14)
Coming to B’stilla for the first time, of course we had to order a B’stilla. I loved the flakiness of the pastry. Knowing it had cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top, I did expect it to be sweet but thankfully it wasn’t overly so and it was nicely balanced with the savoury duck, chicken and nuts inside.
Rghaif – baked pastry w. pumpkin, chard, macadamia, za’atar ($15)
Rghaif – baked pastry w. pumpkin, chard, macadamia, za’atar ($15)
Next was the rghaif. The very tasty filling was enclosed in a firm, crunchy and almost biscuit-like pastry, going nicely with the harissa and za’atar (the harissa was very spicy – don’t slather it on without tasting some first!)
Cauliflower, pine nut sauce, ras el hanout, herbs ($8)
I also enjoyed the cauliflower very much. Cauliflower is one of my favourite vegetables (when done nicely) and I found the combination of its wonderful sweetness and the standout flavours of the pine nut sauce and spices very satisfying indeed.
Beef short rib, carrot jam, preserved lemon ($34)
The tender, pull-apart meat of the short rib was flavoursome by itself, but made even better by the carrot jam and herbs. Unfortunately I forgot about the preserved lemon and didn’t see it on the plate until all the beef had been gobbled up, but I can imagine it making the dish even more delightful.
Given the quality of the food and how much we ate for the price, I’d definitely be up for a revisit.
B’Stilla
30b Bray St
South Yarra, VIC, 3141
(03) 9826 2370
http://bstilla.com/
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