Saha, Arabic Fusion
1075 Sutter St (Inside the Carlton Hotel)
Lights at Saha
After a hard week for both of us, we were looking forward to some good girl time. We headed to MiNi nails for a quick pedi and a chat, but unfortunately some other girls were monopolizing the small space, so we didn’t get many words in. However, our toes looked pretty in pink (a little on the bright side) as we headed out, ravenous.
We looked into Saha last week and decided that satisfying our craving for Middle Eastern food was worth a slight increase from our usual budget. We’d heard a lot of good things about Saha, so even though Anne usually abhors a hotel restaurant (a fact we learned a little too late anyway) we decided to give it a shot.
The hostess podium was empty when we arrived (our first indication that service might be less than attentive), but the restaurant was about 60% full, which raised our expectations for the food even further. Once we were seated (within the next 5 minutes), we were served ice water, which we were delighted to discover was infused with cucumber, leaving us feeling refreshed and relaxed, as if we’d just spent the afternoon getting our pedis in a fancy spa.
Interior decòr
We took this opportunity to look around and soak up the ambience. The décor is sort of classroom-meets-casbah, but we thought it worked (see the pics and decide for yourself). It was certainly less dark and heavy than the usual Arabic-themed restaurant, and the people-watching was fantastic. As a hotel restaurant, it attracts a lot of tourists, which makes for an interesting mélange of accents and gesticulations.
Service was friendly but slow– there were only two staff members for the entire restaurant, including the full bar– so we had to wait awhile for our foul (a thick sort of bean/lentil soup, pronounced ‘fool’) and hummus appetizers. When the hummus arrived, we were excited to dig in, but were quickly disappointed by the overly fluffy, almost French-bread-tasting pita. The hummus itself was drenched in olive oil, which gave it a luscious texture but a very olive-y flavor. In fact, the olive was pretty much all we could taste, which was okay with us but might be a deterrent for those with olive aversions. The foul was more interesting. It had a similarly smooth, oily texture but much better flavors– spicy and warm with a strong taste of cardamom. We chose to eat it with spoons as the pita did it no favors.
The foul, and the fluffy pita accompaniment
We were so full of foul that we didn’t mind too much when our main courses took a half hour to arrive, but it should be noted that Saha is not the place for a quick dinner. Anne ordered the lamb tagine in a fit of nostalgia about her trip to morocco, and was pleasantly surprised to find the meat tender and the flavor perfectly balanced– tagines can get really sweet if there’s too much fruit in the stew. The Palestinian couscous it was served with was also delightful, perfectly cooked and larger and firmer than what we expected. That was a pleasant surprise.
The tagine– there's a ton of meat under the couscous
Tessa’s red curry was also delicious; the sauce was light, perfectly balancing sweet and spicy with a lemony touch. But we were dismayed at the difference in portions. Tessa’s curry, a vegetarian dish, was six dollars cheaper, but in our opinion that does not excuse the lack of substance to the dish. There was one block of tofu, which was not particularly appetizing, one slab of squash, and two small mushrooms (it had been advertised on the menu as a ‘medley’). There were also green beans, broccoli, and carrots, but they seemed like fillers rather than headliners.
The red curry– it looks like more than it is
We were too full for dessert, so we grabbed the bill: with one soda and a cup of tea it came to $62.42 without tip. Definitely a splurge for us.
When it comes to value, Tessa doesn't foul around!
Overall, Saha was… good. We probably won’t be back because we think we could find more interesting Middle Eastern food (for cheaper) elsewhere in the city, but if you have a timid palate it makes the cuisine very approachable. The fusion aspect did lend unique flavors, but the difference in heft between the meat and vegetarian mains was unfortunate to say the least. Maybe we’re being a little harsh– everyone around us seemed to be happy with his/her meal– but when we’re pinching pennies we expect the best from a splurge.
Until next dine,
Anne and Tessa
P.S. If you do go, you may want to order the small plates sampler, which multiple tables around us seemed to really enjoy.
P.P.S. Anne would like to note that she really loved the almonds in her tagine.
P.P.P.S. How foul of puns can this post get?
