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2014-07-20
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I've been a fan of Xinjiang food since I discovered Ba Yi, and thought I'd give Al Pasha a try, given their good reviews. I made reservations well in advance of coming. When we showed up, they told us there were no tables inside and we had to sit outside (this is in July in Hong Kong). The outside seating is where everyone is smoking a hookah, so we got to sit in the dark, muggy, smoke-filled outside area, where there are no belly dancers and no music. I feel slightly ripped off. If you go, when
I made reservations well in advance of coming. When we showed up, they told us there were no tables inside and we had to sit outside (this is in July in Hong Kong). The outside seating is where everyone is smoking a hookah, so we got to sit in the dark, muggy, smoke-filled outside area, where there are no belly dancers and no music. I feel slightly ripped off. If you go, when you make reservations do request indoor seating (if you're not there to smoke).
They have a Xinjiang beer on the menu-- Sinkiang. It's a "black beer" and it's malty and sweet.
The egg roll ($88) is minced mutton wrapped in an eggy pastry (softer than what they call an "egg roll" in America and more eggy), covered in sesame seeds. It was on the small-ish side. The filling was tender and nicely seasoned. Good, B.
Our favorite dish of the night was the meat bun with mutton ($88). The filling inside was very much like what you might expect in a mutton dumpling. It was seasoned with the black vinegar you get at dumpling shops. It was nicely meaty, juicy, and tangy. The outside wrapper was more pastry-ish than a regular dumpling and is moderately pan fried. Real good, B+
On the menu, the deep-fried lamb cops (4pcs, $188) has three chilli peppers, indicating that it's one of the spiciest things on the menu. It is not spicy, not at all. It's covered in fried garlic-- lots of fried garlic-- and it's definitely garlicky. Just not spicy. The lamb is relatively tender, but I definitely like the fried lamb at Ba Yi better. OK, C
We had to try the horse-meat sausages, and there are several dishes involving them on the menu. We chose the Xinjiang rice ($128). The sausage was a new experience. I can't tell you if it tasted like horse, having never had horse before. It was a relatively fine grained sausage, quite soft, with a flavor that struck me as like game-y kielbasa. I had to try it, but it wasn't all that amazing. The rice was very bland. I wouldn't really recommend this. Poor, DAt the end, I had mixed feelings. The menu has a number of exciting selections and is relatively extensive. But my total experience was sub-par. If you make a reservation, they should seat you inside. I glanced at the reservations book when we came in, and I'm pretty sure that many of the people filling up the seats inside were walk-ins. What happened to reserving a table? At the very least, if you make a reservation, and it's July, they should tell you in advance if they'll be putting you outside in the smoking section, where none of the attractions are (belly dancing, music). I don't think I'll be going back here.
Other Info. :
There's a $250 minimum per person.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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