Y est allé·e le 20 octobre 2024
- Global 4
- Plats 5
- Service 5
- Atmosphère 3
The world food tour duo stopped in at Leila, in Kaimuki, A partnership between chefs Chris Kajioka and Mourad Lahlou, it offers dishes from Morocco. Currently, they offer a three-course price fixe dinner for $85. The optional wine pairing was $40 or $48, depending on the number of glasses.
One starts with The Seven Salads, small dishes filed with olives and pickled almonds, Zaalouk (eggplant, black olive, pine nuts and herbs), Muhammara (piquillo pepper and almonds), Lebni (trout roe and dill), Bissara (white bean hummus with smoked paprika), Tomato Jam (with ginger and citrus), and Bravo Radish (smoked Lebni, harrisa and sesame). It’s served with two pieces of Za’atar flatbread and a dish of vegetables. A glass of 2022 Mourvèdre Rosé from Bandol (FR) from Bieler Père & Fils.
There were some specials … We opted for the Basteeya, phyllo dough wrapped around confit duck. It looked like dessert and was slightly sweet. The optional wine was a Norma Etna Rosso pinot noir; a very light-bodied wine.
You have your choice of main to share … We chose the Lamb Meshoul. It’s a large piece on the bone with fried kale, sunchokes, and deep fried Yama potatoes. It was served with a Syrah from Morocco, very dark in color, full of dark fruit. I liked this much more than the Norma pinot noir. The lamb was tender and flavorful but the highlight for me were the deep-fried pieces of Yama potato.
Dessert was a date cake with vanilla ice cream. I passed on the dessert, but I had the glass of New York Malmsey Madeira. It did pair well with the cake. I had a cup of coffee … Alas, this was the sole disappointment of the evening … it was tepid and not up to the level of the meal that came beforehand.
The food is similar to I* in Kaka’ako but we liked the flavors of the Seven Salads and our lamb more than the other place. We enjoyed our time here … the place was packed with diners, and it was noisy. Rating: 4.5 stars from us … the disappointing coffee caused me to knock off a few points.
