pita pan, marina bay sands

this is one of my favorite places to grab a meal – and even if prices appear to be rising and the portions gradually reducing, and the flavors a little less robust than when I first tried them a couple years ago, it still hits the spot rather perfectly.

I love mediterranean/ middle eastern food – and this tiny place on the outside of the marina bay sands shopping mall has a simple menu of a few choice dishes (and various flavored permutations).

I tend to order the same thing: hummus, shakshuka, falafel and tabbouleh – all which give you a good spread across both flavor and texture spectrums. the homely falafels are particularly savory and delicious, and any heaviness is offset by the fresh, herbacious tabbouleh (with juicy pomegranate seeds dotted throughout).

the red shakshuka tastes better to me than the green – and everything goes quite nicely with the triangles of heated pita that arrive alongside.

it’s a simple meal, and a nice way to catch up with friends (or spend some alone time) – it doesn’t get much better than that.

Pita Pan
L1-87, Bay Level (on the outside, near the ArtScience Museum)
2 Bay Avenue,
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, The Shoppes
Singapore 018972
tel +65 6688 7450
$: 15ish

al hamra, holland village

great – and almost definitely one of the best places locally – middle-eastern/lebanese food in the expatriate haven of holland village. that latter description was particularly chosen – there seems a lack of local interest in the highly spiced flavours of this region’s cuisine, which probably accounts for the scarcity of places serving it. but I love it, and so this place made me right happy.

the food is great, nearly at the level of lebanese I used to get in london – whether a mark of authenticity I leave you to decide – and while expensive, it’s more than good enough for me to return.

pita pan, town

alright middle-eastern/morrocan/turkish/that-region food at the al-fresco dining area of the marina bay sands. hot on the heels of my previous post lamenting the non-presence of good such-food joints in singapore, this place is a very posh conception of a fast-food joint. it’s pretty expensive, to start off, and sort of strangely – since hummus is basically pre-prepared and cooked before hand, and most of the ingredients at this place are laid out sort of subway style (so you expect prices more akin to that establishment). but the food isn’t too bad, and its location pretty convenient for a mid-shop craving/hunger pang – so I will assume now that it isn’t my last visit.

beirut grill, bugis

decent lebanese food along bussorah street – though I still haven’t found anything in singapore that satisfies nearly the way yalla yalla does. I came here in a group of good friends because two of us wanted middle-eastern food, and despite the fact that we have a sizeable muslim community here (which ostensibly ought to perpetuate the growth of these restaurants), I haven’t really found a place with good hummus or pita – which I think, really, are the basics. this place came up on our incessant googling, and so we took it for a spin – it was pretty decent food, and one of the best in this genre that I’ve had in singapore, but it stands nowhere if contesting with outlets in london.

hummus bros, london

truly awesome hummus (and more) in soho. I haven’t enjoyed a meal more at this price point in london for a very long time – and I really regret not having come here earlier even though it’s been on my to-do for ages.

the menu is small and simple, and suits the sort of walk-in-or-stay-for-a-while style of cafe they’ve set up at wardour street (land of the wonderful busaba eathai, princi, and more; also one of my favourite streets in london). service is friendly and fantastic – and very prompt. you basically have a choice of toppings over their specialty hummus, and you can get pitas alongside or salads.