Take a peek into the rich Arabian cuisine and culture through Chef Khaled Elelimi’s specially curated menu, with many popular Middle Eastern dishes dating back over centuries. Much like the pistachio nut that is full of nutritional goodness, Pistachio Grill’s promise is that of serving a healthier version of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, influenced by chef Elelimi’s training in Ayurveda, without any artificial or processed ingredients such as food colouring, improvers or premixes.
Chef specials and signature dishes include the Jordanian Lamb Mansaf for slow-cooked lamb shoulder with yoghurt (from $165, requires 1-day advance pre-order); oven-baked Egyptian Fish Singary Red Snapper ($95); and the classic Fattoush salad ($30). For more traditional dishes, the Sultan's Delight (Hünkar Beğendi) features the classic Ottoman dish of tender lamb, cooked in a rich tomato stew, and served with smoky tasting eggplant with cheese (from $42). The dish was said to be requested by Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, when she visited the Topkapi palace in the mid-19th century. Likewise, one of north-western Turkey’s most famous dishes, the Iskendar Kebab (from $42) is named after its creator, İskender Efendi who lived in Bursa in the late 19th century Ottoman Empire, featuring home-style beef tenderloin kebab in a tomato sauce, with pita bread and yoghurt.
Swap pizza with a variety of classic pide flatbreads for traditional Turkish style pizza, such as the Turkish Pide topped with minced beef, tomato ragout, and Greek Kasseri cheese ($28).
For dessert Um Ali ($16) is a rich, traditional Egyptian pastry pudding with mixed nuts, baked with cream and topped with ground pistachio. Trade that in for something healthier, like the Jordanian Dates Cake (also $16) which is made of 90 percent Medjool dates for instant energy and nutrition, served with caramel sauce and ice-cream. Priyanka Elhence