Pasha, Waterfront

By JENNIFER YEE for canvas

I like a bit of the red-carpet treatment from time to time which is just what you get as you step off Princes Wharf into Pasha. My friend Paul and I had decided on a whim to hit the place on an icy Monday night.

Despite the lure of an open fire close to the bar and a stylish, harem-like interior, we managed to have an entire dining space to ourselves (there are several softly lit areas). We didn't complain as this is the sort of place that encourages merriment regardless of numbers.

A beautifully bound menu book offers tapas as a main course and desserts from seven countries — a culinary escape to North African and Mediterranean coastlines. Our waiter described the tapas as slightly smaller than an entree and suggested we choose five to six plates to share. Both hungry, we chose:

From Turkey — the saffron and rice stuffed squid with baba ghannouj and lemon. These were mouthfuls of tender baby squid, although the filling was something of a non-event flavour wise.

From Tunisia — grilled spicy Merguez sausage with goat's cheese and dates. One of the highlights of our tapas choices, tangy soft cheese perfectly balancing the sweet and savoury of the other components.

From Portugal — fried whitebait and anchovy mayonnaise. Light, crispy and delectable.

From Spain — white gazpacho with almond crumbed scallops. The shellfish were encased in a light puff of batter, the contrasting gazpacho, fresh and zingy.

From Morocco — the cashew bastilla, lemon guacamole and harissa were slightly oily filo triangles filled with a ground mixture of cashews and spices. However, the soft creaminess of the guacamole and the fiery harissa somehow retrieved this exotic combination. Bastilla is the sumptuously rich Moroccan pigeon pie served at grand occasions, made with ouarka pastry that is as sheer as cigarette paper.

Our tapas dishes all arrived at once, stacked on two cake stands which managed to overwhelm our table for two but were certainly elegant. We found it amusing to have to rearrange the table setting to be able to continue our conversation. I couldn't see over the third tier into the top plate so this meant some juggling as we ate, but maybe that is the trick. The tapas, however, were brilliant, bar one.

A simple gilded rose is the signature on all the house china and we loved the plates adorned with red rose petals and a rim of jewel-like virgin olive oil.

We shared a main course of Spanish-inspired slow roast pork with cinnamon and bay on olive-oil mash.

No crackling, but this wheel of pork loin was meltingly tender, beautifully cinnamon scented and with the gentle kick from chilli to finish. You could have eaten this with a spoon. Truly pleasurable and nothing pretentious to look at.

To finish, the apple and rosewater parfait with frozen Turkish coffee appealed to me. Served as a layered round, the intensely flavoured shot of frozen coffee perfectly countered the sweetness of the floral parfait.

The Spanish menu tempted my mate with a candied orange, espresso and bitter chocolate icecream cake. The bittersweet notes of this iced confection delighted.

OUR MEAL: $164 for 2 (including 2 glasses of wine, 1 tea)

OUR WINES BY THE GLASS: Craggy Range Merlot $14/glass; Babich Gimblet Chardonnay $13/glass

PRICES: Flat bread with hummus $6.50; tapas $8-$17; mains $29.50-$35; sides $5.50-$8; desserts $14

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, party places and entertainment in canvas magazine, part of your Weekend Herald print edition.