AZE: Sahil Bar & Restaurant
The place to go for small-sized Shakh Pilaf for one or two!
Stylised as SAHiL, the highly rated restaurant-cum-bar is one of the few lining up the promenade along the Caspian Sea. For our last dinner in the country last year, my BFF and I decided to head to Sahil Bar & Restaurant. During the weekends, visitors are treated to local jazz and mosic performances at the restaurant.
Assorted Bread
Served warm, the various kinds of complimentary bread were all lovely.
Qutab (Pumpkin) AZN 2.00 (~S$1.55)
Taste: 7.5/10
Qutab is a local dish made from thinly rolled dough, which is cooked briefly on a convex griddle called saj. Having a nice chewy texture, the flatbread of our choice was topped with pumpkin purée, which was lightly seasoned with salt. Pika's advice: If pumpkin purée as a topping doesn't excite you, you may want to go for herbs or shredded lamb for the same price per piece.
Caspian Fish Soup AZN 13.00 (~S$10.20)
Taste: 9/10
I'd crown the seafood soup as the champion of the day, which was really worth it given the generous amount of sturgeon and salmon cubes that went into the bowl. The thick and rich broth had a divine balance of the sweet and the sour, Swimming along with the fish were olives, rice, olives, garlic and onion.
SAHiL Kebab AZN 10.00 (~S$14.10)
Taste: 8.5/10
One of the signature dishes of the restaurant features 200 g of grilled medallions made of minced beef, minced lamb, lamb tallow and walnuts. Those served that evening were tender and juicy, along with some vegetables that were also grilled to bring out their natural sweetness. Placed on the side was a kind of sauce that was mildly spicy.
Shakh Pilaf AZN 14.00 (~S$10.95)
Taste: 7.5/10
Literally meaning 'crown pilaf', the most lavish national dish of Azerbaijan is rice wrapped inside crispy, buttery leavened flatbread called lavash. While many restaurants cook the dish in a huge portion meant for sharing among many diners, SAHiL's rendition is good for one or two people. Although it wasn't as rich as expected, the rice cooked with raisins, chestnuts, apricots and cherry plum paste was tasty enough.
Assorted Platter of Local Pastries AZN 11.00 (~S$8.60)
Taste: 7/10
Three of the pastries presented on the plate included variations of chopped nut fillings, including the Baku style baklava the on the far right. The pastry with a shape resembling a croissant was filled with apricot jam, while the one on the far left didn't have any filling, but the dough was infused with spices.
Melon's Rating
Taste: 8/10
Ambience: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
One thing I appreciate about Azerbaijan pastries is that they're not as sweet as their Turkish counterparts. Still, I personally prefer the latter as they generally have more character.
Sahil Bar & Restaurant
34 Neftchilar Avenue
Baku
Azerbaijan
(Mon-Fri: 12 noon - 12 midnight;
Sat-Sun: 10.00am - 12 midnight)
*Prices quoted are subject to 10% service charge.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
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