Yasma specializes in the flavours of Syria and Lebanon
The new Kitsilano pop-up restaurant serves traditional Levantine dishes for takeout
Photo by Leila Kwok.
LEVANTINE FLAVOURS ARE are on the menu at Yasma, a newly opened pop-up restaurant in Kitsilano. It’s by the same team behind Dark Table Restaurant: owner Moe Alameddine; executive chef Kristina Walgenbach; and general manager Sami Mousattat.
On offer are items like kibbeh, a bulgur-and-minced-lamb meatball with nuts and spices that is popular in the Syrian city of Aleppo. Fatteh hummus, with ghee and nuts, is served with pita bread; lamb sausages come with pine nuts and pomegranate molasses; and yaladji are grape leaves stuffed with rice, herbs, and vegetables.
Other dishes include toshka (grilled pita with halloumi and minced lamb) and shish burger (grilled chicken, garlic sauce, red cabbage, tomatoes and house-made pickles). Many dishes are vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free. Fattoush salad has more than 15 ingredients, with a pomegranate-and-olive oil dressing. A beloved ingredient throughout the Middle East, pomegranate molasses also appears in muhammara (with pepper, walnuts, and bread crumbs) and babba ganouch (smoked eggplant, herbs, and diced vegetables).
“These dishes are laced deeply within our culture and tied to memories of family and friends, which we hold close to our hearts,” Mousattat, who was born in Abu Dhabi, said in a release. “The food of the Levant tells our stories and we want to share our passion for this cuisine with Vancouver in the way it was intended.”
Photo by Leila Kwok
The pop-up offers takeout only, while as of December 2, it will launch family meals via Tock. With six to seven dishes, the set meals (meat, pescatarian, or vegetarian) are intended to feed four to five people (starting at $125).
All of the meat is halal.
“Our team has spent much of our lives living and traveling in the Levant and we want to share our knowledge and experiences with Vancouver through the distinct scents and flavours of our home,” Mousattat says. “Many dishes on Yasma’s menu will bring you to a place you have possibly never been, longing for a time that never was. The Germans have a word for this, fernweh, and it’s a feeling we hope to impart on all of our guests.”
Yasma (which operates out of Dark Table at 2611 West 4th Avenue) is open Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 10 pm. More details are at yasma.ca.
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