A couple of weeks ago I received an interesting comment from an Israeli-born reader named Eran. He suggested that I visit Pita & Olives, as it serves the best quality Mediterranean food in Singapore, in his opinion. Now, this place is
not 100% vegetarian - As I type that I can hear the 'no Hungry Ang Mo, no! Don't betray us!' chants. Don't worry, this review is, of course, a vegan perspective of dining at Pita & Olives. As vegetarians/vegans, we are sometimes unavoidably put in a situation where we need to find a non-vegetarian eatery to please stubborn flesh-feasting family members or friends. So I do believe this review will be useful, especially for those sort of invidious scenarios.
Pita and OlivesLocation: #03-10, 100 Tras Street, 100AMContact: 90112312Opening Hours: Daily 10.00am-9.00pmWARNING - This place is not 100% vegetarian The menu at Pita & Olives is very vegetarian friendly, and somewhat vegan friend. Although meat does feature in many Mediterranean dishes, it definitely is not the focal point. Upon scanning through the menu, customers will find that at least 50% of the dishes are vegetarian - With one page dedicated to meat-free dishes.
Aviv Zafrir, the director of Pita & Olives, takes particular pride in the high quality ingredients used in his dishes, and the traditional way in which they are made. The
Pita Bread being one of those items he is particularly proud of. Upon sampling the pita, it certainly was better than most pita bread I have eaten in the past. The bread is warm and fresh - Slightly crunchy on the outside, and fluffy and light on the inside.
Most of the main meals come with a side of pita bread. However, customers can also opt to have stuffed (filled) pitas. The one we opted for was the
Sabich Half Pita. This dish does come with a boiled egg inside by default, but as I don't consume eggs, I asked for this to be excluded. The name 'sabich' is translated form the Arabic word (صباح), which means 'morning'. But it is Israel where this dish has become most synonymous. The eggplants are creamy, and contrast perfectly with the fresh uncooked cucumber and tomato. Even without the boiled egg, I still found this to be a highly enjoyable dish.
Price: $5.90. 7/10After tasting the delicious half pita, we then graduated onto the main courses, starting with the
Falafel. All the main course dishes are served with one pita bread (which I discussed above) and salad. The humus that is served in this dish is quite mind-blowing. It is a silky, sticky, creamy, gooey, smooth mixture, which I simply couldn't stop shoveling up with the pita. The humus was so creamy, I almost suspected dairy was used inside - But the owner assured me no animal products were used. For the falafel, I also found they were quite tasty, but the humus was what I had my eye on the entire meal.
Price: $11.90. 8/10Next dish selected was the
Stuffed Vine Leaves. This dish, also known elsewhere was dolma, consists of a splattering of humus, salad and the wrapped vine leaves. Inside the leaves are a mixture of rice and herbs (no meat or dairy). The vine leaves themselves are quite sour, and make for a delectable contrast with the rice. This was my first time sampling such a dish, and I must say I loved it. Once again the humus was outstanding and the salad nice and fresh.
Price: $11.90. 8/10Conclusion - For those who don't like the idea of eating at a non-vegetarian place, but still want to enjoy the flavours of Mediterranean food, then you only have one option - Pita Pan. But for those who are a little more flexible, then Pita & Olives definitely offers a large selection of vegetarian and vegan delights to choose from.Overall Rating
Food - 8/10
Ambiance- 7/10
Service - 7/10
Value - 7/10
