The Moroccan Fish at Bustan is cooked in a clay pot wrapped with pita bread to mimic a Moroccan tagine. Photo by Abigael T. Sidi
By Abigael T. Sidi
This week’s dish is one that almost got my parents divorced. Sometime after Bustan opened a decade ago, my dad had argued that the restaurant’s Moroccan Fish was as good as that of my maternal great-grandmother, Rabat native Mamie Marcelle. Note that he didn’t say “better”; he said “as good.” Yet he got himself into a world of trouble, to the point where my sister and I started making plans as to how we’d split our time after the divorce. (This included a shameless conversation about whose cooking we would miss the most – something I have no intention of going into here!)
Not looking to cause a stir – in no way would I ever claim that Dad still secretly stands by his comparison – I decided to break the ice and cover Bustan’s famous/infamous dish. Time has passed and, in any case, I was too young when Mamie Marcelle was still around to appreciate her version of the dish, meaning I’d have no way of engaging in reckless comparisons.
Bustan’s Moroccan Fish is one of two dishes on the menu that is cooked in a clay pot wrapped in a round of pita bread (the other being the Lamb Kebab Halabi), mimicking the dome-lidded Moroccan cooking vessel known as a tagine. It’s only when it’s served to you, right out of the restaurant’s wood-fired ceramic oven (an authentic taboon), that the lid is delicately cut open, releasing a heavenly steam of Magrebi spices.
The ingredients are, for the most part, exactly what you’d expect from the traditional Moroccan fish recipe: fish fillets (Bustan uses branzino); a spicy, subtly seasoned tomato sauce (I’m guessing hints of paprika, cumin, turmeric or the spice mix known as Ras El Hanout); chick peas; and cilantro. But Bustan surprises you by adding a sizeable slab of dense tahini, whose purpose I was initially unsure of. (More on that in a minute.)
Steaming the ingredients in that pita-bread dome results in a perfectly cooked, soft and flaky branzino, and chickpeas that are tender with a slight snap. The spice, slight sweetness, and acidity of the tomato sauce pair beautifully with the main ingredients, and the cilantro offers some earthiness and freshness, delivering an altogether soothing and delicious bite.
So how did that blunt scoop of tahini figure in such a delicate dish? I did tap into some of it along with my fish but didn’t really care for the combination, other than the interesting contrast in texture and flavor. Instead, I saved the tahini for when I was done with the branzino and chickpeas, mixing it with the remaining tomato sauce to create a mezze-like paste which I used as dip for the enveloping pita bread. Worked like a charm, and it was a great way to finish my meal!
The menu at Bustan, while hyper focused (fewer than 30 dishes offered in total, mezzes included), is quite eclectic, covering a wide variety of Mediterranean cuisines (Israeli, Lebanese, Moroccan, and Turkish, to name a few). In addition to the mezze, the restaurant offers interesting plates such as the 700° F Cabbage (seasoned with wildflower honey and za’atar); their staple Chicken Musakhan (complex flavors of smokey and citrusy sumac); a show-stopper Eggplant Carpaccio; and an entirely vegetarian Grandma’s Housemade Couscous. It’s also worth paying attention to the restaurant’s specials: on that punishingly hot summer day, I enjoyed a fresh watermelon/feta salad seasoned with lemon, mint and olive oil. It was an outright sensational dish.
The patio at Bustan has a central community table. Photo by Abigael Sidi
Bustan is both Hebrew and Arabic for garden/orchard, reflecting not only the colorful and fresh cuisine but also the restaurant’s gorgeous outdoor patio, a must during summer time. (It is fully air-conditioned and has a great central communal table, ideal to meet new people. On the way back out, you can spot in the kitchen the iconic blue mosaic tile taboon, the wood-fired oven that is central to almost everything Bustan does and makes their cuisine truly authentic and distinctive.
Bustan is open from 5 to 9 p.m. every day (till 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays) and also opens for brunch on Sundays (11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) Take out and delivery available at these times. Vegan dishes, such as the aforementioned Eggplant Carpaccio and Grandma’s Couscous, are clearly labeled. Reservations highly recommended on weekends, especially for the patio tables.
The Dish: Moroccan Fish ($33)
The Restaurant: Bustan, 487 Amsterdam Ave. (between W 83rd and 84th streets)
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