With a Tokyo tavern’s spirit and a Levantine souk’s soul, TTDI’s new Zaataru bridges izakaya bustle with Middle Eastern heartiness and hospitality.
Subversive with a sly skilfulness, while honouring the foundational flavours of a region that stretches from Aleppo to Amman, Beirut to Damascus, Zaataru could be August’s most satisfying new restaurant.
Fronted by chef Joel Kirk (whose resume in Malaysia spans Nathalie Gourmet Studio to Coley), backed by his Syrian-born peer Ameer Alzalek of nearby Leen’s, Zaataru transforms what could have been a gimmick into genuine magic, where chickpeas and natto, harissa and shiso, dates and miso come together in clever, compelling harmony.
Tsukemono-meets-kabees pickles preview the cross-cultural synergy, with yuzu-cured beetroot, mustard daikon, umeboshi and other piquant pleasures to perk up the palate.
Order the olives, gorgeously grilled for revelatory layers of heat, smoke and depth, green on green with wasabi zuke to beautifully brighten the brine.
Dips are a decadent delight: Leen’s creamiest hummus, laced here with a sticky surprise of kotsubu natto that brings even more body to the mash, showered with bonito flakes and aonori for splashes of the sea’s flavours, and tangy labneh topped with torched edamame for irresistible can’t-stop-snacking nuttiness, balanced with brown butter and bursts of lemon juice.
Zaataru also zigs on street-fare staples like Egypt’s hawawshi, recasting the rustic stuffed flatbread as a suburban restaurant-ready hit, pressed with smash lamb that’s lusciously moist for a marvellous mezze moment.
There’s much more to try from the fiery ovens and grills, including buttery temptations of charred cabbage with olive wasabi butter and baked tiger prawns with Zaataru’s za’atar butter.
Drinks don’t disappoint, with Vimto tonic, sage iced lemon tea and pomegranate mint coolers to fizz up the feast.
