Dyafa is Reem Assil’s full service restaurant at Oakland’s Jack London Square. Had a dinner there recently.
Hibaar manshi. Squid stuffed with freekeh, za’atar. That freekeh stuffing was very good- bright and savory. The rest, including the zhoug was fine. I could eat a bowl of that stuffing just by itself.
Muttabal. Roasted eggplant with tahini. Smoky and good.
Hummus kawarma. Highly seasoned lamb with an abundance of sumac went very well with the pita.
Maklooba. The ‘upside-down’ rice was pretty nice, though the tomato sauce around the rice was much preferred with the rice. Texture-wise I preferred rice to be firmer in general, so a mixture of potatoes, lentils and carrots in there really softened it and made it ‘starchy’ in texture.
Without the chips on top.
Pita. Fresh out the oven, too hot to touch. Very good.
Maneesh with za’atar.
Kenafeh- sweet, salty, savory all at once, with the aroma coming from the orange blossom syrup. The pistachio and the cherries didn’t add much but nonetheless this was my favorite dish of the night. Crusty layer provided a great textural counterpoint to the softer cheese underneath. Great dessert.
The meal was good, with all the dishes performing at a high level. That said, every dish except the kenafeh was on the salty side. Even the pita that could be used to counter the salty dishes was abundantly salted. I forgot which dish, maybe the hummus, but I could find a few large finishing maldon? flakes on the dish. It didn’t really need any finishing salt when the dish itself was plenty salty enough. I don’t remember Reem’s being notably salty.
Eager to go back. What else do people like?
Patterson was talking to somebody near the kitchen. Didn’t spot Assil. I was a little skeptical whether Assil could transition from a fast-casual place oriented around breads and wraps to a full service restaurant. But, she can cook very well.