That’s good to know about the fatte, we really like it and have thought of an order to go for dinner the next night.
Another great meal at Sarma in Somerville tonight. Busy but not crazy like the weekend.
Started with the Mushroom Manti and Spicy Calamari Couscous. The couscous was excellent, calamari very tender, tomatoes, olives, persimmons. The Manti was ok, the dumplings a little too delicate. But the egg on top did improve things.
The we added the Lamb Sabzi and Crab/Lentil Kibbeh. Both were really good, the lamb came with a saffron goat cheese that really made the dish and the kibbeh sat on a coconut curry that we liked so much we asked for more bread.
While we waited for these 2 dishes, the waitstaff came around with a meat wrapped roasted asparagus with English peas and an onion taziki. Another win.
The photo is the asparagus dish in the foreground and the kibbeh in the back.
Wine selection was good, healthy pours. It is pretty much our favorite place.
https://sarmarestaurant.com/
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We had another fabulous meal here last month.
We started with the weakest course of the evening, pumpkin fritters, beautifully fried, and nicely crisp on the outside, but it was hard to taste any pumpkin. Nothing was bad about them, but nothing was spectacular either. Things shot up from there. The garlic shrimp were plump, tender and garlicky, with a touch of heat. The lamb chops nicely charred on the outside and nicely rare inside. The hummus fries were thin curls of crisp, greaseless potato on a bed of hummus. The cabbage spanikopita was a lovely variation on the original. The lamb kofte, the brisket shawarma (served like tacos), and the short rib grape leaves, all spectacular. Our only regret was the relative absence that evening of those rotating trays of off-menu items. We snagged one, a pita bread folded around cheese (shaped somewhat like khachapuri, but without the egg) that was superb. The only other that passed us was a ceviche-like dish that I’d have eaten but my three fellow diners were not excited by.
With a drink apiece to start ($40 in all), and their wonderful ricotta donuts with two dipping sauces (halva caramel and banana hot fudge) to end, it cost us $180.83 before tip. At $45/mouth it’s a very high quality/$ ratio, especially if you’re better people than we and can avoid drinking.
We’re very fortunate to have the Oleana/Sarma duo operating always on full cylinders around us.
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This is copied from Sarma Instagram account:
chefmamacass2 I said we’d never do take-out.
We’ve put over 7000 fried chicken’s in a box.
I said we’d never do lunch.
We sold lentil cheese dogs and turkey hummus wraps out the kitchen window.
I said we’d never do brunch. We made haloumi McMuffins.
I said we’d never have outdoor dining. This Tuesday we will transform our parking lot into a patio.
8 tables. Menu and reservation instructions to be announced this weekend!
Bottom line, life throws you a lot of curve balls. NEVER SAY NEVER.
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Finally made it here after years! Yay to the green line extension and also to my sister for moving into the neighborhood so I had no more excuses. Walked in a little after 5 and waiting an hour for a bar seat. 
That wasn’t fun, and not something I would usually do, but I was already there, and darn it were the bar staff so friendly. I did get a drink and they offered a few snacks (a few selections off their menu) that you could order from.
Got the sunchoke fritters and oh boy…were these good. The spices really added a beautiful profile to the soft, and crisp but not greasy cubes of sunchoke. Mistake on the 1st one - decided I wanted to taste everything and stuffed the whole cub in my mouth. It was a little too big, but the bigger issue is that they were hot! 
The meal itself was lovely and there are definitely way too many delicious sounding plates to order from. Got the sesame fried chicken, the crab ‘orzotto’, and the glazed carrots. People rave about the chicken, and while it was good, it’s not my favorite fried chicken. Ironically, I think that tasted better after reheating the next day. I think all the spices I was eating that night, might have caused some of the sesame coating on the chicken to be lost. I got a lot of spiced foods, and I think going back, I need to mix that up a bit more. It can make all the spices blend and taste too similar. I look forward to going back (with reservations!) and trying more of her menu.
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Glad you finally made it, and enjoyed it! We haven’t been since we got takeout a couple of times during the pandemic, and we live close by! Must remedy that soon.
I’ve heard a couple of people say it’s more packed recently, and they think its because of her JB nominations. I don’t know if that’s the sole reason, as her food and its popularity seems to have been moving up in the last few years. I do think the green line has helped many of the fun and “hidden” restaurants in that area (Highland Kitchen too). It was a pain for me to get to in the past, but now that it’s a short walk off a T stop, that makes all the difference. Just the development in that area has been quite transformative.
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two busses (88 and 90) have always run along highland avenue, so don’t know that the green line extension has had much of an impact on highland kitchen.
friends took me there on a friday night in late march for my birthday, and while we didn’t have to wait for a table, the place was full — the food, as always, terrific!
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A digression, but despite growing up here and taking public transportation everywhere, I almost never take buses. I used to think that’s just how buses are until traveling to other cities and realizing that it’s because our signage in Boston sucks. And then add to that the unpredictability that traffic can bring (in all cities), and it is just a mode of transportation I avoid unless I’m desperate.
I was quite surprised how walkable Highland Kitchen was from where my sister lives, so for me it was a huge plus! I know many will lament the rent prices and cost of housing, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed walking around that neighborhood.
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So happy to hear that you loved it!
We just celebrated a milestone birthday with a party of 10 at Sarma a few weeks ago and it could not have been better. The team was wonderful to work with from the start (booked about 6 weeks ahead) and the customized menu was fantastic - a wide enough variety to really capture the best parts of the menu, served family style. I think we probably had about 10 dishes and everyone spent the (excellent!) dessert course discussing and ranking their favorites. The service that night was also perfect - warm with frequent check ins but never overbearing.
If you’re looking for a spot for a similar event, I cannot recommend Sarma enough.
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Speaking of dessert, I was quite stuffed that night at Sarma, but out of curiosity I said I’ll look at the dessert menu anyways. Of course, I was compelled to order one. 
I forgot what it was called but essentially it was an almond custard (more panna cotta like texture) topped with a black currant granita. I love black currant, and it called to me. It was light, not too sweet, and really good.
I really appreciated everybody from the waitstaff, but also particularly the bar staff. It was jam packed, and the fact that they seem to be able to keep tabs on everyone, remember names, and also offer such great friendly service while trying to take orders, explain menus and serve drinks to a huge crowd was impressive!
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Thanks for reviving this thread. We’ve had pandemic pickups from there, but haven’t been back post- . We must.
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Our favorite spot, especially the bar. If schedule allows and the weather is good, you can line up outside the door before 5:00 and you will most likely get a seat at the bar, depending on where you are in the line. We do this often and have always been able to snag 2 seats at the bar.
Agree on the fried chicken, we usually pass on that. Pre-pandemic there would be several options on the trays to choose from, I do miss that.
Thanks for posting.
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Will keep this in mind the next time I’m housesitting for my sis. She’s just a 10 minute or so walk from there, so very feasible.
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