Humbly rustic in design while offering international quality comfort foods, more and more culinary enthusiasts are calling Attarine their home.
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Imagine a suburban mom-and-pop eatery set up in a rustic garage, modestly decorated with interesting knick-knacks and serving popular international comfort food but with sophistication and a balance of flavours worthy of a modern, metropolitan bistro. Now what if I tell you this establishment is easily accessible within the city centre. Sounds too good to be true? Better believe it, because these are several main features you can enjoy at the modern bistro Attarine, located in the chic Senopati area.
Entering the restaurant, you will be greeted by aquamarine patterned wall tiles sustaining a homey ceiling riddled with wood panels with live plants hanging here and there. Minimalistic lights illuminate the dining area with soft daylight, falling perfectly on the individual wooden tables without being too intrusive. At the centre of the room, a classic Fiat, stripped of its engine and most interior details, is a serving table, while the engine housing of the front chassis is home to a live tree to brighten up the atmosphere. On the right side you’ll see a long, narrow, marble-topped dining table with wooden stools. Behind this table are wooden shelves lined with plates, seasoning jars, wooden spoons, spice containers, more plants, a “today’s specials” chalkboard and just about every trinket you can find in a suburban garage.
Now that we’ve established the genuine feel of Attarine, we’ll go through its hearty fare that makes the entire dining experience so heartfelt. The starter baked egg, drizzled with yoghurt and chilli butter, served runny invokes mum’s lazy breakfast we were all very fond of growing up. With just the right amount of pepper and minced parsley, I couldn’t ask for a better appetiser.
Next comes the eggplant on sourdough toast, which places soft-roasted eggplants on top of sesame sourdough and fried garlic – a very refreshing side dish that goes well with just about anything. The wood-fired baby corn served with sesame, shallots, capers and olives is a delicious vegetarian treat that puts emphasis on the balance of sweet flavours from the corn and the freshness of shallots and capers.
On to the main course, we enjoyed some delicious lamb shoulder ribs braised to perfect tenderness and then fried with whipped garlic and pickles. It was at this point we realised that the complexity of dishes like this one is nothing found in any household.
Of all the entrees we had, the seasonal special wood-fired white snapper certainly took the cake. It is a perfectly cooked whole snapper served with lemon, cilantro and garnished with minced parsley. Each layer of the meat is perfectly tender and absorbs just the right amount of balanced seasoning. This seemingly simple fare is the kind of protein dish that we can all enjoy in any situation, but is often associated with sentimental family moments like backyard barbeques or larger extended family gatherings. This is exactly the kind of experience Attarine wants you to enjoy – great food, heart-warming atmosphere and memorable moments.
www.attarine.com
