THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Asha

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Asha Restaurant Review:

Of late, Long Beach has become more and more a dining destination. With the addition of Asha, guests can satiate their appetites with large portions of well-prepared Middle Eastern and Moroccan cuisine. The dining room, though tight, has a modern appeal, with two levels from which most guests can see the cooks working in the open kitchen. The lengthy menu starts with the addiction-inducing pastilla --- phyllo pastries stuffed with layers of chicken, almonds and cinnamon, baked in the oven, and coated with powdered sugar. For those who prefer a more savory start, there are the requisite dips such as baba ghanouj and hummus, as well as spicy labni --- a popular creamy cheese drizzled with olive oil that becomes true comfort food when served in a steamy pita. Moroccan flatbread is like a small pizza, on which the best topping is the herbaceous blend of thyme, sesame seeds, sumac and mint, along with tomatoes, olives and olive oil. Tagines are deep in flavor, cooked long and slow with ingredients such as honey-roasted lamb and prunes. Guests should not skip dessert, specifically the homemade, flaky baklava filled with pistachios.