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The restaurant is on the small side, with about 15 small tables in the space. The lighting is also very low, with candles providing the majority of the lighting. I usually don't like that type of lighting as it usually means there isn't enough light to read the menu, but Saha used just enough light from a ceiling fixture to allow for comfortable reading yet kept the dark candle-lit romantic atmosphere. The walls are also painted deep shades of red, which lent to the romantic feel.
It was quite busy in the restaurant, which caught me by surprise since it was a Tuesday night. It must have caught the restaurant by surprise too, as they were understaffed with only two people serving the customers. Sara and I ended up standing by the 'please wait to be seated' sign for a good 5 minutes before they approached us. The service was not bad, mind you - they were hurrying from table to table to try to keep up with everybody but they were simply outnumbered. (Note to self: don't come on a weekday if I'm in a rush or if I'm very hungry.)
The menu lived up to the promise of Arabic fusion. Though I don't really know what an Arabic menu is like, the dishes here just seemed like fusion dishes. We were originally going to order a calamari appetizer but after hearing their specials we ended up with a mushroom soup "finished with coconut milk" and scallops served with a scallop-sized ball of green paste that looks like wasabi mixed with coconut. The soup turned out to be spicy and tasted amaaaaazing. The scallops were a little overdone, but the green paste tasted like Thai-style peanut sauce, which just happens to be one of my favourite flavours. Sara notes that the paste was made with Fava beans. I don't know what Fava beans are (I don't even know if I should be writing 'fava' instead of 'Fava'), but I do know that they can be made into a very tasty paste.
The complimentary bread was also extremely good: they had crunchy crusts and were slightly sweet, with a hint of honey. They were also served in bite-sized pieces, which I kept popping into my mouth one after the other ("mmm...<crunchcrunch> these are sooo <munch munch> good...") until I saw Sara give me a look and I realized there was only one piece left. Needless to say I asked for a second basket.
For entrees, Sara ordered the Spicy Seafood Tagine, which had salmon, tuna, scallops, shrimp, and vegetables over rice in a light spicy curry broth. I actually forget the name of the dish I ordered (it's not on their website) but it had lamb cubes over rice in a thick curry-like gravy. It's probably not fair for me to compare the gravy to curry, but that's all I really know to compare it to. Perhaps someone out there can educate me on Arabic gravy? There was also almond shavings sprinkled throughout the dish along Fava beans, which taste just as good in bean form as in the earlier appetizer paste. Both of our entrees were delicious but I think mine had a little more flavour than Sara's. My gravy had a beef taste to it while Sara's dish was spicy but light.
Overall the food was VERY tasty - full of flavour yet not too heavy nor rich.
I suppose the only negative is the price. The entrees checked in at $21 each and our dinner, which consisted of two appetizers, two entrees, and a glass of coke, came out to $60. For the portions involved, I'm used to paying more like $45-50 for that meal. It was a very good meal, but I'd have to say that I was glad we had the buy-one-entree-get-one-free coupon.
I highly recommend Saha for the great food; just be aware your wallet is going to take a hit.
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