bazaar goes dining
SOLIA
Notes from a Mediterranean escapade in the heart of Kuwait
By bazaar staff
High ceilings, prominent yet minimal light fixtures, neutral woven whicker platters artfully hung on the wall, beige and gold accents and a real live olive tree in the middle of the restaurant. All of the things you notice when you’re entering Solia suggest a Mediterranean villa on the coast, or a cozy village plaza. You can also see an enormous open kitchen, the work-space for more than twenty chefs from all over the world, designed to be visible but unobtrusive without overwhelming your senses. Once you’re seated, you will be presented with the choice of two menus. A beautiful three-page card stock menu in muted green and a classic gray, adorned with hand-illustrations and held together with a wooden clothespin. The other option is an iPad menu, perfect for people who prefer visual choices over written descriptions. This is a dilemma for some, the suggestive pictures are so enticing that making a choice is a challenge for even the most disciplined. Solia’s menu sets the bar very high, because you will not accept a dish that is any less beautiful than the one in your imagination. We started with drinks, which gave us an opportunity to hydrate while we went through the menu. The Sangria with its zesty and citrusy fruits transported us to a summer vacation on the Spanish beach. It comes in a pitcher and served in glass tumbler with a slice of candied orange pinned to it. We knew what was happening, Solia was wooing us with their drinks. The locally inspired Black Sensation drink, fashioned out of activated charcoal, apple spritzer, vanilla syrup, blackberries, cranberry and grape juice tingled our taste buds and prepared us for what was to come. Having decided on our soup and salads we sat enjoying the atmosphere. There is an air of quiet confidence to Solia. The staff are well informed about the dishes, offering friendly advice on what to order. They come from more than a dozen different countries which mirrors the multicultural cuisine of the restaurant. Solia is a Mediterranean restaurant, drawing from French, Spanish, Turkish, Italian, Levantine and North African influences. Instead of focusing on a single culinary tradition, they have instead chosen to assimilate all of them without fusing any of them into a franken-cuisine. The menu selections flow perfectly together, showcasing a part of our history where culinary traditions are constantly shared amongst the Mediterranean region and never isolated. The Lyon Onion soup arrived. Covered in puff pastry, the crust is golden, flaky, buttery and absolutely delicious. The little lion head on the porcelain soup bowl was a sweet pun we appreciated. Our host 130