Rosewater Middle Eastern Grill Review

The interior of the restaurant is quite new and well kept. Makes sense since it’s only been open for less than a year, I believe. However, I took my food to go and did not stay to fully explore the place.

Oddly, I wanted to try one of the desserts first. I got 3 to sample, but the mihalaya at Rosewater seemed to be the only place to get this dessert. Thus, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, this had to be one of the worst non-American desserts I have ever tried. While it is supposed to be a pudding, it actually had the consistency of jello. It tasted like it had been sitting in a fridge before, very artificial and the toppings did not taste fresh at all.

But, when I actually tried my main meal, I was pleasantly surprised by the meat’s taste. I don’t think I’ve had kebabs since my last trip to Ukraine, and Rosewater’s were very good! Proper amount of spice, not too hard, and you can taste the char on the tikka. The kebab was minced chicken meat which was equally tasty.

The sides were rice and pita. Rice was a bit above average, as it did have a hint of additional flavor not present in other restaurant. Pita was a fine size and tasted plain, so I used it as a tortilla to add the chicken into.
My order was a platter 2 I believe, since I chose 2 appetizers with my 2 proteins. The apps were 2 falafel pieces and bean salad. Falafel was crispy and had an excellent interior. Bean salad came in a somewhat oily sauce but came with many bean types, like chickpeas.

Baklava had a nice amount of nuts and was soaked well at the bottom, but lacking a bit on the top layers. It was my first time trying basbousa, and I liked it! A bit like an Almond Joy, without the chocolate and with added farina and sugar syrup. Strong coconut taste. Also had a nut in the middle.

One major drawback to this place, in my opinion, is the portion. Comparing to some other places I have been to, they are not very large. Bean salad container is the size of my thumb, and appetizer portions are all tiny. Meat portions are okay but empty plastic separators and arugula salad take up room in the styrofoam container to make the portion seem larger.
3.4/5