If you’re eaten anywhere around Hollywood the last decade, chances are you’ve come across one of restaurateur George Abou-Daoud’s unique food concepts, from The Bowery gastropub to Delancey Bar & Pizzeria or Mission Cantina. After receiving acclaim for his casual Lebanese eatery Urban Garden on Fairfax, it was time to take on modern Middle Eastern cuisine for his ninth restaurant, so Bowery Bungalow was born in a charming cottage near the Silver Lake’s Sunset Junction.
George digs deep into ancient roots from Egypt to Israel and Southern Spain for some of the best recipes at his latest venture while putting new spins on classic, family dishes from the Mideast. First, let’s talk about the massive smoker on the back patio where the eggplant is smoked and used in the babaganoush along with coal roasted Shishito peppers — order at least one for the table or two if you have more than four people. Another must appetizer is the Za’atar bruschetta, which uses an age old spice blend along with EV olive oil. Grape leaves look more like a fingerling potato meets a fig but they are actually stuffed with garbanzo beans rather than rice. Another great shared dish is the Andalusian seafood fritto misto which douses the prawns with chickpea flower and is served with an addictive smoked paprika aioli for dipping.
For the mains, baby back ribs are rubbed with Turkish coffee and grape
molasses. Fall off the bone chicken Musakhan is served atop a Yorkshire Pudding
and drizzled with pine nut crema, making this the perfect fall comfort dish. Probably
the most fun to eat was the shishkatori, which combines shish kebobs with
traditional Japanese yakatori style cooking over Binchotan coals. Choices
include smoked pork belly, beef tenderloin, or crispy chicken skin. You must
accompany this with a bowl of turmeric fried rice with egg, chickpeas, golden
raisins, and almonds. The lamb belly is served with spicy pomegranate jelly and
smoked with olive wood, giving it a crispy texture that has already been dubbed "lamb bacon." For a sweet ending go for the Ottoman Empire pastry called konafah
which is filled with Soldedad goat cheese, ricotta, and rosewater.
If you get a chance, do try to discuss some of the dishes with George if he’s
in the front of house during your meal. The man has an encyclopedic knowledge
of food origins from coal-roasted lamb belly in Istanbul to Kipeh Niyah in
Beirut.
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Photos from Bowery Bungalow