Fiya Review

Author: Kallie Hoffman

Photographer: Phoebe Fingold

Fiya, a modern Mediterranean restaurant on the bustling Clark Street of Chicago’s north side, is an excellent option when you are craving a quick downtown getaway and in desperate need of some high-quality comfort food. The restaurant is centrally located within a neighborhood filled with cute little shops and restaurants. Its large, bold sign immediately attracts the attention of onlookers, drawing them inside for a taste. The moment you step inside the door, you are greeted by a ginormous woodfire oven, where you can see the chefs churning out the delectable dishes and famous grilled pita. The entire restaurant, with its spacious layout and bright, beautiful lights hanging from the ceiling, screams sophistication.

I went on a Sunday night, so the restaurant was on the quieter side. Yet, most of the tables were still taken. It was comforting to see so many people, whether on a date or out with friends or family, all enjoying their meals and sampling a wide variety of menu items. As soon as we sat down, a waiter rushed over to see if we needed anything or had any questions about the menu. Despite my friend and I extensively researching the menu for weeks before our reservation, every dish looked so delicious that we still could not decide what to order.

We were thrown for quite a loop when we learned that the restaurant was out of hummus that night. For any Mediterranean restaurant, especially one where hummus was an integral aspect of multiple dishes, to be out of hummus was quite disappointing. Thankfully, our waiter recognized our frustration and kindly offered us some complimentary cheese pastries and pistachio cookies to tie us over until our appetizers arrived.

Appetizers

Since there were too many items that looked appealing on the menu, we decided to splurge and try a little bit of everything. We started with the salatim, which consisted of four small dishes served with marinated olives, Jerusalem salad, and two house pitas. Usually, the four dipping dishes include labneh (a sweeter yogurt sauce), roasted eggplant, Moroccan carrots, and tomato jam. Since they were out of hummus, we substituted the carrots for an extra eggplant. The labneh was nothing special: it was a bit too creamy and not very flavorful. The tomato jam was decent, but tasted too much like canned tomato sauce and I was not a fan of the large tomato chunks in it. However, the Jerusalem salad and the eggplant dip were excellent: the salad was tossed in a delicious olive oil and vinegar dressing, and the roasting of the dip accentuated the eggplant’s unique, fresh taste. The pitas were amazingly large, but much to our disappointment, they were quite bland and so puffed that it felt like I was eating more air than actual bread.

The two highlights of the night were the roasted Brussels sprouts and the whole roasted cauliflower. We asked for the Brussels sprouts without the bacon and the dates, which was an excellent decision because the true flavor of the sprouts did not need to be overpowered by any extra sauces or coatings. They were tender little orbs of deliciousness, and their mildly sweet, crispy nature made me want to just keep popping them into my mouth.

The whole cauliflower, on the other hand, was so large that I needed a fork and knife just to cut it into pieces. There was a subtle undercoating of light sesame oil, which added to its nutty flavor. The cauliflower easily broke apart, and the bitter undertones paired well with the salty head of the vegetable. Overall, we were pleasantly pleased with our appetizers, especially the vegetables, but we were salivating to taste our main courses, which, luckily for us, were brought to our table in a timely manner after our starters.

Main Course

Although my friend and I were both eager to sample Fiya’s different seafood options, the restaurant had discontinued the tuna crudo from the menu. Once again, I was forced to go with my second-choice option of the Kofta. This dish consisted of 3 medium-sized lamb meatballs on top of a grilled pita with charred onions and tomatoes. The side vegetables and pita were similar to what we had tasted in the appetizer section, but I was excited to try the meatballs. Coming from a family that does not really eat lamb, I did not know what to expect. To my disappointment, the meatballs were overwhelmingly chewy and tasted flavorless since they were served dry.

Both my friend and I were not the biggest fans of the Kofta, but the house-special Moroccan Fish lifted our spirits. The fresh trout prepared in a zesty tomato-pepper sauce was another small-portion dish, but unlike the kofta, its flavor was strong. The fish had a delicate texture and mild flavor, and its flaky exterior easily broke apart and took well to the sauce. Although the sauce tasted too much like the tomato jam from the salatim appetizer that I did not love, it gradually grew on me and served as a good dip for the leftover pita.

Since Fiya was named as one of the 50-hottest restaurants in Chicago, it was a trendy place that I had been dying to try. Perhaps I went into the restaurant with too high of expectations, but after my visit, I can definitely say that there are way better restaurants in the city. The food was reasonably priced, and the portions were standard, but the flavor was just not there. Plus, I do not think I was ever truly able to get over the fact that they were out of hummus . I will say, though, that our server was knowledgeable and thoughtful, and the presentation of all the dishes was appealing and picture-perfect. Despite some shortcomings, I am very glad that I experienced Fiya, satisfied my raging Mediterranean craving, and got a taste of the adorable and fun neighborhood of Andersonville.