Pastilla Cafe

Pastilla Cafe was a halal Moroccan restaurant located on Changi Road that introduced Singapore diners to the exotic flavors of North African cuisine with authenticity and flair. As the more relaxed sister establishment to the formal dining restaurant Pasha, Pastilla Cafe offered an approachable entry point to Moroccan gastronomy while maintaining high culinary standards and complete halal certification.

The restaurant was led by Chef Said, whose talented hands crafted traditional Moroccan dishes that transported diners to the souks and riads of Marrakech and Casablanca. The menu began with classic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern starters including hummus and mohammara (red pepper and walnut dip), establishing the flavor foundations before progressing to more elaborate main courses. Chef Said's expertise extended to artisanal bread-making, ensuring that diners enjoyed homemade, fresh breads alongside their meals.

The restaurant's signature dish, from which it took its name, was the traditional Moroccan pastilla (also spelled bastilla), though it also offered other substantial main courses. The tajine of beef meatballs represented authentic slow-cooking traditions, with meatballs roasted for hours in tomato-based sauce until achieving tender, fall-apart texture. The roasted chicken showcased Chef Said's spice expertise, prepared with a proprietary blend of 20 different spices and finished with 9-month-old aged butter that delivered earthy, sharp, and pleasantly bitter notes characteristic of traditional Moroccan preparations.

During the holy month of Ramadan, Pastilla Cafe demonstrated its commitment to the Muslim community by offering special Iftar set menus, allowing diners to break their fast with authentic Moroccan flavors in a halal-certified environment. This seasonal adaptation showed the restaurant's understanding of its Muslim clientele's needs while introducing Ramadan observers to Moroccan culinary traditions they might not otherwise experience.

The cafe was categorized under halal Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Moroccan cuisine on various food directories including Halal Tag Singapore. However, current indications suggest that Pastilla Cafe has since closed its operations, though during its time serving the community, it represented one of the few halal Moroccan dining options in Singapore, bringing North African flavors to the East Coast area with authenticity and dedication to both culinary excellence and halal standards.