We tried hummus inspired by 4 countries at Brighton's newest Middle Eastern eatery
BRIGHTON — Inspired by family recipes from the Middle East, Brighton restauranteur Chris Bachuwa and managing partner Taylor Daher have launched Hummus Hut inside of the Bachuwa family's existing Hawaiian bowls restaurant Poké Fresh in Brighton.
As it says in the name, the new concept eatery's signature dishes are hummus dressed up with toppings popular in different parts of the Middle East. Reporters Jennifer Eberbach and Tess Ware visited for a taste test, and Bachuwa and Daher set us up with a sampling of four elevated hummus dishes complete with little flags from Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey. We also tried the house hummus as a control test.
More: Poké Fresh owner launches Hummus Hut in Brighton
Hummus Hut also serves other Middle Eastern dishes, including dolma (meat stuffed grape leaves), curry chicken and potatoes, chicken shawarma, beef or lamb kafta, fattoush salad, red lentil soup, pickled vegetables with feta, and rice pilaf.
Hummus Hut dishes can be ordered online at hummus-hut.com or through an ordering kiosk at Poké Fresh, at 9864 E. Grand River Ave. Ste. 120 in Brighton. Customers can pick up Hummus Hut dishes to-go or sit and enjoy them at Poké Fresh.
Since the new concept restaurant only recently launched, Hummus Hut is currently available during limited hours four days a week, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, while Poké Fresh is open six days a week, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays.
Tess' favorite: Israel
Description: Hummus with caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, chickpeas, a cumin and curry spice blend, olive oil, and sumac
Tess: The thing that put this over the top for me was the curry and cumin spice blend. It isn't spicy, but it has an amazing flavor. When I got some caramelized onion on my pita chip, the taste of the onion stood out because it was almost sweet compared to the spice blend and they went together so well.
Jennifer: The combination of the mushrooms and cumin/curry spice blend gave this a pleasant flavor. I liked that the chickpeas were something to chew on in an otherwise creamy dish.
Jennifer's Favorite: Turkey
Description: Hummus with caramelized onions, pomegranate molasses, za'atar spice, olive oil, and sumac
Jennifer: My favorite part of the Turkish cuisine-inspired hummus was how the flavors of the sweet and tangy pomegranate molasses and the earthy za’atar spice did some surprising chemistry in my mouth. They complemented each other well. A while back, I depleted by own jar of za’atar, so I’ll need to put it on my shopping list.
Tess: This one was definitely a new hummus experience for me. The pomegranate molasses almost tasted like balsamic vinegar — there was an amazing balance of tart and savory flavors.
Lebanon
Description: Hummus with chicken shawarma, tahini sauce, lemon wedge, olive oil, and sumac
Jennifer: This is the one I would most likely grab as a lunch for comfort food. The chicken shawarma was tender. I enjoy the flavor of tahini, which I've always found difficult to describe. It's almost like it is thinking about being a little bitter, but in a good way. The internet says "savory" and "nutty," so I'll go with that.
Tess: This one was probably the closest to the hummus I am most familiar with. The chicken shawarma and tahini reminded me a lot of the Mediterranean bowls and pita wraps I grew up eating.
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Syria
Description: Hummus with pickled red onions, beef and lamb kafta, pine nuts, olive oil, and sumac
Jennifer: I could probably eat kafta all day. The scoop of kafta crumbles on top really elevated the hummus. The pickled red onions were delicious and gave the dish a nice flavor.
Tess: Pickled red onions are one of my favorite things in the world, so I knew before I even tried it that I was going to love this one. The onions were vinegary and a bit sweet and the lamb was well seasoned in a way that didn't overpower the taste of the hummus.
— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com. Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@livingstondaily.com. Follow her on Twitter @tess_journalist.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: We tried hummus inspired by these 4 countries at new Brighton eatry
