Coming Soon: Fat Pasha, a Middle Eastern restaurant from Rose and Sons chef Anthony Rose

Coming Soon: Fat Pasha, a Middle Eastern restaurant from Rose and Sons chef Anthony Rose

Fat Pasha

Anthony Rose, the chef and co-owner of Rose and Sons and Big Crow, is opening yet another restaurant on Dupont Avenue. Fat Pasha, which takes over the former Indian Rice Factory space this spring, will be just as casual and rambunctious as Rose’s other two restaurants. Instead of burgers or barbeque, though, the new spot will focus on Middle Eastern cuisine.

“I love Israel,” Rose says. “It’s so laid-back. Nobody worries too much about manners.” At Fat Pasha, that easygoing attitude will inform everything from the decor to the menu, which will stick to the kind of colourful Israeli street food made popular by celeb chef Yotam Ottolenghi. (Rose is a big fan.) That means casual snacks, like hummus, shawarma and shakshuka, a traditional Israeli egg dish. “This isn’t fine-dining,” Rose explains. “It is what it is: unapologetically delicious.”

Rose’s newest restaurant will also be his largest: there will be 50 seats in the main restaurant, plus a sprawling patio and a separate private dining room. As for the restaurant’s name, Rose explains that it’s a Turkish phrase used to describe a powerful man. In this case, that’s Rose. (“Oh yeah, I’m the fat pasha here.”) A fitting title, to be sure.