Super yummy hand pies! I'm always excited when I see that the Tabassum food truck is coming to my…read morearea. The hand pies seem to be already prepared, so the food service is extremely quick. Chicken Curry Samsa: The chicken was plentiful and very good, didn't feel too dry at all. The curry flavor was delicious, but not too overwhelming. Beef Samsa: The beef felt a little dry, but no big deal. There was a lot of beef, onion, and cumin, making it a very flavorful snack. The puff pastries did not feel too oily or buttery, which is something I often find with pastry-type foods. Overall, Tabassum has some pretty good hand pies and I can't wait to have more!

In short: You've had hand pies several times from other…read moreculinary traditions; think of these as being similar to empanadas, just known by another name. In long: I've had these samsas a few times now, because they used to cater lunch at the office at my old work. They've been consistently delicious for 5 years. They're a little smaller than your hand, and stuffed with maybe an inch of filling. 2 of them will fill up quite a few people. The truck itself is hard to miss. It's a Sprinter van, and the longest one I've seen. Big signage on the sides. They posted up Friday in a neighborhood near me. I ended up getting dinner for everybody, so I got to try most of the menu, at least in bites here and there. We got the beef, cheesy beef, chicken, squash, and spinach samsas. The squash ones seemed almost dessert-y, because baked squash is not far off baked pumpkin, which the typical American (like me) thinks of as dessert pie in the autumn. The others were all unmistakably savory entrée pies. The great thing about these is how light, flaky, and un-greasy the dough is on every one. The fillings are fantastic, too, but they've absolutely nailed the dough. Each one was about $6, and they do offer sides, though I just loaded up on samsas and off I went. I hope to see this truck more often for sure.

This is a fairly hidden gem restaurant a little bit west of UDistrict, closer to Wallingford. The…read moremenu features a bunch of dishes in Central Asia, with fitchi being the star of the show, as the name of this establishment suggests. Fitchi is a stuffed pastry from Uzbekistan/Turkmenistan, and surprisingly when I googled what fitchi was, there weren't a whole lot of search results, so I am ready for a special culinary adventure! When we arrived, it was 2pm and we got the last table and had to wait for 2 chairs to be unoccupied, since it is a place where you sit anywhere and grab chairs from other tables if you need for larger groups. We got 1 chicken and 1 beef fitchi to share, which was $5.50 each + tax, which is a really good deal considering the size of the fitchi. Food does take a while to get since they make fresh to order, so expect 20-30 minutes wait for the food. It was a bit interesting the fitchi is served with a side of ranch, and the server gave us 2 spoons and 2 knives to eat it. The beef fitchi is amazing - very flavorful and juicy. The chicken fitchi is also good but does not carry the level of seasoning as the beef one, but you should try both. Overall, solid, humble restaurant to check out food that you don't typically see often!

Fitchi House is the only restaurant in Seattle serving authentic Central Asian cuisine, as far as i…read moreknow. If you haven't tried them yet, this is a must-visit! Central Asian cuisine is shared by Uyghur Chinese, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and Turkmens. Many famous cuisines, like Turkish, Persian, and Indian, have roots in this region. A warm and passionate lady from Kyrgyzstan runs Fitchi House, recreating the exact dishes she grew up with. No wonder everything is so delicious! I've enjoyed their signature dish, Fitchi (Central Asian meat pie), many times, and it's always a winner! For the first time, I tried three new dishes--and they're all must-tries: Laghman: Hand-pulled noodles topped with fried meat, veggies, and savory stew. Hand pulling the noodles are the real deal--perfectly chewy and complement the toppings beautifully. I totally loved it! Gosh Naan: A deep-fried meat pie, a staple of Uyghur and Kyrgyz cuisine. It's crispy outside, savory inside, and surprisingly not oily. Absolutely delicious. Kazan Kabab: Meat cooked with subtle spices in a special wok called Kazan, served with jasmine rice. It looks simple, but the meat is packed with flavor--an explosion created by subtle spices that pairs perfectly with the jasmine rice. An Uzbek dish, but eaten all over central asia. They also offer a full menu of Italian Pizzas, all Halal--one of the rare places in Seatle serving traditional pizzas ( whereas most places serve Halal Pizza only Indian style) like this. No wonder Central Asians are known for being the world's best bakers! When I asked for their top three dishes, they had a hard time choosing because every dish is a heartfelt recreation of their own kitchen. The inside is small but gives off a homely feeling. If you strike up a chat, you'll feel like you've been invited into a Kyrgyz home kitchen. Truly an amazing addition to Seattle's food scene! Pro Tip: Don't miss their Fitchis and Samsas!