Tucked quietly within a commercial building on Wyndham Street in the space that housed The Bellbrook, Lilya greets guests with a wall of bejewelled Babouche slippers at the entrance, a colourful touch that contrasts with the mysterious dimly-lit lounge space.

The venue is adorned with earthy red velvet booths with short lounge tables, which are matched with a wall of hanging silk tassels, Arabic drawings and colourful mosaic arrangements at the bar.

Lilya’s Moroccan offerings extend beyond pastilla and meat in tagines. We began with kefta beef and lamb meatballs with pine nuts. The ‘meatballs’ were somehow stuffed inside pastry and deep-fried, much the same as the king prawn and lobster pastries marinated in Me Charmel sauce, which were both too oily to start with. The green yoghurt dipping sauce was herbaceous and refreshing, though. Fried and marinated sardines with tomatoes and garlic was a winner. The small sardines were butterflied and skewered flat, grilled until crispy and topped with a silver of preserved lemon peel. These were tangy and rich in each bite.

Main dishes are mostly meat-oriented with fewer vegetarian choices than what is offered in the starter section. The free-range chicken with stuffed olives was well-seasoned with juicy roasted green asparagus in place of the cardoon greens. A spritz of lemon certainly helps in dressing the slightly dry meat. The signature saddle of lamb with caramelised onions, almonds, saffron, confit lemon and five spices featured a fork-tender piece of lamb, but the seasoning was off. The meat was under-seasoned, in need of punchier spice seasoning to add depth to the dish.

Desserts did not fare well at Lilya. The Pastilla looked nothing like what is being advertised. The tower of pastry arrived flopped, not very crisp, and like the preceding mains, a little too sweet to taste. The orange flower blossom custard was also on the thin side.

Lilya excels in the variety of beverages on offer. The wine list includes a generous selection of wines and spirits, as well as local craft beers. The cocktail selection is intriguing to most, although many tend to be on the fruity side. The signature Majorelle was served in a miniature tagine bowl, where Napue gin is mixed with cardamom syrup, basil, fresh apple juice and citrus. Refreshing on the first sip, the cocktail can be a tad too sweet.

The restaurant’s mocktail Zwinzwin blends passion fruit puree with pineapple dragon fruit and fresh coconut. Attractively served in a tall glass with the hue of fuchsia, the fruity concoction is much too sweet, masking the fruit flavours.  

Service at Lilya hit-or-miss. The staff are friendly and keen on greetings at the entrance, but throughout dinner service was minimal and staff were scarce.

Between missed food orders and extended waiting time on cocktails, the staff were also lacking knowledge in the restaurant’s menu selections and failed to notify guests for items that were unavailable.

A three-course meal with one beverage for two amount to HK$1,000. While Lilya excels in its welcoming ambience and stylish interior, there is much room for improvement on its menu offerings and service.