Care for some Turkish?
To get into the spirit of Ramadan, I went to Lalezar on a practically empty stomach. It was trying but the set menu made up for it. A piping hot red lentil shorba eased us in — fragrant, with just the right consistency and pleasantly herby, though I did add some paprika to spice it up.
Desperate hunger pangs slightly mollified, I relaxed into the soft settee and got going on the starters. The grilled beef sausages stood out, a bit tangy with a sweetish peanut sauce and crispy on the outside — I was reminded of chorizos. It was all served family-style, so everyone was digging in and chatting away.
I’m not a big fan of liver, so the fried veal liver didn’t suit me much, but the crispy calamari emerged a winner — squishy on the inside and a light, perfectly salted batter out. I’d have had more than a few, but was too busy eyeing the beef. And perhaps we were eating too much of it, because the chef came and announced that the mains were ready.
Having never been to Turkey, it’s probably presumptuous of me to say that the Iskander and Adana kebabs made me feel like I was there. But I’ll say it anyway, because they were that good. Served on a bed of bread squares that were mushy but dripping with the juices of the meat and tomato sauce, the strips of lamb were soft, tangy and incredibly fresh. My friend and I wiped the plate clean before turning to the Adana kebabs made of minced meat. They were chargrilled just right, but I expected more spice, so much as I loved it, it seemed as if an important ingredient had been left out.
But the disappointment was soon forgotten as cold sutlac — a baked rice pudding topped with vanilla ice cream. It was a sweet coda to a savoury evening.
Lalezar, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray; Dh195
Call 04 453 0444
Tania Bhattacharya/Staff Writer
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Italian interpretations
Going for iftar during Ramadan can be a rather pedestrian pursuit; you can almost predict what you’re going to get. And it would all taste very alike. Not at Solo Bistronomia. Chef Corrado Pani and his team serve a selection of dishes from across Italy, all with his own interpretation, of course.
Take the burrata, the dish du jour in Dubai restaurants. Sourced from Italy, the cheese is rich and creamy yet delicate, topped with herbs for a bit of spiciness.
The salmon is smoked in-house and marked with cuttlefish black ink. Raspberries and a sauce from the fruit round out the flavourful dish.
The tuna tartare takes the best bits of organic blue fin, light blowtorch searing provides texture and smokiness, and pine nuts add a crunchy element.
An unusual menu item, the grilled octopus’ charred flavour blends well with its sweet pumpkin bed, its tender meat — really, it’s unbelievably soft! — contrasts with the sweet vegetable and is finished with basil pesto for crispness.
The gnocchi is cooked in a prawn bisque with porcini mushrooms and pancetta for a lovely, rich, homely gluten-free option, but it comes second to the veal belly, which is slow-braised for 36 hours with sweet bread, so very tender without compromising on structural integrity. Combined with cherries and purple potato (mainly for colour), this dish tastes heavenly.
Sides include broccoli with almond and orange wedges, and a Tuscan classic — fagioli beans cooked simply in stock with rosemary and garlic.
For dessert, go for an ingenious interpretation of tiramisu, which features a rich foam that goes well with the accompanying dark chocolate ice cream. Or go for the lemon seven ways, including molecular balls, powder, curd, sorbet and macaroon.
In all dishes, Pani harnesses the essence of the ingredients. The flavours are so intense it’s almost like they’re concentrated. And it’s plated, so you can have it all to yourself.
Solo, Raffles Hotel Dubai; Dh180
Call 04 370 8999
Eduan R. Maggo/Editor — Country Guides
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A journey to the Andes
Okay so there’s no cuy on the menu, but Tesoro, at the brand-new Taj Dubai, plates up several other Peruvian staples for iftar. This ancient cuisine has been scaling the international culinary charts for some time now, and for Dh195 a head, the restaurant caters to those with adventurous palates but middle-class wallets.
Ingredients that we considered exotic only a few years ago are traditional food in Peru, and the buffet at this airy venue heaves with quinoa cooked in different ways, several kinds of potatoes, which may have been first cultivated outside Lima, and brightly coloured produce like purple corn in desserts.
This Latin American country is continents away, but its food is certainly extremely approachable, reflecting Chinese, Japanese and European influences thanks to successive immigration by colonists and migrant workers. For instance, ceviches, perhaps Peru’s best-known culinary export, have a lot in common with sushi.
The crisp, fresh notes of these citrusy fish salads, made from raw salmon, sea bass or tuna cured in lemon or lime, are the perfect thing at the end of a summer day. Chef Julio Cesar spices them up with Amarillo peppers or wasabi, so there’s a nice jolt for the taste buds. Peruvians love their spice, and the yellow peppers find their way into a lot of dishes.The other great starter — chupe de camarones — is a seafood chowder usually eaten late in the morning. With potatoes, vegetables and shrimp, it’s hearty, filling and very satisfying indeed.
Of the numerous main courses, my favourites were the lomo saltado, a soy-drizzled stir-fry of beef, peppers and potatoes best eaten with rice, the anticuchos, skewers of meat commonly eaten on Peru’s streets, a tender, flaky sea bass in Amarillo sauce, and a stunning Peruvian paella, which isn’t as sticky and has a lot more seafood than its Spanish ancestor.
There are also plenty of Arabian mezes and the odd main course, but why would you go on a culinary journey and insist
on the familiar flavours of home?
Dessert is the usual assortment of cakes and pastries, but Latin lovers will gravitate to the churros. My innards wouldn’t let me try them, but I was content with a bowl of dulce de leche, which I discovered goes fantastically with the staple gluten-free dessert of fresh fruit.
Tesoro, Taj Dubai
04 438 3100
Keith J. Fernandez/Editor — GN Focus
