As an enthusiast of Lebanese culture, I’ve got an especially soft spot for authentic Lebanese food, so I was pleasantly surprised to see one of Beirut’s most popular restaurants open up in Abu Dhabi.
Karamna Beirut Restaurant, which recently opened at Ramada Hotel, was developed by restaurateur Tony Karam whose family owns and runs the Karam restaurant brand.
The head chef at Karamna is Mohammad Molla, a native of the Lebanese town of Baalbek, who has over 30 years of experience with hotels such as Marriott and Hilton and experience serving royal families in the UAE.
Speaking to tabloid!, Molla said the restaurant aims to pay homage to authentic Lebanese cuisine, and does so by importing its ingredients on a regular basis from Lebanon.
Even the simplest dishes such as tabouleh and fatoush employ fresh vegetables from Lebanon. (Freshly-grown Lebanese fruits and vegetables are arguably some of the juiciest you can find around the world.)
“Before opening Karamna, we went around Abu Dhabi sampling dishes at many Lebanese restaurants, but we couldn’t find any that stayed true to the cuisine or used Lebanese ingredients, so we think we can fill that niche,” the chef said.
Innovative dishes
Discussing the menu, Molla said it combines classic Lebanese favourites with innovative dishes such as chocolate hummus (a surprisingly savoury dish that mixes 70 per cent dark chocolate powder with hummus), beetroot hummus, tabouleh with quinoa, and arayes toshka (a baked dish of bread topped with halloumi cheese), among others.
“We tried to be creative in our hummus dish, and thought of adding chocolate to it. We experimented and tried different variations of chocolate, and different variations of the dish until we settled on 70 per cent dark chocolate powder, which works well with the hummus without turning it sweet,” Molla said.
Variations
Some of the chef’s other variations on hummus include carrot hummus, broccoli hummus and pumpkin hummus. Though it sounds like a staple, Molla adds his own twist by using Turkish chickpeas to create a creamier hummus with a more pronounced taste of vegetables.
From the beef liver in a tangy lemon sauce, to the mixed grill marinated in a special spice recipe, Molla’s Lebanese signature is clear on every dish as the flavours burst with freshness.
Alongside his experience and talent in the kitchen, Molla takes as much care of every dish returning to his kitchen as he does with dishes leaving the kitchen.
“When customers finish eating and we get their plates back in the kitchen, I like to look at leftovers to see if there was something they clearly did not enjoy. This really helps us constantly improve our food,” he said.
We also sampled a dish of beef ribs served with stuffed vine leaves and stuffed zucchini. The ribs were tender, and the vine leaves and zucchini were cooked to a juicy perfection. The stuffing (rice and minced beef) was well-seasoned, and had us going for a second serving of the vegetables.
Sweet offerings
As for desserts, the restaurant serves baklava, halawat jebn (cheese-stuffed pastry), cream osmalia and qashtalia, among others.
The restaurant’s dining area accommodates 98 people. Families that want some privacy can also dine at one of three dining rooms that seat six people each.
If you’re looking for a true taste of Lebanon without the hassle of travel, head down to Karamna Beirut and sample some of the country’s most popular dishes.
