The excesses of Chinese New Year had gotten to both the Caveman’s and my waistlines. Food, unfortunately, is a weakness, but fortunately both of us have the good sense to celebrate every occasion with good food, and therein lay the belly rub.
How should we celebrate Valentine’s Day? Do something uniquely multicultural was the consensus and here you have it… French, Armenian and Japanese — served truly Dubai-style.
Chinwaggery + Soul, Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach, JBR
Diabetic Diva
Chef Edi sent his greetings from the kitchen while we sat on the terrace on a cool evening, and in a heartbeat we were tucking into pan-fried red mullet accompanied by seared scallops, thyme-infused roasted red pepper, salsa verde and a bouillabaisse essence… the skin crispy, the flesh white and delicate with the sauce raising the taste-bud bar to a higher level. What really piqued my interest were the perfectly made dots of orange jelly that added to the explosive experience. Five stars for that.
The main course arrived in the form of tender slices of duck breast cooked to medium. The port sauce that accompanied it was to die for, and while the caramelised baby shallots, buttered chestnuts and thick-cut potato chip added to the delight of the duck, it was the red cabbage puree that made it perfect.
Then came the pièce de résistance. Pastry chef Budi came out with what I would call a dessert fit for a diva — red velvet macaroons filled with a raspberry mousse, candied rose petals and a tantalising mix berry and bubbly sorbet.
Ever since I found out I was diabetic I have discovered that all red fruit work wonders for my constitution and I silently blessed chef Budi’s heart for taking me to berry heaven. I also noticed that while the meal and dessert was Class I French, our maître d’ Mark was German and both chefs Indonesian… truly multicultural as we all spoke English. The Caveman was awfully amused.
Caveman
Sometimes, even a caveman has a good day. And so it was earlier this month, at a preview to road test the Valentine’s menu at Chinwaggery + Soul, the newly refurbished lounge and restaurant at the Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach.
Thanks to the extended winter Dubai is enjoying this year, we were able to sit outdoors, metres away from the pool. Because the second-floor venue is not on the JBR strip, it is relatively quiet and with only a few tables outside, there’s a fair bit of privacy afforded to each table. Just what you expect for Valentine’s.
And if the way to your lover’s heart is via her stomach, this menu should do the job magnificently. We began with watermelon juice, which boffins call the Viagra of the fruit world. Our starter was a beautifully pan-fried piece of red mullet — crisp and flaky, the sweet and citrus notes from some peppers and orange jelly complementing it nicely.
But it was the flavourful main course — duck breast with red cabbage puree, caramelised baby shallots, buttered chestnuts, Pont Neuf potatoes and a grape sauce — that won my heart. The duck was a decent-sized meaty portion, done just past medium rare but so juicy it didn’t really need the extra sauce — the cabbage puree and shallots were enough. From good to better — would dessert be the best?
The Diva certainly thought so. She was thrilled by the mousse-filled heart-shaped meringue, especially since it came with red berries, candied rose petals, grape jelly and a tart bubbly-based sorbet. A variety of flavours, but all pulled together very well indeed. The Diva was so happy, she literally danced into the car and broke into song in the elevator afterwards. She’d had a good day too!
Mayrig, Emaar Boulevard
Diabetic Diva
When the Caveman suggested an Armenian Valentine’s lunch I was a bit sceptical. Of what little I know about the place is that it is a landlocked country with little fish on the menu and that Armenians are a scattered Christian diaspora and make the best jewellers. Going down memory lane I remembered eating a basterma (pastrami) sandwich at a jeweller friend’s house, and that struck a chord. Of course I was going... I wanted the multicultural experience and I must report I do not regret a single mouthful.
Mayrig in Armenian means Little Mother and I was assured by the manager of the restaurant that the recipes of the food I was going to enjoy have been fiercely guarded for three generations. Nothing beats mother’s cooking, so the Caveman and I decided to get adventurous.
While he ordered tebleh (spicy meat tartare) for starters, I went for the printzov keufteh (rice kibbeh) and a fresh cherry juice with a taste of the hummos with basterma (hummus topped with smoked meat) and the pandjorov sarma (stuffed Swiss chard, a kind of dolma) which the Caveman wanted to try. The rice kibbeh was a unique experience, having only ever eaten Lebanese-style kibbeh made with cracked wheat. The Caveman was happy, however, as it was gluten-free.
No fish or seafood for the Diva, so I decided to go vegetarian. I usually have a good laugh when I introduce us as the pair of which one eats no wheat and the other no meat.
The spanakhov mante (spinach dumplings) was quite a treat with a tangy tomato sauce. The dumplings were baked and I felt wonderful eating it — until I watched the Caveman’s fishnah kebab arrive — juicy meatballs topped with a sauce of hot sour cherries. I was a little jealous but the Caveman showed sympathy and let me try the cherry sauce… taste-bud blowing!
As an added extra treat I had the rose ice cream with real rose petals and gelatin beads, and I had no regrets. The sun warmed my skin as I sipped my green tea… this multicultural life is good.
Caveman
The truly lucky caveman gets to pop a cherry on Valentine’s Day. I popped several at Downtown Burj Khalifa last week.
I took the Diva to Mayrig, an Armenian restaurant that opened next to Souk Al Bahar late last year. We were looking for an easy, casual vibe, nothing too mushy, but we found ourselves having an adventurous time at this upmarket street-side cafe. There aren’t any Armenian eateries in the UAE — unless you count caviar retailer Petrossian at Dubai Mall — so we approached the menu excitedly. For Valentine’s, diners must order a la carte, but are served a special cake.
Eschewing such improbably named dishes as itch (a version of tabbouleh) and soujouk hats (sausage rolls), I order the caveman-worthy tebleh, the pandjarov sarma, hummos basterma and for the Diva, the printzov keufteh.
From what we ate, Armenian cuisine is clearly close to its Middle Eastern cousins — notably Lebanese and Turkish — but the odd Russian and French influences make themselves felt. The tartare — bright pink and nicely spiced — was excellent, but it was afternoon, so I refrained from overindulging. The dolma had a bit more tartness than you might expect, thanks to the pomegranate, while the hummus was creamier and more Frenchified than the norm, the crispy basturma a nice contrast.
Then our mains arrived: For the Diva, it was an elaborate dish of mante — tiny dumplings dressed with tomato sauce, yoghurt and a smidgen of spices at the table. Food as performance art indeed.
And so to the cherries. The dish I ordered, fishnah kebab, is an Armenian speciality that has won fans and incited passionate acclamations at the restaurant’s Beirut venue ever since it opened ten years ago. It’s simply meatballs topped with sour cherries. The meatballs are flour-free, I was assured, and came served on crisp bread chips, which I didn’t touch (of course). Rather an unusual dish overall, but excellent to taste – as freshly popped cherries always are.
Kanpai, Souk Al Bahar
Diabetic Diva
Black marble floors, grey walls and immense bronze statues of Buddha and Samurai swordsmen greeted us at Kanpai, the Japanese restaurant and lounge at Souk Al Bahar. It did take a few minutes to get used to the lighting but the colours of the cranberry and strawberry mocktail complete with rose petals and a gelatine heart provided relief.
The Caveman and I settled in for the starters: Lobster namaharumaki with a grenadine mayo sauce and fresh Kumamoto oysters with a ponzu sauce. The tart spicy ponzu with the sea taste of the oysters and the fresh coriander in the lobster rice paper wrap prepared my palate for an excellent creamy edamame soup topped with a grilled scallop.
I’ve eaten plenty of boiled edamame beans with sea salt before but never a soup and this was refreshingly lovely. I could have lived without the salmon heart mousse with the pink sake sauce but since it was made all for the sake of love I gave it a try.
Main courses included Wagyu steak with a shabu-shabu sauce, grilled marinated Alaskan black cod and scallop and king prawn baked with seafood cream. This Diva was in fish heaven — the Caveman focused on the beef, and the black cod, scallops and the prawns wholly tickled my fish-loving palate.
Happy Valentine’s Day. Love yourself as much as you love the one and only in your life.
Caveman
Having had its formal opening in October, we thought it was time to head on down to Kanpai at Souq Al Bahar. The Japanese restaurant-lounge with its minimalist decor is popular with Dubai’s clubbing masses, but it’s no slouch in the food stakes.
Previewing its whopping five-course Valentine’s menu, we started with fresh Kumamoto oysters, topped with ponzu sauce. Fresh, clean, aristocratic oysters and a tangy, spicy sauce — they set the mood perfectly. An edamame cream soup followed — very memorable indeed, especially since the scallop it was topped with was grilled to a turn.
For the main course, I liked the Wagyu served with shabu-shabu sauce, but ever since I first tasted black cod, I’ve been quite the fan. I promptly ordered Kanpai’s grilled marinated Alaskan black cod. The chef insists his is the best in town, but with several international brands in the city, he’s got some pretty tough competition. Our verdict? It was very good indeed.
