Frevo, Fairmont The Palm, Palm Jumeirah; 04 457 3457
Diabetic Diva
Brazilians love meat. A visit to a churrascaria in Sao Paulo is quite an experience. In my heyday as I travelled the world in search of epicurean experiences I ate my fill, to collapsing point, of espeto-style beef, lamb, chicken and fruit grilled to perfection on huge skewers and then carved at the table.
When the Caveman decided to try out Frevo in search of healthy options I laughed. “Should I just sit there and watch you stuff your face while I nibble on salad?” I remember saying.
The actual experience proved me so wrong. I ate well, stayed true to my restricted diet and left feeling like I must do it again.
It all began with a glass of refreshing green apple juice and then I had my first surprise — an amazingly light cream-free broth with a medley of radish, asparagus, spinach and broccoli. It was the crunch of the lightly stewed veggies that was so satisfying.
Fernando Lima, the Paulista chef de cuisine, then came by to explain the Brazilian concept and the Caveman’s eyes lit up like fireworks on New Year’s Day. I, meanwhile, fell in love with the chef’s Brasilero accent.
More than six different varieties of glorious meat were offered to the Caveman; he watched it all grilling slowly on huge skewers in an open kitchen. I settled on chicken instead — I could not compete.
However, I got smoked fish and grilled palm hearts, peppers, mushrooms and asparagus from the salad buffet before tucking into my drumstick, only to be surprised further with a cinnamon-sprinkled perfectly roasted pineapple that tickled my taste buds.
I did not expect to be surprised further, but the Fairmont has a well-kept secret — a very experienced lady pastry chef who excels in making desserts for gourmand diabetics like me. The dark bitter chocolate parfait was the crowning glory of my evening. The orange and grapefruit segments complimented the bitter chocolate and I ate it all with gusto quite meanly... The Caveman did not deserve to taste the specially made-for-me dessert; he can go eat gluten!
Caveman
Brazilians love meat. The Caveman loves meat. Imagine my joy when I heard an authentic Brazilian churrascaria was to open in Dubai! Not only did I head to Frevo at Fairmont The Palm for a Friday brunch, I returned again with the Diva in tow. She didn’t believe, of course, that the menu could be healthy. Meat is an excellent source of protein and iron and lean meats — yes even lean red meat — comes recommended by the USDA. At Frevo, though, the onus is on the customer to choose the healthiest cuts.
After warming up with a Sao Paulo-style clear soup – picked to keep the Diva company, although I loved its home-style feel – I dived into the meat. Nearly ten different cuts came by – and kept coming as long as I left the little light on our table on green. When you’re groaning and can’t eat another bite, you reach over and switch it to red, our friendly server explained.
I’d happily have eaten all night. After sending our server back a few times for medium rare meat, we lucked out and each cut came to us warm, pink and juicy. You’re meant to eat them with a choice of sauces (antioxidant-packed garlic, cancer-crushing peppercorn and monounsaturated chimichurri) as well as sides of fried rice and black bean stew.
Even on their own, the meats were divine. Such excellent lamb chops I’ve never had before: crisp on the outside, but also juicy and tender. Since I’m not a fan, I didn’t bother with the chicken, although the Diva wasn’t complaining in the slightest. She was particularly pleased with her dessert, a diabetic-friendly chocolate parfait (cautionary note for companions of insulin-dependents: this dessert may send divas into a blissful state of tranquillity).
But the beef got my vote. I’m going to return again and again for the sheer variety of tastes and textures. If you pace yourself, you can try all the cuts, although my favourites were the New York strip and the garlic sirloin. Dessert for me was Palaeo-approved grilled pineapple, which, besides being delicious, apparently contains enough enzymes to digest all that meat and ensure there’s no strain on your innards.
Sim Sim, JBR The Walk; 04 454 2319
Diabetic Diva
Rula Hamed is a young Palestinian woman who abandoned her marketing career to become the owner of Sim Sim, an authentic Levantine restaurant at JBR
The Walk. Fascinated with the cuisine of the Palestinian territories, the Caveman and I jumped at the idea of an al fresco dinner. The weather was perfect and the mood was for healthy food. Freekeh soup: cracked, roasted green wheat slow cooked in a chicken broth would have been ideal if it were cooler, but the wind stopped and I turned my attention to the watermelon slices and black sesame seed-encrusted Nabulsi cheese, which cooled my sweaty brow.
While the Caveman went typically after the lamb and beef dishes, I turned my attention to the Musakhan Dajaj — a Palestinian speciality of spicy chicken with onions, almonds and pine nuts served with traditional Palestinian taboon bread. The Fattoush Gaza style made a grand accompaniment with its tahini and red chilli paste dressing.
A refreshing glass of hot sage tea (miramiya) ended my meal but not the excitement. I was not the only one with a yen for Palestinian home cooking.
There was also a Saudi billionaire with his open top Bugatti and his entourage who has been a regular at Sim Sim for quite some time now. While fascinated onlookers photographed his car he ate... Now that’s living!
Caveman
Few people know there’s more to Arabian food than shawarma and mixed grills, a perception that the folk at Sim Sim restaurant want to change. Not only does owner Rula Hamed serve Palestinian food, she’s cajoled and coaxed the cooks in her family to give her their recipes. The result is home-cooked food that’s packed with goodness.
Although the stylish interiors hark back to a time when Palestine was peaceful, just like anywhere else, as Rula puts it, we sat outdoors to make the most of these last weeks of pleasant weather. Summer may be here already, but at The Walk, there’s so much to look at in the evenings, you don’t notice the heat. I started with its Fattoush Gazawi.
The difference is in the dressing, made with tahini and chilli paste, which is packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The people of Gaza love their spice, Rula tells us, and for anyone who’s ever bemoaned “bland Arabian food”, here’s an eye-opener. And it’s healthy, too.
My second starter (when in Arabia and all that) was an old favourite: hummus with meat and pine nuts. As someone who steers clear of most grain, this is a delightful way of staying with the diet: the crisp meat is a beautiful carrier for the hummus and the pine nuts provide the crunch, so you don’t really miss the bread. For the main course, I tried a simple lamb kofta topped with tomato sauce: minced meat cutlets on a bed of potatoes finished in the oven. You can ask for tahini sauce instead, but tomato is packed with cancer combating lycopene — and it’s tastier to boot.
For dessert, a cup of anti inflammatory sage tea, long called the Thinker’s Tea, provided all the stimulant we needed to prolong our delightful evening.
Fountain Restaurant, Mövenpick Hotel and Apartments; 04 310 4320
Diabetic Diva
Eat healthy and stay healthy is the concept at Fountain Restaurant. True to his belief Chef Sameer Miglani has very innovatively created a menu of super foods that burn fat, helps maintain a shapely waistline and provides optimum health to internal organs.
Well, to a person who loves to eat this may sound like a diet from hell but in reality it is amazing food that is carefully cooked to satisfy even the most difficult taste buds.
Steamed ginger chicken wrapped in spinach and a temperate Tom Yum Goong were my idea of an amuse bouche for dinner until I hit the salad bar and found the dill-cured salmon chunks accompanied by lotus stem chips.The lotus chips looked pretty and tasted nutty but since they are deep-fried I kept eyeing them until my strong will turned to the Camargue red rice crab sushi... tiny little bits of delicious heaven.
I did not pay attention to the Caveman as he got busy trying a little of everything while I chatted with chef Miglani who declared that he was inspired by his GM to help people lose their thick waistlines. That did not mean that taste was ever sacrificed as I tucked into my whole grilled shari in a ginger and red chilli plum sauce married with stewed apricots and perfectly steamed Chinese greens.
I left happy blessing the brain that thought it all up and the hands that cooked my dinner to perfection.
Caveman
We’re fed up with theme nights here in Dubai, but The Fountain restaurant at the Mövenpick Bur Dubai changed our view completely. Its Food For Life antioxidant promotion, started by a general manager who wanted to improve his core muscles, is an innovative departure.
On the menu are dishes featuring berries, artichokes, red grapes, beans, carrots, apples, dark chocolate, corn and spinach, all of which contain antioxidants that boost the body’s immunity.
My Tom Yum starter was far too spicy for me, so I walked over to the salad buffet instead — and came back with a fabulous crab and mango salad as well as some quinoa tabbouleh. Enough has been said and written about quinoa, one of the so-called superfoods, but I didn’t know mangoes, long a favourite, are full of vitamin A and C — except for diabetics, of course, as the Diva lost no time in telling me.
The main courses came fresh from the kitchen — another plus for the restaurant. Mine was the gluten-free choice: a slice of delicious salmon with lightly wilted zero-calorie bok choy. The Diva took one taste of it and insisted her shari was better — plus, it was locally sourced. Dessert for me was a platter of fruit and a cup of metabolism-raising coffee and despite having indulged in the Mumbai mojito earlier, I walked away feeling light and refreshed.
