The iftar buffet spread at Almaz By Momo has many heady, north African attractions, but I go back year after year for something not especially exotic but very, very delicious and comforting: The pancakes.
These fluffy pale gold disks of dough are studded with air pockets, resembling English pikelets, and they are served in a similar way — drizzled with spoonfuls and spoonfuls of honey.
Is it dessert? Is it something to end the fast with? I don’t really know, so I just pile them on my plate every time I visit the buffet, which in the Mall of the Emirates outlet that I visited, is in a room to the side of the restaurant.
But of course, there’s so much to enjoy in this hearty, fragrant iftar that I highly recommend if you’re looking to charm your guests.
The restaurant itself is beautiful, and evokes the symbolism of the month, with its glittering starry sky and dozens of lamps hanging low over Moroccan tables and majlis seating (surprisingly comfortable to lounge and eat on).
It’s also a fairly reasonable Dh175 per person, including the minty Moroccan tea that’s necessary to ease down all that couscous.
The couscous here is exceptionally fine and fluffy, and comes in the traditional way — with a delicate vegetable broth to be ladled over. Don’t forget to scoop some caramelised onions and plump sultanas on top for a pop of sweetness. Perfectly roasted lamb is piled alongside. (Ask the waiter for harissa chilli paste for a touch of heat.)
Almaz hits all the Moroccan favourites, and hits them spot-on: A pastilla, the famous crisp pastry filled with meat and topped with icing sugar and cinnamon, is dense with pigeon and nubby bites of walnut; the harrira soup is light enough to end your fast and yet full of body with lamb, pulses and vegetables. And do not miss the cheese-filled pastry triangles: the cheese is funky and tangy, the pastry super-crisp. These tiny treats wipe the floor with the cheese-pastry competition.
My only complaint is that while the hot buffet has many offerings — including three tagines, such as green olive-pickled lemon, and meatball-and-egg — the starters are limited. Nonetheless, the spicy marinated olives, grilled pepper salad and Moroccan salad, similar to a fattoush — are excellent starters, pairing nicely with a selection of cheeses and some hot-from-the-oven breads.
The details
Location: Almaz by Momo (Mall of the Emirates, 04-5516247 and The Beach, 04-5516247).
Cost: Dh175, children Dh85, free for under-fives.
Timings: Sunset until 9pm.
