For a stylish take on Emirati cuisine, head to Silvena Rowe’s glam restaurant on Shaikh Zayed Bin Rashid Boulevard this Ramadan.
The decor is a mix of sleek white and gold with walls covered in amazing calligraphic graffiti. It’s the perfect blend of modernism and tradition.
Rowe is evangelical about healthy eating and applies her light-handed approach to dishes such as hummous, kibbeh and one of my favourites, a meat patty coated in crisp quinoa.
Her tabouleh is a revelation for anyone bored of what can often be a dry and uninspired salad.
Rowe’s tabouleh is chunky, fresh tasting and tangy; I never go back for seconds on that dish but I did here.
Other mezzeh on the table include feta cubes marinated with chilli and rosemary, and labneh balls with herbs, and spicy little popcorn shrimp that the guests will be fighting over.
The mains include one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, melting, slow-cooked lamb braised for seven hours. I heaped lots of the vegetable tagine, light and fragrant, with pops of flavour from olives, on to my plate; a few spoonfuls of cardamom-scented chicken machboos, a rice dish, will round off your meal.
Do try Rowe’s desserts, most of which are raw and sugar-free and all of which are utterly delicious. Her Shaikha desserts are little bites made with coconut flesh and oil, nuts and cocoa; her “Nutella” Shaikha is dense, nutty and unreal. Her umm ali (not a raw dish) has traditional flavour but a moreish fluffy lightness that approaches souffle territory.
Details
Where: Omnia by Silvena, Downtown
Price: Dhxx
Call: 04-5520129
