Judging by the crowd doing iftar at the Moroccan restaurant on the third floor of Harvey Nichols, there must be only a couple of people in Dubai that didn’t realise you can have a meal — and a lovely one, at that — inside the super-stylish department store at Mall of the Emirates.
This review is for them.
Almaz by Momo is atmospheric year-round, but takes on an especially vibrant quality during Ramadan, when it serves as the perfect spot for a luxurious yet warm and comfortable venue for iftar.
Walk through the entrance past the glass-walled kitchen, where chefs fry pastries before dunking them in vats of honey, and into the bejewelled treasure chest that is Almaz, where folks lounge on ruby and amethyst velvet banquettes as they sip mint tea and crunch said pastries.
Kick off your meal with a bowl of harira — Morroco’s take on chickpea soup, a dark red spiced broth filled with herbs, vegetables and pulses. It’s a super-healthy way to end your fast and a nice change from lentil soup.
If you’ve been feasting on moutabbel and tabbouleh all Ramadan, here’s a wonderful change. Aubergine here is charcoal grilled, pureed with
cumin, olive oil and coriander in a dish called zaalouk; there was also a spicy, pungent dip of roasted peppers and paprika called mechouia that you shouldn’t miss. Salads have North African twist, with salty olives and heady mint scattered among the tomatoes and green and red peppers, or simple plates of sliced tomato and cucumber topped with fresh parsley.
Everything is familiar, yet different: the stuffed savoury pastries, called briouat, are filled with cheese and fresh mint; while the signature pastry is the pastilla. The filo dough filled with chicken, cinnamon and dusted with sugar may sound unpalatable, but it’s not only delicious and authentic — it’s memorable. A seafood version, less sweet, also exists.
My kryptonite was the bread mountain in the centre of the room, a mix of soft, small pitas, chewy French-style white and brown rolls and the incredible msemen — a square of dough folded onto itself many times then fried, it’s like a chewy, flaky paratha, and goes as well with savoury dips as it does simply drizzled with honey. Also on this stand: Berber pancakes, so simple, so deadly. Again, they’re great plain, or rolled up with honey (bowls of which adorn the buffet).
But if you try only one thing at Almaz, go straight for the roast lamb. The slices, tender to the point of falling apart, with a deep, roasted flavour swim in their own juices — pour it on.
Pile some fine steamed couscous next to it, and top that with the traditional thin, spiced stew of carrots and courgettes and a pop of harissa chilli paste for a plate you’ll be talking about for the rest of Ramadan.
Of course it would be amiss of me not to mention the tagines and stews, of which there are chicken, lamb, prawn and fish varieties. I stayed classic, with a large chunk of lamb (I like how the meat is in hunks, not dried little cubes), topped with roasted almonds and tooth-sticking-sweet prunes.
Desserts are, of course, terrifically sweet, mainly honeyed fried whorls of dough, some stuffed with nuts. Already sugared out, I turned my back on those, and piled my plate with pancakes, fresh fruit, and a diamond of soft sesame paste, like a grown-up peanut butter.
Call 04-4098877. Reservation recommended.
Price: Dh170 per person, with water and Ramadan drinks.
Timing: Sunset-8.30pm. A la carte suhour from 9pm-1.45am.
