A sea of choices

Tas T. Budds discovers the gastronomic joy of fresh seafood preparations


Beach Centre, Dubai
Sammach

I have a strange equation with fish. I absolutely adore the spicy, red fish curry made by my mother, but am not too keen about eating any restaurant preparations. It has mainly to do with being presented beautifully decorated dishes created from frozen fish, which means complete obliteration of flavours.

So I trudged along to the new seafood outlet Sammach in the role of a reluctant diner, with two friends I had dragged along for a bit of culinary support. As we strolled into the restaurant we were pleasantly surprised. It looked less like a commercial eatery and more a private deck with walls covered in personal photographs of various fishing expeditions in the Gulf waters.

Wood, coir and turquoise blue cushions created a warm homely feel. Each table had white metal tissue roll holders shaped as lighthouses and lemony table settings. Very quaint… would the food match up?

Within minutes of settling down, the managing partner Fadi Haider, who strongly resembled a young Italian patriarch and had a demeanour to match, welcomed us.

He quickly decided to steer us along the various courses and we were glad to surrender… nobody had any desire to walk the plank for making wrong choices.

The cuisine is distinctively Lebanese seafood, which means hints of Arabic and herby French influences. We began with a selection of starters including moutabbel, hommous, fattoush served with a dash of tangy tamarind sauce, warm potato cubes tossed with coriander, garlic and spices, along with a salad of rocket leaves and thyme. The potatoes were lovely and worked splendidly with the leafy rocket and thyme. The next course was kingfish, marinated in salt, pepper, spices, gently covered in breadcrumbs and fried. The meat was soft and fresh without the slightest hint of fishiness. All three of us aren't avid fish eaters, but we managed to finish the entire serving.

Kingfish was quickly followed by shrimp provencale, which had the shellfish sautéed in coriander and garlic sauce.

Firm, sweet and succulent they too disappeared without a whisper. Urged by our enthusiasm for the dishes, Fadi had the chef prepare a massive fish, which was butterflyed and grilled in Arabic spices.

Each morsel just melted in our mouths, but the size of the dish was too big even for all three of us, although we did manage to make a substantial dent. We had eaten a reasonably large quantity of fish, but didn't feel the heaviness associated with consuming so much seafood.

The final course was steamed Omani crabs served with a herb dip. Sweet, flaky and juicy, the crabs were some of the best I have ever eaten in Dubai. Finger-licking yum… is there any other way to eat them?

Non-seafood eating diners have the choice of grilled chicken with fries, which is equally good.

Sammach, which means fisherman in Arabic, is the culmination of Haider's life-long passion for fishing. "I wanted a restaurant where people who love seafood could eat it fresh at reasonable prices. A place where people who love the sea as much as I do can share in its joy," he says.

"All the dishes are Lebanese preparations, the essence of which is simplicity. When seafood is fresh, it has its own delightful flavour and no hint of fishiness. That is the mark of freshness. We serve daily catch, nothing frozen is served or will be served at Sammach."

He plans to start a fishing charter service at the end of this month. "We will take people fishing and cook the catch for them on return," he says. The restaurant is truly a treasure trove of delights for all those who like good food and a matching ambience.