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“the lion is most handsome when looking for food” ( RUMI)
paraphrase…someone or something is most appealing or attractive when they are pursuing their raison d’etre (their reason of being)
Hey Guys, Ramadan Kareem everyone,
This year I was invited by Omar Ali from @gastronomiqueDXB for a trip like no other, a trip to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.
What made this trip unique was that Omar GastronomiqueDXB curated the restaurants to synchronise with the trip thus making a trully amazing and wonderfull trip.
The trip started from Pakistan moving to Saudi Arabia , spacifically Madinah, Mecca and Jeddah for Umrah, then Abu Dhabi and Dubai and finishing in Qatar.
This review will list the most memorable dish from each curated restaurant.
So without further ado lets get started
Butt Karahi…Lahore Pakistan PKR 3000 ( £8.54) 9 out of 10
Our Trip started from Butt Karahi in the walled city of Lahore, They claim to have invented the Karahi. The restaurant started from a single cart in McLoud Road Lahore, in 1923 and has never closed for a single day since then, the funny thing is now there are seven Butt Karahis on the same road, they are all independently owned by the descendants of Boota Butt who first started Butt Karahi in 1923.
As there is no concept of intellectual property or franchising in Pakistan, any member of the Butt clan who worked in Butt Karahi would go on to start his own chapter of Butt Karahi.
We visited the Genesis Butt Karahi, as verified by the molvee of the mosque next door.
The Karahi was a revelation, the lamb is cooked only using butter and spices, and the lamb is so tender it falls off the bone.
Veg Samosa..Soond walla Samosa PKR 200 each (57p) 8 out of 10
Not all the places we ate in were fine dining, these samosas were made by a humble street cart close to our Fruit Orchards in Punjab, the samosas were fresh on the spot and believe me they hit the spot, delicately spiced potato filling in a crispy filo case…so simple yet absolutely delicious.
Spicy Chicken Mandi…Mandi World…Jeddah,Saudi Arabia SAR 85 ( £18) 8.9out of 10
My love of food started from the simple concept of chicken and rice, this combination exisits the world over, biryani in the sub continant, Singapore Chicken and rice, Italian Pollo Risotto, Gumbo in the American deep south and Mandi in southern Arabia.
The Mandi from Mandi world Jeddah was simple, fragrent and oh so delicious
Our next leg of the trip was to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, I visited Madinah and Mecca however it was the most busiest time of the year outside the Hajj so we enjoyed some Saudi street vendors
I tried the Ajwa Ice Cream in Madinah, The Ice Cream is made from Ajwa dates which were the favourite dates of the Prophet Mohammed(pbuh), and camel milk, it was served in a soft serve style, the Ajwa Ice Cream has a very subtle tasting notes of toffee, molasses, coffee and brown butter… absolutely delicious after Isha in Madinah.
Lamb Chops…Crossing Restaurant, H Hotel, Dubai AED 50 (£10) 9 out of 10
Next up we reached the Dubai leg of our Grand Tour, and we were invited by three of the most prominent food influencers in the UAE.
Hani AlMaliki aka @bedouinfoodie , Reza Namazi @ravenousxerxes and Jamal Al husseini @phinickyeater , the lunch was personally curated by the Michelin Star Chef Jitin Joshi @chefjitinjoshi.
This was truly a spectacular treat, the conversation was enlightening and eating with knowledgeable peers was truly amazing and humbling.
Furthermore, Chef Joshi’s passion speaks volumes through his food, the highlight of a truly memorable meal was the double rib lamb cutlets the marination was subtle yet complex, and the lamb was tender with a wonderful nutty fat from the loin.
I am overdoing with the Superlative adjectives but how else can one describe something so good?
BBQ Platter…Big T BBQ AED 250 (£53) 8 out of 10
Next Iftar Omar took me to an authentic Texas BBQ in the middle of Dubai…go figure, It was designed like a Texas Redneck BBQ right down to the Taxas size portions.
Actually, Big T BBQ is a labour of love for the owner Fadel Faour, he fell in love with the 1000-gallon smoker whilst studying at Longhorn University and could not wait to recreate the experience in Dubai.
The BBQ consists of seasoned smoked meats—specifically beef brisket, beef ribs, pastrami and Texas German Beef sausage.
OMG, the Texas German Beef link Sausage was a manna from heaven, the sausage was seasoned spectacularly, along with the smokey taste of the Ghaf tree gave a delicious umami earthy taste… loved it!!
kebab Hamoudi…Bait Maryam Dubai AED 85 (£16) 8 out of 10
Walking into Bait Maryam is like walking into the kitchen of your Jordanian Aunt, Sallam Dakak is a self teach two Michelin Star chef cooking her mum Maryam rustic delicacies, but don’t mistake rustic as peasant food, the food is simple yet fantastic, all the more elevated by the fresh ingredients available in Dubai.
The Kebab Hamoudi is an ode to Maryam’s grandson, the lamb kebab is sheathed in romali roti and rested on a bed of Maryams amazing spicy Tomato shorba and smoked Aubergine Babaganough. the pine nuts give a buttery nuance to cut the richness.
Mix Kebab… khoori Iranian dubai Aed 85 (£18.33) 9 out of 10
If a picture could speak 1000 words… well this speaks a while 1001 stories… Khoori is honest to goodness, salt of the earth Iranian kabab jaga…no pretensions, no faff just salt of the earth kebabs and fresh pebble bread.
It was love at first bite.
Sujook…Al Beiruti Dubai AED 59 (12.73) 8.5 out of 10Lebenon is a melting pot of amazing culinary influences, a case in point is the humble Sujook, Lebanese Sausage in Al Beiruti Dubai, the sausage is initially spoked and then tossed in burnt butter, pomegranate molasses and pine nuts, the sweet tangy sensation cuts through the spiced umami richness of the sausage.
Ceaser Salad…AED 82 (£17.70 Jones the Grocer Abu Dhabi 7 out 0r 10
Sometimes you need to give your system a wee time out…for those occasions, a Caesar Salad hits the spot…tossed with beef bacon a Caesar salad is an underrated timeless classic
Kebab Guldusta…Ashas Doha QR120 (£27) 7.5 out of 100
Ashas is a restaurant chain founded by the Bollywood playback singer, Asha Bhosle who is the sister of Lata “The Nightingale” Mangeshkar.
She is CDO (Chief Decor Officer) and CCO (Chief Cusine Officer), and she contributes to the menu.
She is a great fan of the Moghul school of cooking hence why healthy grilled and tandoori dishes are prominant.
The Kebab Guldusta is made up of malai tikka, murgh tikka and seekh kebab, all were marinated on point and grilled. simple yet delicious.
Tiramisu Biscuit…Koncrete Coffee Dubai AED 30 (£6.45) 7.5 out of 10
As a coffee aficionado, Omar also curated some of the best artisan coffee roasters in Dubai, firstly there is Koncrete Coffee, Coffee is imported from the BArn in Berlin, but it is also a social enterprise founded by progressive young emirates and art gallery.
Espresso Lab, Dubai Design District AED 35 (£7.50) 9 out of 10
The simple pleasure of great coffee and a cigar and amiable company after a great meal is exactly what we enjoyed at Espresso Lab in the Dubai Design District.
Espresso Lab is a coffee roaster founded by a visionary and passionate Emirati, Ibrahim Al Mallouhi, the extent of his passion is evident as he has trailblazed the concept
“seed to cup” where he has bought plantations in Columbia, Ethiopia and Sumatra so he can make sure the coffee supply line is unbroken from the seed to the cup.
In Conclusion
Omar did an amazing job in curating such amazing restaurants, his knowledge of the Dubai restaurant business is unparalleled.
Omar curated artisan eateries rather than falling for the Dubai bling usual suspects.
The trip was not only a revelation in a culinary sense but spiritually and emotionally too.
I met some truly inspirational individuals whose passion shone through yet there was a notable absence of the foodie arrogance.
I humbly thank everyone who made my trip memorable
Halal Rating
All the restaurants visited were alcohol-free and Halal
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer, Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.
Hey, Foodwala’s boys and girls…hope you are all safe and well.
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When Alfie Foodwala was a wee nipper, and we used to go on our annual summer trip to the ranch in deepest darkest Punjab, one of the treats we used to look forward to was the trips to restaurants with our grandparents, the highlight of our trip to Faislabad and Lahore was the when we used to go out for a Chinese, much the way going out for an “Indian” is in blighty.
We used to go to restaurants with exotic names as Dynasty, Nam Wa and the most exclusive of them all was the China Town, The China Town was with a resplendent seven-foot doorman (when you are wee they all look like giants) china man dressed like a Han warrior, how he handled the heat was beyond me.
We would sit in hushed silence as the server would bring steaming platters of Chinese sounding delicacies like Sweet and Hot chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Peking mutton. Sichuan Shrimp and the and the old favourite, Chicken Corn Soup.
We used to dig into the delights of the Orient and imagine we were eating a banquet in the court of Ghengis Khan (I know wrong era and nationality, but humour me) and we loved the different flavours and textures, but what I remembered the most was how spicy the food was.
After that, it was hard-wired into my pre-adolescent brain that Chinese food was decadent and flavoursome and Spicy.
Now fast forward a few years when I actually visit China, we went for a meal in Hong Kong, we went into a typical Chinese restaurant in the Central Hong Kong next to the Mandarin Oriantal where we were staying.
I was absolutely famished due to travelling and flight delays, we walked into the nearest restaurant and much to my surprise the menu was in Cantonese, so after a few pointing at dishes being eaten by other diners we got our food, I was expecting the spice-laden Chinese food of China Town, but much to my confusion the food was bland, soupy and full of ingredients i definitely did not recognise.
I found out the hard way that the Chinese food we had in Pakistan and Mumbai was actually Indian food with Oriental names!!!!
MamasanMamasan
This brings me to my visit to the newly opened Manasan, it is an Oriental Tapas Brasserie (possible identity confusion?)
It is an Instagram friendly Chinese/Thai restaurant housed in a bankrupt Steak restaurant, most of the “Industrial” style
fittings from the steak restaurant is still these with some Instagram friendly flowers added to the decor.
Cod & Haddock Spring Rolls £8.00
I kicked off the proceedings with some Cod and Haddock spring rolls. The spring rolls were delicious, the crispy pastry case held the generous fish filling, the filling was slightly spicy yet could still taste the delicate Cod and smoked Haddock.
Korean Fried Chicken £7.50
Next up was the delightful nut and wasabi crusted Korean fried chicken, The thighs of chicken were fabulous, the crispy nutty batter gave a satisfying crunch as I bit down
into the succulent chicken thigh. proper delicious.
Thai Crab Cakes £8.00
The Thai crab cakes were beautifully presented, however, it was more style over substance, the cakes were a little under seasoned and the light flavoured crab failed to shine through, but the lemongrass sauce and the oriental coleslaw was a lovely touch.
Green Monkfish Curry £18.00
The Thai Green Monkfish Tail and Tiger Prawn was again presented artistically, the lemongrass-infused jus was punchy and flavoursome, the prawns were grilled on point,
however the Monkfish was cold in the centre, possibly they had pre-cooked it or did not cook it long enough, a slight disappointment in otherwise an excellent, fun effort.
In Conclusion.
Mamasan is an Oriental Thai Brasserie using some excellent Scottish produce, the menu was imaginative and delicious, If you are expecting some authentic Chinese food then this is definitely NOT
your cup of tea, It has been finessed for the Scottish palate
The decor was a little industrial, with some Instagram friendly lighting and foliage.
The Service was friendly and efficient, possibly they were a wee bit busy thus forgot some instructions and items, overall a good effort.
The Star of the Meal?
Definitely a close run between the Cod and Haddock Spring Rolls and the Korean Fried Chicken.
The miss of the Meal?
Not exactly a miss, but the Monkfish tail could have done with a little more attention, especially if you are paying £18.
Honourable Mention
So how did Mamasan compare with its Hybrid Oriental peers?
Bamboo Union and Gaia in Lahore definitely up there with the best, If not better due to there location and environment.
Buddha-Bar was amazing due to the brilliant food and Music
Mamasan is a brilliant addition to the Glasgow restaurant scene. brought to you by the veterans of Bar Soba.
