After walking through JBR during the construction process
and seeing the intimidating blocks of grey buildings that did not match the
sleek sand like towers that were already there, I could only expect the worst: a blocked view of the beach, blocked
access to the beach and yet another mall with your run of the mill restaurants
and shops. Walking down that street all
I could do was shake my head in disappointment and wait for the inevitable
doomed fate of this beautiful area. Well, thank God I do not make a living out
of my hunches because boy was I wrong! Somehow,
they managed to bring these inanimate blocks to life creating an area with
unlimited possibilities. The lighting
design alone is a work of art that you could enjoy and gawk at as you move from
one area to another.
What is
definitely the highlight of this new area is the lineup of restaurants. The
variety is refreshing, unexpected and happily welcomed. Needless to say I will
not rest until I have tried them all!!
Having planned this visit mischievously and for selfish reasons,
with the expectation of trying out a new restaurant to review such as Aprons
and Hammers, Leopold’s or even Sushi Art; I was in for a surprise or two. Not
always is the restaurant decision making up to me, so when I saw I was being
directed towards a shisha place I was kicking and screaming. I was gracefully,
not suggesting, but insisting we try any other place.Sadly my puppy eyes and
pouting lips did not work.
The restaurant we ended up at is called Awani: Levant Cuisine. The
view from upstairs is quite perfect, you do not feel like you are in Dubai especially
with the amount of wind blowing you away. As much as we would have liked to
stay seated in the outdoor area it was way too cold. The staff was very
friendly and tried to accommodate us as much as possible, allowing us to move
from one table to another until we found the perfect one that was nice and
warm. When you look around you will see that the interior’s main focal point is a colorful wall of Turkish plates that would
feel out of place if it weren’t for the matching upholstery.
You will notice that the menu has a wide variety of options
from all over the Mediterranean with a stronger influence from Jordan and
Lebanon. I was pleasantly surprised with the dishes offered and suddenly felt
quite excited to try the food. You will certainly not be prepared for the
adventure your taste buds are about to go on, I wasn’t. We ordered a bunch of cold and hot Mezzas to
try out. The first dish was the Eatch which is an incredibly delicious
Armenian dish that comprises of burghul, onions, diced tomatoes, parsley, fresh
lemon juice and oil. Burghul is not traditionally eaten alone without the aid
of some laban to mask the dryness. Somehow, the combination of ingredients
blend together to create such incredible flavor. So much has been done with
such a simple and not so traditional ingredient. One of the dishes I was
looking forward to trying was the Mushroom Awani, a small plate of
mushrooms cooked in butter with the addition of spices. Such an unassuming dish
with a few ingredients somehow turns into this unbelievably delectable option
that you will not get enough of.Last but not least was my favorite choice Hindbeh Awani, it was not something I had ordered or even something I was planning
on trying but my God was it delicious!The ingredients include tahini, garlic,
red bell peppers, Arabic chili, parmesan cheese and olive oil. The parmesan
cheese is the most dominant ingredient, and adds a real kick to the flavor.
Two other dishes that were just as drool worthy include
the Freeki Bil Fukhara which was
a favorite on our table made from wheat, parmesan cheese, mushrooms and cream and the Eggplant Salad ,which disappeared in a
matter of minutes, had a delicious tangy flavor thanks to the pomegranate molasses that brought the whole dish together.
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