My kind of food in Dubai: A mouthful of oysters

Dubai - Seafood Thursdays is the new thing at Accents in Dubai Marina.

Accents, the waterfront restaurant at InterContinental, Dubai Marina, with its lovely terrace, does presentation beautifully. They've just started a 'Seafood Thursday' dinner (Dh350 for the set menu, without beverages) that should make lovers of a good prawn ceviche (in pic below) sit up and take notice.
Not to give plating more importance than flavour, but you feel slightly guilty digging into and destroying the result of laboured concentration - those micro herbs placed at an angle, those heirloom tomatoes flown in from France (still so fresh despite the long trip), the little deposit of angel hair pasta dyed in squid ink, and seated beside two tiger prawns (Dh160). The seasonal oysters (top pic, 3 pieces at Dh80) that arrive on a bed of crushed ice, with tiny red Peruvian peppers that you bite into and then shuck the oyster.
In admiring the way the food looks, you delay the inevitable end of prettiness because heaven knows you will shuck those oysters bearing the frothy grapefruit and lime foam (the 'mignonette', in case anyone asks) engineered so expertly that the froth, from kitchen to table, stays just as luscious. Lambert Chiang, head chef of Accents, says, it may look complicated, but everything in the kitchen is simplified; which, presumably, is his way of saying, dive right in.
We had an excellent Tom Yum Goong soup (Dh40) with clams; not too sour, was spicy without setting your mouth on fire, the consequence of a secret chilli.
If you're not a seafood lover, that's fine as their grills hit the spot, as well. Try the beef short ribs (Dh150), sourced from The States, and marinated for two days, served with bok choy, and confit garlic. Vegetarians aren't exactly spoilt for choice. But neither will they starve. Plenty of pizzas, salads, soups on the menu to make it not come to that. Also, a tempting-sounding saffron risotto (Dh145). Plus you get to leave room for their desserts.
Their deserts sing, or crackle, rather. The white chocolate honeycomb bomb (Dh55; pic below) pops when dark hot chocolate is poured over it. Someone should make a GIF image of it. The absolute star, though, is the pot de crème, the 72 per cent Araguani (Dh45). If you haven't already been to Accents, go for the vibe, the juicy seafood, the variety, and the beauty of plating. Oh, and on your way out, stop by the deli, and pick up some artisan bread for breakfast the next day.
Nivriti Butalia nivriti@khaleejtimes.com
Click for foodie haunts to visit in Dubai this weekend

Yummy omelettes (that do NOT look like dosas!)
Le Pain Quotidien (left)
Call 44550000
21st Century Tower, near Financial Center Metro Stn,
Dh150 for two, approx
If you exclude the hotel coffee shops (because some of them whip up omelettes that keep you feeling full for 8 hours), two of the best stand alone joints that serve big, light, airy omelettes (that also keep you full for 8 hours, actually) are Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ, to save the trouble) and IHOP (04 4190378, Dubai Mall and JBR). LPQ. They do a wild mushroom and brie cheese omelette with dressed mesclun - pic on top, for Dh55, and a smoked salmon and spinach omelette for Dh50. You can customise the plain ones with veal bacon or mushrooms or smoked salmon, as you wish. We're partial to omelettes with veggies, and to that end, IHOP goes the whole hog, too. Their garden omelette (Dh44) with fresh green peppers and mushrooms and cheddar is a great breakfast. You shouldn't ruin it with over eating. (And especially say no, thank you to the nasty brioche with strawberry syrup that might come your way if you let it.) Their other winner is the chicken fajita omlette (Dh49). And some of us also love the crispy beef bacon temptation omelette (Dh52), as it's called. If you have one of these for breakfasts, and we're talking from experience here, you will not be able to move till 4pm. No, seriously.
Raju Omlet (right)
Call 043885522
Behind Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel, Al Karama, Dubai
Dh50 for two, approx.
Eternal queues outside a place that sells omelettes (and other styles of just egg)says something about the place. We love Raju Omlet. It's homely and welcoming, and we love their teas, and paos, and even the feel of waiting in line because it reminds us that not enough places in Dubai do cosy/ street food. Once your turn comes, you can order power omlet (with spinach and capsicum and spiced with chillies and garlic), or cheese or mushroom omlet (they spell them like that, not 'omelette').
Besides Raju, there's Tea Junction Cafe & Lounge (04 3576677 in Oud Metha, behind Movenpick Hotel). They have a mouthful called 'Makhlama Bil Sbenagh', an Iraqi spinach omelette (Dh20). And a Philip De Omelette (Dh23) - we don't know what that is either. It's an impressive menu (in the drinks section, sparkling Perrier and Horlicks both cost Dh12). They have a Denver Omelette, a Viva La Mexicana omelette, even a Machaan Omelette, and just in case you begin to feel out of your depth, there's good ol' chilli cheese to the rescue. Everything's in the range of Dh24 to about Dh20 (except Philip De; we'll have to order a plate especially to figure out the ingredient that costs Dh3 more.)

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In the mood for some really good biryani!
New to Dubai, love biryani, but not sure where to go get your fill of the value for money stuff? We'll help, don't worry. Here are a couple of places you just have to discover.
Aappa Kadai, with branches all over, (04 3548080, Discovery Gardens) does a fantastic Hyderabadi biryani. As people say, it has a "good price point". The chicken biryani is for Dh17, and the mutton is for Dh19. They're constantly running out of both, so make sure you place your order a day in advance, especially on weekends.
You have Gazebo (04 5509232, Mankhool, Internet city). Gazebo has an extensive enough menu as it is, but they've got 19 different biryanis listed. (It's nice that they make a distinction between pulao with some meat in it, and proper, slow-cooked biryani, par boiled rice and all that). We have fond memories of their jhinga masala biryani at Dh45. Also, try their murgh zafrani biryani (Dh36). Ring up a friend who makes great biryani, and hear the tedious process described, to better appreciate the richness of flavour in a good biryani. Or at least look up a recipe and method.
For the less carnivorous among us, Gazebo also does good vegetarian biryanis, even though most biryani connoisseurs will say there's no such thing, and scoff at anything green and leafy sticking out of the rice. Biryani Pot (04 3382277, Umm Suqeim) does an organic, gluten and cholestrol-free version.
If you're familiar with Bombay, and missing the Mahim and Colaba biryanis, head to Oudh Metha for Lucky's Bandra Restaurant (04 4489026). They've got egg, vegetable, paneer, chicken, prawns, mutton - all biryanis, all in the Dh23-28 range. And while you're there, have their homely caramel custard (Dh8) for dessert.
Mughlai style flavours await you at Saleem's of Delhi (04 3885222, Karama). Try their dum gosht biryani (Dh36). The place also does an excellent nihari, but that's a story for another day.

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DIY - Salmon and broccoli with black sesame
Ingredients
 1/2 pound salmon
2 medium broccoli heads with stalks
3 tbsps limejuice
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps black sesame seeds
salt, to taste
Method
Grind the black sesame seeds in a coffee grinder.
Chop the broccoli heads into bite-size pieces.
For the stalks, peel away the tough outer skin and cut the inner portion into bite-size pieces.
Transfer the broccoli to the steamer and steam for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the salmon into small-bite pieces and toss with 2 tbsps limejuice.
When the broccoli starts turning bright green, and is tender enough to serve, add the salmon and cook until done (should take about three to four minutes).
Remove from the steamer and transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining lime juice and the olive oil.
Stir well, then gently stir in the black sesame, and salt. Don't over stir. Serve immediately.

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"I've peeled a lot of garlic in my life!"
Lambert Chiang is the head chef of Accents, the restaurant at the Intercontinental in Dubai Marina. Before Dubai, he worked with the ITC group in India for seven years. He studied - not hotel management - but culinary arts in Hyderabad for three years. He comes from a family of chefs, and says the best chef in the world is his grandmum, and nobody can make a better dish of beef tripe with fermented rice than her.
How did you become a chef?
I come from a family of chefs. My mum and dad, and my uncle are all chefs. We have a restaurant in Shillong. So, from a very early age, I was told to peel the garlic and chop the onions. I've peeled a lot of garlic in my life! (laughs). 
Do you use recipes from the family restaurant in your dishes now?
Not recipes, but ideas and techniques, yes. I started learning to cook at age 5 or 6. 
How long have you been with Accents?
Since it opened - May, 26, 2015 
Tell us more about seafood Thursdays, the prices, and where you source the seafood from.
We started seafood Thursdays last week - for dinner only. The price is Dh350 for the set menu, and Dh400 for the set menu with unlimited house beverages. All the seafood has been procured from the Mediterranean, and the European coast.
What is the average per person spend at Accents?
About Dhs180-200. 
What are the challenges for a chef working on a multi-cuisine menu?
I don't think it's a challenge at all. It is, in fact, a good playground to use different ingredients and styles of cuisines I work with to bring out something unique altogether. 
What do you do to keep yourself up to date with cooking styles and developments in the culinary world?
I subscribe to Cuisine and Wine Asia, a Singapore-based magazine. They have the latest news in the culinary world, from biography of famous chefs, culinary trends and recipes. Also, on Instagram, I follow chefs like Gaggan, David Chang, and David Thompson. And whenever I travel on holidays, I visit a lot of pop-up restaurants to see what they do, and pick up ideas, which I use later for my dishes.
What are the three most popular dishes diners order when they visit your restaurant?
Beef carpaccio, Beef short ribs with BBQ sauce, bokchoy, confit garlic and purple potato crisp (pic below), and the white chocolate bomb with honeycomb ice cream, with dark chocolate sauce (right). 
The best compliment you've received about your dishes?
 "I haven't had better food than this place around in the Marina."
- As told to Nivriti Butalia

• Food and Dining
• Dubai