Food, glorious food!

Embracing the bright side: A guide on how to cultivate optimism

The power of solitude: Why you should go on a solo trip

How to get your kids to read: Essential tips for parents

Showcasing a variety of multicultural cuisine, Sanabel, the bazaar-inspired restaurant at hotel Pullman Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, offers a great personalised gourmet experience

By Megha Pai

Published: Fri 20 Jan 2012, 7:27 PM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 2:56 PM

There is nothing quite like warm, crunchy bread straight from the oven to say welcome. Crusty and crispy or soft and chewy; flat or raised; sweet or savoury — there’s a bread for every palate at Sanabel, the bazaar-inspired all-day dining restaurant on the fifth floor of the Pullman hotel.

The restaurant is buzzing during the mornings, when it serves the buffet for hotel guests. By afternoon, however, it mellows down into a laid-back place to have a hearty albeit healthy meal. You can either sit in front of the live cooking stations or move outside in the al fresco setting of the balcony and enjoy a great view of Dubai’s skyline.

The food at Sanabel is mainly influenced by Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, but the menu has Japanese Sashimi and Nigiri rolls added for good measure and also features Mughlai cuisine, possibly to lure the South Asian palate.

For starters, there was an impressive array of fish cakes, scallops, sushi, spring rolls, assorted hot mezze and cheese platters jostling for attention but we decided to go with the unlimited salads and mezzes. The salads were fresh and bursting with flavour, and could have been a deliciously healthy meal in itself. The seafood cocktail salad was especially notable with its appetising fresh-out-of-the-sea-and-into-the-salad ingredients.

The great first act was followed by an even more delectable main course with a huge selection of grilled meats and seafood to choose from. I ordered  a tenderloin steak in peppercorn sauce with sweet potato wedges and a  side of mashed potatoes, while my companion decided to go with grilled sea bass in lemon, thyme and butter sauce, accompanied by sweet potato wedges and cream of spinach.

The steak was tender and juicy, perfectly complemented by the peppercorn sauce. Even more impressive was my friend’s sea bass, which was remarkably soft and dissolved in the mouth with no fuss. But the highlight of the entire meal was the cream of spinach, which was a revelation to me.

Greatly satisfied by the gastronomic brilliance of the chefs in the savoury department, it was time to move on to desserts. Some of them were humdrum, the chocolate praline being a case in point. While the tiramisu and crème brûlée passed muster, and the strawberry white chocolate terrine was unusual, it was the cheesecake which had the perfect texture and flavour.

The service was sharp and the waiters were pleasant, politely suggesting  what to order, but never overdoing it. Meal for two cost Dh300, but considering the quality of food that not only comforted but also dazzled, I thought it was worth every penny.

megha@khaleejtimes.com