There's more to Moreish than food

For a casual dining joint, Moreish delivers what it promises. A simple interior, a 'pop cafe' ambience that invites you to hold conversations, and a fusion menu to boot.
Tucked away neatly in one the by-lanes near the now-shut Lamcy Plaza mall, this multi-cuisine eatery has been around for about a year and makes for a cosy 'hangout' for the young and restless!
Moreish is a word the dictionary explains as 'so pleasant to eat that one wants more', so it's not surprising to find that the menu offers multiple choices that you can keep munching on. Their dishes successfully blend Mexican, Italian and Thai styles with a fusion twist. Moreish is honest when it comes to its cuisine. It does not boast a five-star setting nor personalised service. It's essentially a no-frills place where you could catch up with friends over a bite and some gossip!
Guests have a choice of two seating options. Outdoors and indoors. As it was mid-afternnoon, we opted for the indoor setting. But, that didn't turn out to be a good idea as it was a tad noisy inside.
The décor is hip and offbeat, and is dominated by a huge counter serving juices and mocktails like Japapeno Kick, Chipotle Mango Mania and Blue Margarita.
We decided to skip the refreshers and dig into the starters straight away. Each and every dish, we were told, is made fresh from scratch - and the freshness showed, in the taste. We were also informed that besides the breads, almost everything is done in-house. So far so good then, now to taste the pudding!
The first starter to land on our table was Watermelon Feta Salad followed by Shawarma Nachos and Tom Yum soup. The reason, we guess, the starters reached our table in no particular order or sequence was (as were told earlier) because we had ordered our dishes in one go, and minimal service is something expected at any casual eating joint.
The nachos were crunchy and went down well with the zesty garlic sauce, 'hot' jalapenos and a spicy chicken topping. But remember, you have to go through this dish in a hurry to relish it otherwise the crunchy nachos get soggy and limp.
We liked the spicy take on the Tom Yum soup and it kind of got our motors running. Among the starters, the Watermelon Salad stood out for its flavourful contrast - sweetness of the melon and the salty, tanginess of feta cheese and a dash of chilli. The ingredients played perfect foil!
The Zesty Fiery Tempura Prawns also made for a nice starter. Prawns being high on everyone's favourite list, and if cooked well, there's nothing much to complain about, and in this case, the crunchiness of the tempura, coated with a sweet and pungent Thai sauce coating, was its main appeal.  
For our mains, we tried the Classic Thai Curry and the Grilled Salmon.
Being curry lovers (we do know our curries well), we were impressed with the delicate touch of kaffir lemon and basil in the curry that had a predominant coconut flavour. Combined with steamed Jasmine rice, the dish satisfied our curry cravings. We only wish, as is typical in Thai households, the rice was of the glutinous variety. That would have added a few extra stars to the dish.
We found the grilled Omega 3-loaded Salmon a tad dry, but the fish was fresh and flaky, and went well with the grilled veggies and creamy, mashed potatoes. Ask for your choice of sauce  - Teriyaki, lemon butter, Marinara cream or pepper -to go with the salmon. 
While the dessert section had a limited choice, we tried the popular Tiramisu and ended the meal on a familiar, sweet note.
Try Moreish if you're looking for budget-friendly dishes with a fusion twist!
michael@khaleejtimes.com

• Food and Dining