Restaurant Review: Journey along the Silk Route at Dubai's newest culinary destination Aamara

Now open in voco Dubai Hotel, Aamara is a new fine-dining concept by the F&B group behind the award-winning Trèsind.

This newest addition to Dubai’s magnificent culinary map, Aamara is sure to take you on a gastronomic journey through the Silk Route — an ancient trading route spread across from the Far East to the Mediterranean region. In Arabic, aamara translates to ‘forever beautiful’, which is the lingering feeling you’ll leave with after tasting the culinary creations by chef Malik Basha.

The expansive menu includes a wide variety of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes bringing diverse tastes from around the world under one roof, onto your plate. Majority of the dishes that make up the starter’s menu are things you won’t find easily on other menus. Whether it’s Crispy okra, with a crunch loud enough to alert the whole restaurant, King oyster kushiyaki, Spinach & shrimp dumpling, Green chilli charcoal chops or a fusion Za’atar kebab, there’s something here for all palates. Despite filling up on all these exquisite dishes, your visit to Aamara will remain incomplete without trying their Za’atar pesto and chilli hummus that comes with onion focaccia lighter than air — a winning combination, oozing fresh flavours from Arab nations and Italy.

While it may be tempting to binge on this eclectic range of starters, do leave space for trying their dreamy main course. From unique adaptations of Butter chicken rizala and Lamb nihari to veggie options such as Peanut korma tofu kofta and malai curry, the dishes are unique blends of traditional recipes from different parts of the world. Also, do hang in there to try their Dulce Pannacotta, katafi pastry, cream cheese ice cream — with just the perfect amount of sweetness to end your evening.

Taste: Oozing fresh flavours from across the globe, every other dish on the menu is bound to become your favourite, including the veg options!

Ambience: The contemporary settings with a traditional twist — the ambience is relaxed and calm, letting you enjoy the meal in peace.

Service: The servers are affable and attentive to detail. Do share your food preferences with them, so they can chalk out the perfect dining experience for you.

Presentation: Be prepared with your phone your cameras to capture the ‘gramworthy aesthetics and live cooking stations with kitchen theatrics.

Value for money: You can choose between the regular food menu and chef tasting menu, with the food giving you bang for the buck.

somya@khaleejtimes.com

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