Review: Almaz By Momo inside Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
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After one such cab ride, I found freezing temperatures and deeply packed snow as night fell on the Mall of the Emirates — at least at the Middle East’s only indoor ski slope. But the vibe inside Almaz by Momo (which is within the Harvey Nichols store in the mall; 971-4-409-8877; www.altayer.com/companies/food/almazbymomo), a sexy Moroccan restaurant, was pure North African warmth: bulbous tangerinelike lanterns, plush pistachio-colored chairs, funky Algerian rai music.
Few Dubai restaurants boast such an impressive pedigree. The restaurant was the brainchild of Mourad Mazouz, the man behind the London hot spots Momo and Sketch. (Foreigners aren’t allowed to own businesses in Dubai, but Mr. Mazouz, an Algerian — the “Momo” in the name — was hired to create the concept and management of the restaurant.) And with style radiating from every corner, the question naturally arose: Could the kitchen match the design?
The red olives, marinated in tomato paste and olive oil, were immediately devoured by my friend Yasmin, a Syrian-born art dealer who grew up in Dubai. I took that as a ringing endorsement. Our appetizers, though, proved hit and miss. The salad called mechouia (20 dirhams) here was a chunky dip made from soft-grilled tomatoes and peppers, flat-lined on the tongue. Better was the zalouk (22 dirhams), a similar dip with an eggplant base, which was far more flavorful and mouth-filling.
The best gauge of a Moroccan restaurant is its tagines, the complex stews that often balance everything-and-the-kitchen-sink ingredients, from meats to fruits to sauces. We chose a simple version — kefta with egg (65 dirhams) — that hit the mark exactly. The kefta were lightly spiced and complemented perfectly by the soft blanket of egg and tangy tomato sauce.
But our couscous Almaz (75 dirhams) was a letdown. The accompanying red merguez sausage, intended to be spicy and juicy, was dry and leathery. The grilled lamb chunks suggested marinated rubber. Thankfully, the mint tea (25 dirhams) and pistachio-honey-almond pastries (10 dirhams) that rounded out our meal would have pleased in Marrakesh.
Over all, our dinner felt like a slalom back and forth between good dishes and mediocre ones. Still, if you can swerve around the pitfalls, you can have a satisfying — and stylish — run…SOURCE
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