I love to dine at restaurants with a view, especially if they are located at Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai. So when I got an invite from Amore Cafe which is located right opposite Souk Al Bahar, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I was even more tempted to try out their new Lebanese menu which was a fresh change from their international menu which they used to serve previously.
We reached there for lunch on a bright sunny day. Such a shame we couldn’t sit outside with the incredible view of Burj Khalifa for it was too hot to sit outdoors. I’m sure it must be pleasant in the evenings though
The interiors are to die for. I loved the whole modern contemporary feel to the entire Cafe.The long glass walls gave it a very spacious look. The grey leather sofas and chairs with wooden tables, the beige walls and the LED display were all making the ambiance very relaxing. A perfect destination for both families and friends.
I would consider Amore Cafe as a green restaurant as they don’t have traditional printed out menu but instead hand you out an iPad with the complete menu which I would want other restaurants to follow as well. I was highly impressed by the concept.
I love Lebanese menu because most of the dishes are grilled so I don’t have to worry about the calories plus I don’t even need to eat carbs with it unless I order hummus and moutabal. Besides Lebanese salads and cold mezza are perfect for people who are on a diet. They are low-calorie and very filling.
Our server for the day was a highly efficient and lively guy named Mohammad. He would let us decide our order, then suggest us the most popular dishes. He served us complimentary mixed olives, almonds and some beans while we decided what to order.
For the drinks, we ordered Amore Special Cocktail. It was dressed with a huge strawberry and was made out of fresh fruits. Tasted refreshing.
From the cold mezze we ordered Moutabal which is barbecued eggplant mashed with tahini, lemon juice, garlic and topped with olive oil. It tasted fresh and creamy, garnished with pomegranate. It tasted just perfect with the in-house freshly prepared bread.
From salads we ordered Rocca Salad which was very light and flavorful cherry tomatoes mixed with thyme and topped with sumac, onions and lemon dressing. Perfect for people on a diet.
We even ordered Sambousek which is crispy dough stuffed with minced meat and labneh. The meat inside was so succulent with the labneh mixed with it. It was graciously filled.The plate got empty within seconds. It was served with a tahini dip.
Then we were served Falafel Amore which were in the shape of doughnuts with a hole in the centre. The falafel were very fresh and crispy from outside but soft from inside, coated generously with sesame seeds. I loved their unique presentation, they were served in a crispy fried bread bowl along with some fresh pickles and salad. I relished upon these heavenly starters, dipping them in the tahini sauce that was served with it.
Mohammad brought us Kafta Bil Karaz on his own. It was a dish with small meatballs, sautéed and served with dried cherries and basil. I was a bit reluctant to try this ‘never eaten before’ dish but I’m glad I tried because it was so mouth-watering that I have never tasted any meatball dish as tasty as this one. I loved the sour flavor of the dried cherries. Somehow it was complimenting the flavor of the meatballs.
Once you chewed on the meatball, the flavors would burst in your mouth. The sauce was so delicious that I even used it as a dip for my grilled prawns. I’m so grateful to Mohammad for introducing me to this dish. I will definitely be ordering this the next time I come here.
For main course Mr A ordered Kebbeh Shish Barak which were kebbeh dipped in yogurt sauce, flavored with garlic, topped with coriander and pine nuts, served with angel hair rice. They tasted good and will fill you up pretty quick due to the heavy content.
Mohammad brought us Chicken and Beef Mouloukhieh which was chicken and beef cubes stewed with peppers, tomatoes, garlic and coriander and pine nuts served with rice. We didn’t quite enjoy this dish as it was too bland for our palates.
The Amore Mixed Grilled Platter was enough for two. It consisted of Kebab Shekaf, Kofta, Taouk, lamb chops and Arayes. Needless to say that everything in this platter was finger-licking good. Although the Arayes wasn’t as crispy and tasty as it should have been but they were okay.
Mohammad surprised me by bringing my most favourite Shrimps in olive oil. I usually avoid ordering shrimps in Lebanese Restaurants simply because I enjoy shrimps with a spicy dip as they taste very bland and dry otherwise.
These shrimps were cooked in olive oil, garlic and chilli that’s why they were so succulent. I had it with a spicy red chilli paste and they tasted even better.
The Grilled Whole Sea Bass was beyond awesome. It was marinated with lemon, sumac and olive oil. It was grilled to perfection and served with my favorite tartar sauce, tahini dip and a salsa like pickle which I really enjoyed. You could tell it on first bite how fresh the fish was. It was crispy from outside and tender and juicy from inside.
For Desserts they had a separate bakery like display where they had a wide variety of international desserts. I ordered my all time favorite Fruit Tart which had a cream filling inside and was topped with seasonal fruits. I love tarts with custard filling. The cream filling didn’t impress me much. But the pastry was crispy and perfect.
On the other hand, the Chocolate Tart was very comforting. It had a dark chocolate layer and a milk chocolate layer sprinkled with white chocolate flakes. The pastry was also made of chocolate. It was sinfully pleasurable. Full marks on presentation.
Mr. A ordered an American Cheesecake. The cheese was inside the thick crust and topped with fruits. The crust was a little too thick and the cheese filling was less.
One major problem at Amore Cafe is in afternoon til 6:00 pm where the Glass walls give a Green house effect and the whole place just gets too hot. The air condition is on yet not as effective to keep the place cool. I am pretty sure all the Glass restaurants on that road face similar problem. So I recommend you visit in evening.
On the whole we had a feast at Amore Cafe and were humbled by their hospitality. A special thanks to the manager for giving us so much honor and respect. I was highly impressed by the high standards of their service. We were made to taste almost all the dishes from their new menu.
My recommendations would be:
- Rocca Salad
- Hummus Bil Lahme
- Kafta Bil Karaz
- Sambousak
- Shrimps in olive oil
- Grilled whole Sea Bass
- Amore Mix Grill
They even have an exclusive breakfast menu and in the evening they serve Sheesha outdoors. So head out to Amore Cafe for a perfect evening with friends and family with a view!
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