An Iftar to Remember at Dish
Everyone loves a good Iftar, yet for most the part the majority of them are essentially the same.
For those that are looking for something engagingly different then look no further than the whimsical pop up by Dish over at Warehouse Four.
Ramadan Nights by Dish bills itself as a unique pop-up culinary Iftar experience and it delivers. Not literally - they don’t have an army of motorbikes scooting about - but they do deliver on an excellent gourmet Iftar experience.
Seemingly hidden away in a non-discript warehouse the floors are lined with green astroturf, while low slung wooden tables and scattered ottomans and bathed in a ceiling to floor array of fairly lights creating a relaxed and romantic garden feel. This is further accentuated with candle lit tables and a perfect soundtrack. It’s intimate communal dining and its’ done very, very well.
Overlooking this serene dining area is the open kitchen which is buzzing with activity and the chefs prepare to serve their eighty or so guests.
The menu is nicely broken down in to three stages - Beginning, Middle and End, which makes sense and is kind of cool. The other notable difference with this Iftar is you won’t find the hungry hoards storming the nearest bain marie to get their eats on, this is a much more high brow affair with table service, yet it maintains a uniquely casual vibe.
So in a nut shell what can you expect from a culinary perspective?
Middle Eastern classics with a twist.
A lovely crafted sweet potato and red lentil soup begins proceedings just nicely and this is soon accompanied by an interesting but overly mild lemon zataar hummus. If we had to pick one weak link purely based on personal preference then this would be it, if no other reason than it just seemed to lack any discernible punch or wow factor.
Moving from the beginning to the middle, it’s here that the full beauty of what Dish does is on display.
A series of salads arrive to the table featuring the wonderful Baharat spiced cauliflower and chickpea salad, which is brought to life with parsley and mint with added crunch and interest by the infusion of toasted sumac pita. It’s then finished with a big dollop of coriander yoghurt and was extremely pleasing.
There is also a luscious Freekha which combines roasted almond, green bean and Persian feta with a zesty but not over powering rocket and almond pesto dressing. This was utterly delish. Two salads in and it was clear that this was going to be an Iftar to remember.
The delightful crunch of the roasted sumac in the cauliflower was a great touch while the Persian feta and the almond pesto really took the freekha to the next level. Following this was the very unique Heritage tomato salad that skillfully brought together purple basil, fig balsamic and lemon olive oil to offer those classic flavors you would expect in tomato and balsamic. The trick here was the inclusion of shankleesh which was very clever and set this apart from being just another tomato salad. Basil, balsamic and tomato is a classic combo and this offering set the taste buds alive.
Following on from the sensational salads we were then presented with a trio of meat dishes, each with it’s own distinct take on a classic Iftar staple.
There was an innovative and appetizing looking spiced chicken kofta bathed in smoked paprika, saffron, tahini which could easily have ended up being served dry but wasn’t! Props for that. It looked great and ate wonderfully. While the BBQ prawns with sumac and coriander went over very nicely with its burnt lemon, mustard seeds and pickled cucumber salad - which delivered a knock out crunchy zest to perfectly offset the umaminess of the prawns.
Last but by no means least was their take on a Lamb Ouzi. This delectable slow braised lamb shoulder came neatly stacked upon a bed of scented rice pilaf and served with confit garlic and lemon yogurt. The lamb was beautifully soft and the rice cooked perfectly. It was fragrant and tender and for me the addition of chili to the lamb added an unusual and welcome pinch of heat that really made this a stand out item.
We finished the meal off with a lovely presented semolina and lemon sponge and pomegranate sorbet that was like everything else well balanced and just sweet enough to tickle the taste buds. By this point we had over eaten but had to give it a try and it was well worth doing so.
Bottom Line:
Priced at 200 Dirhams and with such a great line up of quality dishes it’s not a stretch to say that this is one Ramadan experience worth going out of your way for.
With excellent service, evocative surrounds and a menu that skillfully reinterprets classic Middle Eastern fare, the Dish team have an exciting thing going on here which makes it an essential Iftar for any foodie this Ramadan season.
