Zaytinya a new address for Lebanese Food

Announcement:
As previous winner have not yet claimed the prize, we will have a draw again on 25th of Nov to choose a new winner.

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“Zaytinya” is a new Lebanese restaurant, rather I would say it’s a whole new address to Lebanese Dining in Al Seef Mall – Abu Dhabi. It is indeed worth a try if you are in Abu Dhabi. They have carefully crafted the menu to highlight the most vibrant jewels in the Middle East’s culinary portfolio.

Food Tasting

We tried Fattoush in salads with a crunchy and hearty taste of Tomato and cucumber, fresh herbs, olive oil, vinegar and pomegranate sauce with fried Arabic bread. Still we were looking for that Wow factor, next comes to the table are the items from:

Cold Mezze

Comprises of Baba Ghanoush – puree of grilled eggplant with onion, tomatoes, parsley and mint. Every ingredient within was so fresh and the taste was indeed great. Last we tried in cold selection was a famous traditional Lebanese dish however we find it rarely been served in Lebanese restaurants in Abu Dhabi. It was indeed soulful and this beautifully crafted dish is called Kishkki which is homemade labneh mixed with crushed wheat and nuts. The standing of the whole structure on your plate will tell you the production story which is indeed very dedicating and perfect in taste and presentation both. Muhammara was very traditional and yet a great mixed nuts blend with chili paste and oil we had in few days.

Hot mezze:

Includes a Mixed Platter of Spinach Fatayer (Spinach mixture crusted pastry), Meat Sambousek (Minced seasoned lamb and pine seeds in a tender crust), Cheese Rokakat (Cheese Spring rolls), and Fried Kibbeh – it’s not just ordinary fried lamb dumpling but the filling of pine nuts in the center made it extra crunchy, all items in this dish were really delicately fried and were proportionally seasoned. Patata harra was next in row. They are basically sautéed cubes of potato with green chili paste, garlic and lemon juice, they are being seasoned well and crunchy from outside and soft inside. Lastly Chicken Liver which was drizzled with pomegranate sauce and was simplistic and satisfying.

Main course:

Riyash – Grilled lamb chops with saffron rice is tender and succulent. Mix Grill Zaytinya – with skewers of Shish taouk, shish kebab, kofta and lamb chops, with arrayes saffron rice and garlic sauce. It also has arrayes which is minced lamb dotted with onion, tomato and pine seeds in grilled Arabic bread. Dejaj Mashwi – is grilled boneless chicken which we ordered with side of rice and potato fries.

In all the main course, the meat was done to perfection and the saffron rice accompanied was truly fantastic and falling off separately on plate.

Drinks:

In smoothies we tried Mix fruits, mix berries and Paradise. they all were delicious and refreshing.

Desserts:

They have put a new whirl on a very old traditional Arabic dessert: Umm Ali, which is similar to a bread pudding. It is made in a very interesting manner and with an amazing taste at this place. They add drops of rosewater milk to bread and caramelize the top to give it a toasty precision. It’s crunchy, sugary and completely decadent, with nuts and cream at the top you won’t find this taste anywhere else. Kunafa is also very interesting round shape unlike traditional cubical and straight cuts pieces,  it is traditional however I liked the balance of sweetness, if you feel you want mode sweet you may have some alteration on your own as they serve it with sugar syrup.

WOW Factors

  • Portions were too generous.
  • Dishes were not too oily and the menu items indeed look so fresh and free of extensive food colors.
  • Dough for Fatayer and bread was so light and well-seasoned, resulted in a wonderful puffed up Arabic style bread.
  • They are believer of the fact that Lebanese dishes are known for their artistry and sophisticated flavor profiles and the food we tasted truly reflects the same.
  • Keen and strategic location with lovely ambiance.
  • Attentive and knowledgeable staff with is apt and non-interrupting service.

Zaytinya has raised the bar for others in the capital now and I sincerely hope Zaytinya continues to outclass itself with better and greater customer satisfaction in the coming days. Being an adventurous eater I enjoyed my time and food there which generally is a bit lay-back mood notion in other Arabic restaurant. I would rate this Zaytinya Experience 4.7 Out of 5 on our blog0meter for its  stylish & traditional par-balance interior, cozy at the same time refined setting.

 

Thanks and Credits

We would like to thank Mahmoud Hammad and executive chef Ghassan Khattar for their hospitality. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the PR team Anuraag and Zarin.

To reserve a table and have more detais, kindly visit the following links:

URL: www.zaytinya.ae

FB: www.facebook.com/ZaytinyaME

Zaytinya Restaurant | Al Ain
Bawadi mall, Entrance 5 | Al Ain – UAE
T : 03 784 84 22
contact@zaytinya.ae

Zaytinya Restaurant | Abu Dhabi
1st Floor, Al Seef village mall | Abu Dhabi – UAE
T : 02 447 44 89
contact@zaytinya.ae

 

Chance to win AED200 Voucher to spend at Zaytinya

Here is your chance to win AED 200 voucher to be used for dinner or lunch. All you have to do is name any 2 main course served at Zaytinya in the comments below. Don’t forget, to comment here you will need to subscribe to our page.

The winner will be announced on 31st of October.

Best of luck.

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