A Modern Twist On Culture, Heritage, And Hospitality
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cuisine Style: Emirati
Average Price: $$
Overall Rating: 3/5
Dined in March 2018
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Executive Chef:
Uwe Micheel
The true flavors of Dubai are how Chef Uwe Micheel calls Aseelah, the 6th restaurant in Dubai serving Emirati cuisine that I have dined at over the years, and by far, finally a good experience. Emirati cuisine is a reflection of Arabian heritage and the dishes are usually prepared in the fashion of stews, which goes back hundreds of years, to cook everything in one pot. Typical spices used in the preparation are the same you will find in most Yemeni, Jordanian, Levant, and Iraqi cuisine styles. Those selections being saffron, cardamom, turmeric, and thyme, which make up the core flavors used in Emirati cookery. In recent decades as UAE has taken center stage in the world for travel and business, catering to many cultures, especially Indian, the spice profiles have increased. You can find one of the largest spice markets, called the Spice Souk in all Western and Central Asia in Deira, a suburb of Dubai.
Dubai numbers over ten thousand restaurants from cuisines around the world, yet it is difficult to find those that cater to traditional Emirati cuisine and those that do have been a greater disappointment versus pleasure. Whether it is through service, quality of food, or standards of food safety, the marks have been lower in the other Emirati restaurants I have dined in, until Aseelah, one of eleven restaurants at the Radisson Blu Hotel near the Dubai Creek.
Menu:
- Salads and Starters
- Soups
- Main Courses
- Bread
- Desserts
The dining room is very elegant and neat, a far change from two other Emirati restaurants I had dined in previously. The entrance and main hall leading to the Maître d was a bright white adorned with exotic lamps of Middle Eastern design, opening to a desk with large trunk-like wood legs. You are then escorted to the main dining room to see a large tiled wall behind a food bar with a half moon opening of the Italian stone oven, followed by the main seating area.
I was seated at a group of banquet booths along the wall facing out to full booths and tables adjoined by chairs of straw and cloth along with separations of open wood shelves containing pottery, camels, and other Middle Eastern themed chotskies. The menus were presented on light wood clipboards with a smaller wine collection, and a few liquors, shooters, and cocktails. This was the first Emirati themed restaurant in Dubai I had been to that served any alcohol, so that alone was a bonus.
I chose a glass of Antares Sauvignon Blanc to go with the meal, which according to the tasting notes offers aromas of mint, melon, and pineapple with refreshing citrus, lime, and passionfruit. The palate is soft and fruity with a medium body and a well-balanced acidity. Ideal as an aperitif or with salads, white meat, and seafood dishes. My notes on the wine were of a caramel and honey taste. I did get the melon flavor and liter body but felt it had a very strong aftertaste.
The meal began with some Arabic bread cooked in the stone oven and served with a locally made ghee and a much sweeter taste than other ghee selections from other restaurants. My server Sayid was from Egypt, and he spoke of different ghee flavors and other profile items of Middle Eastern dishes.
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| Arab Breads |
This was then followed by an amuse of a cream cheese pastry filled with local dates that were very sweet, also cooked in the stone oven. The amuse and the bread would set the course for the remainder of the evening as both focused on the sweet versus the savory. The menu sections were broken down into two columns, the first being traditional dishes, followed by dishes made with local ingredients.
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| Amuse |
The salad and starters included options such as a pan-roasted quail salad stuffed with pistachio, served with pumpkin puree and cinnamon jus, or a Maleh salad of preserved UAE fish on a bed of local lettuce and green mango. My choice for the evening was a kale salad with dates, white wheat, cherry tomatoes, red radish, halloumi cheese, raisins, and candied walnuts. The salad was mixed with a honey-lemon dressing, adding to the sweetness that the date offered. The amuse theme was continuing. Other selections included a beetroot carpaccio, Rocca, and tomato salads. For soups, they offered an Arabian seafood soup, chicken vermicelli soup, and a local spiced parsnip and almond soup served with a beef veal bacon and saffron oil garnish.
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| Kale Salad |
For main courses, the list is extensive going beyond that of the UAE, but in keeping with local tradition. These dishes include marinated shrimp called rubian, chicken or lamb biryani, jarish wheat with tomato and chicken or rack of lamb. The signature dishes include chicken roulade, assorted thareed stews, vegetable margoogat, and harees. The jashid or baby shark is a common UAE dish, but unlike other Emirati restaurants where the dish is dry and not the best of flavor, Aseelah cooks the shark in fish stock, then sautéed with onion, ginger, garlic, and local ghee. The local signature dishes continue with poached Arabian lobster, fish Samak filet, seafood risotto, and a few camel dishes that include stew, kofta, and kebab.
I chose the trio of camel sliders served with different toppings and a side of sweet potato fries. The first was a date and lime jam slider topped with halloumi cheese. The second was with a BBQ sauce and an onion jam. It was a very sweet slider, though the BBQ tamed the sweeter flavor. The meat themselves had a lite salt flavor, and the taste was less gamey then I expected, but also with less of a flavor than beef or pork meats. The third slider was a cheese, onion, and tomato, which was like a typical beef slider, that did not have any excitement or surprise for flavor, and focused more on the camel meat flavor instead.
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| Camel Sliders |
Dessert:
There are six desserts on the menu starting with luqaimat which is a fried Emirati sweet drizzled with date syrup, and coated with sesame seeds. Then they have aseeda bobar which is a warm sweet pumpkin mousse flavored with cardamom and saffron. The sago is an edible starch that is obtained from a palm and is a staple food in parts of the tropics. The pith inside the trunk is scraped out, washed, and dried to produce a flour or processed to produce the granular sago used in the West. This leads to the sago dessert flavored with rose water, cardamom and saffron as well. They have a date pudding, a chocolate cardamom cheesecake, and an Arabian nutty cake made with camel laban mousse and passion fruit jelly to finish.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Wine regulatory’s for the tastings in this article:
South America:
Chile: Chilean wine
Other Noteworthy Emirati Articles and Restaurants:
Al Fanar Restaurant and Café Authentic Emirati Cuisine, Festival City, Dubai, UAE
Asail AlSham Sweets “Mastic” ice-cream in Deira Dubai, UAE
Safar Restaurant Arabic and Emirati blended buffet at the Dubai International Airport (DXB), UAE
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
A Few Dubai Favorites:
|
Contemporary Middle Eastern and Levant buffet at Hyatt Park Hotel
Dubai Creek, Dubai, UAE
|
Stylish modern Spanish and global cuisine
Dubai Creek, Dubai, UAE
|
Upscale fine dining global cuisine
Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE
A Top 20 on Wine Dine and Play
|
|
Turkish culinary journey with an eclectic European twist
Plaza Versace Hotel, Dubai, UAE
|
Authentic churrascaria-Style dining
Palm Island, Dubai, UAE
|
Contemporary Japanese restaurant, sushi, & cocktail mixology
DFIC, Dubai, UAE
A Top 20 on Wine Dine and Play
|
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience, and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Aseelah a 3 out of 5 stars, meaning that they exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings
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Max Points Possible:
|
Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
|
10
|
10
|
0
|
Food quality
|
11
|
8
|
3
|
Plate presentation
|
10
|
9
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1
|
Customer service
|
11
|
7
|
4
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Alcohol and other beverages
|
9
|
6
|
3
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Total regular points awarded
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51
|
40
|
11
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
|
0.784313725490196
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“Wow” factor BONUS
|
5
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1
|
0
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Total bonus percentage
|
0.0196078431372549
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
|
0.803921568627451
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
|
3
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
|
3 of 5 Stars:
80% Rating with a 1 point “wow” bonus
Exceeded All My Expectations in a Dining Experience
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Wine rating:
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5 of 10
Old World selections:
France, Italy, Spain
New World selections:
Argentina, Australia, Chile, Lebanon, New Zealand, South Africa
|
Corkage fees:
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This Restaurant does not list any corkage fee’s however, most American restaurants charge
$25.00 per bottle
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Restaurant style:
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Conservative dining
|
Cuisine Style:
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Arabic, Emirati, Middle Eastern
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Gluten-Free, Halal, Local, Low Carb, Pescatarian, Sustainable, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
|
Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
|
Dress code:
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Conservative to Smart casual attire
|
Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
|
Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Contemporary, Modern, Business parties, Good for special occasions, Beautiful décor, Classy, Upscale, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Private lot
|
Wifi
|
The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Low
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant
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Patio or terrace:
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No
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
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Price
|
Emirati Dirham (AED)
|
د.إ
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
££
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$$
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥¥
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€€
|
Alcohol prices:
48.00 Emirati Dirham (AED)
Aseelah:
4 Baniyas Road
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
| |
Maître d or host:
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+971 4 205 7033
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Online reservations
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Email contact:
| |
Serving hours:
Emirates Local Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - BST Offset + 2:00)
|
Lunch: Mon-Sun
12:30 am - 4:00 pm
Dinner: Mon-Sun
6:30 pm - 11:00 pm
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Social Media
&
Accolades:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
|
Esteemed old-school steakhouse with gospel brunch
Charleston, South Carolina, USA
|
Modern British cuisine in Art Deco Space
London, England, UK
|
Traditional and classic Italian plates
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Other Pictures:
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
