Dine
Sammach When it comes to seafood fare, <strong>BinHendi</strong> finds there’s nowhere quite like Sammach Top table: The humble prawn is a staple of our city-state’s eateries. Its baby-pink shells and spindly, insect-like legs protrude from ice platters in supermarkets and buffets the length of our coast-hugging home town. It might come doused in garlic sauce, drizzled with olive oil, or just a simple, zesty squeeze of lemon. But however it’s prepared, the dinky little treats are surprisingly ubiquitous. They are also, surprisingly often, poorly prepared. The freezing process can neuter some flavour in any fish, but it is the preparation that so many spots get wrong. Grill a prawn for five minutes, and it’ll switch from grey to pink before your eyes, its meat remaining puffy and juicy, and its shell not suffering from a charcoal glaze. The innards of the carapace – the deliciously tangy bit that prawn-munching aficionados suck from the upturned head – should remain moist and easily extracted with one swift inhalation. Grill, fry, or barbecue for too long, however, and you’re left with something far less inspiring – meat all dried and rubbery, and a blandness that no condiment can rectify. And however the wee beast is cooked, ‘marie rose’ sauce must be avoided like Mexican Flu. At Sammach in Jumeirah Beach Centre, they know their crustaceans. The jumbo prawns are perfectly grilled, and come with a herb, olive oil and lemon sauce that manages to perfectly marry zing and smoothness. The dish is a simple, shell-peeling, skull-slurping, finger-wiping pleasure from start to finish, and well sums up what this place has to offer. Sammach takes two things that Dubai does well – seafood and Arabic food – and puts them together in a way that few other places manage. While a lot of pricey joints put on fancy seafood, the cooking influences tend to be resolutely European. And while informal Arabic dining is easy to find, too often such restaurants offer poor quality meat, dry pitta, and an overly oily experience. But Sammach manages to mix Arabic flavours, fresh seafood, and a welcome ambience perfectly. The dining room is dotted with cosy maritime references, like the ice table shaped like an old fishing dhow and festooned with flavours of the deep. Fighting for everdiminishing wall space are a jolly jumble of lopsided photographs of fishermen harvesting their catch. The casual and welcoming ambience is rounded out at a weekend, when families dine over baba ganoush, tabbouleh and other meze staples. This is seafood with a Lebanese flourish, and it is the quality of the ingredients that shines through. The squid is another sea-dweller that is often hopelessly overcooked, but here it slices easily and the first bites released a surge of flavour. The sultan fish is similarly well prepared, as are the red snapper and the hamour. Sauces with these fish tend to be simple but well balanced – a spicy tomato flavour here, a salt crust there, or just a light, flour batter. Such dishes are the epitome of this place – not overly complex, not overly fussy, but well put together and (perhaps most importantly) sourced with care. Prawn fanciers will be particularly pleased. For contact details and outlet listings go to page 68 Bin Hendi 39