Download Issue 6 - BinHendi

Sammach
When it comes to seafood fare, BinHendi 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