Elia

Greek food with interesting views 7 Reviews

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If you opt for a pavement seat at any number of restaurants in Bur Dubai, a variety of surprises lie in wait. There’s the ever-present risk of being run over by an errant driver for starters. Worse still, you could find yourself seated next to a ruddy-faced expat fresh from one of the area’s lowbrow watering holes. More mundanely, you’ll probably find yourself in the midst of a sea of pedestrians and shoppers who may or may not care for your personal space. Most of the time it adds to the general buzz of life at street level, but occasionally an escape route from the hustle and bustle of downtown Dubai is most definitely required.

So it’s with welcome arms – and jumper- clad ones at that, thanks to the cooler temperatures – that we welcomed the terrace seating at the Majestic’s new Greek restaurant, Elia. Helmed by Yannis Baxevanis, a Greek chef of some note, it’s the hotel’s flagship restaurant. And even though the platform offers views into several Golden Sands apartment blocks – if you’re reading this 209, your windows need cleaning and you should probably consider investing in curtains – it was a nice touch.

As soon as we’d seated ourselves at the end of the wooden balcony, an amuse bouche of pumpkin and sage soup was whisked out from the kitchen. Thick, warm and like a miniature sloppy duvet, it went perfectly with the sundried tomato and feta cheese bread they’d brought out to the table. It was just as well we had a slab of dough in our mouths when we saw the wine menu, however, as our blood-curdling gasp would have brought Bur Dubai to a standstill. Alcohol is an expensive commodity in Dubai at the best of times, but with the cheapest bottle of wine on the menu a whopping Dhs185 for the Greek house plonk or Dhs200 for a bog-standard Jacob’s Creek, it suddenly looked like daylight robbery.

Thankfully the first of the starters eased our quickening pulse rate. A hastily devoured saffron-dusted battered cod on a bed of beetroot and garlic mash was the clear pick. Unfortunately, the calamari stuffed with sundried tomato and green pepper was less successful – grittier than a Ken Loach film with an over-powering aniseed taste, our concentration veered away from the food and strayed back to the neighbouring block of flats.

The clearing of plates soon refocused our attention. It didn’t take the waiters long either – the sound of downed cutlery from the starters was still resonating in the noisy Bur Dubai air when our main courses were brought out to us – our only gripe with the otherwise excellent service. The food arrived in large white angular bowls as comforting as a mother’s hug. A simmering slow-cooked rabbit in bergamot with sweet potato mash was sublime, but the two flavours were overly similar– a little contrast would have helped matters enormously. A substantial leg of lamb with bulgar wheat and rosemary was, like the previously thumping rabbit, perfectly cooked, but let down somewhat by the stodgy wheat accompaniment.

By now it looked like our friends in flat 209 were settling down for a movie. What they were watching we couldn’t quite make out, but over on our terrace the quite brilliant deserts brought to mind an M. Night Shyamalan film, where the best is saved for last. The apple and pineapple baklava with vanilla ice cream was crunchy, creamy and tangy – everything a dessert should be. And if the chocolate fondant was an animal it would be a cocoa-addicted Carebear, such was the gooey-warm nature of its comforting flavours.

And with that grand finale, we sat back to enjoy the excellent setting for a few more minutes and reflect on the good, and occasionally great, food at Elia. With a few more tweaks, a lot more Bur Dubai residents should be heading up from the busy streets below to linger on the Majestic terraces. But Flat 209 should definitely consider buying a set of curtains.

The bill (for two)
Cod Fillet Dhs64
Stuffed Calamari Dhs22
Leg of lamb Dhs85
Rabbit Dhs74
Baklava Dhs25
Chocolate fondant Dhs25
1 bottle house wine Dhs185
Total Dhs450

• Previous reviews
  • 17 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff
  • 11 January,2009- reviewed by Daisy Carrington

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