Tucked away on the first level of Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates is a restaurant you’ve probably never heard of but might want to add to your contact list. Salmontini – La Maison du Saumon, Le Resto, to give it its full fabulous name, is a little oasis of calm in one of the emirate’s busiest spots.
It’s nothing short of a weary shopper’s retreat and the dedicated escalator and private entrance via the Kempinski Hotel mean you won’t have to battle your way through the shopping centre to get there.
My companion and I were shown to a table in a bay window and enjoyed unfettered views of enthusiasts on the slopes of Ski Dubai.
With its hues of plum and ebony, the restaurant’s décor had a pared-down pleasantness. It’s a comfortable space, with not a chandelier or scatter cushion in sight, implying Salmontini is not trying overly hard to impress you. Nor, through its modest façade or subtle advertising, is the restaurant shouting about how good its premium salmon is. But it absolutely should be.
We opted to share a couple of starters, which were so generous in size we almost couldn’t manage the mains. The Royal degustation platter was a triumph with six salmon variations; classic smoked, marinated, beetroot gravadlax, tartar, julienne and the best in class – heart of oak smoked salmon.
It went down a treat and came served with a selection of freshly baked breads, lemon wedges, condiments and a refreshing seaweed salad.
All of the salmon we sampled had been imported on ice direct from Scotland’s Shetland Isles to Dubai, where it was then traditionally smoked in a fumoir.
The enthusiastic owner Joe Bassili has overseen the process of farming, exporting and smoking produce for Salmontini’s three branches for more than 20 years now, and it shows.
The smoked salmon served to our table, for example, was wafer-thin and sliced by a steady, experienced hand – as opposed to a machine having been used for speed and uniformity. There was also superb attention to detail in pairing different cuts and smoke-intensities with different dishes – most notably, with the delicious tartar and melt-in-the-mouth sashimi, for which only the very lightest smoked salmon was used.
We also tried some hot plates from the main menu in the form of Chilean sea bass with lemon butter sauce and Alaskan black cod. Both were equally tasty and well-seasoned, but somewhat lacking in sauce.
So my recommendation – if you are indeed a salmon fiend – is to stick to what the restaurant does best. We counted more than 24 different options from the basic menu alone; from salmon couscous in a spicy Harissa sauce and salmon skin maki to the highly prized Tsar-cut prime fillet.
Best of all, it’s fine fare at reasonable prices. Two courses from the Lunch Express menu will cost you Dh99, while regular evening à la carte options start from just Dh85. Moreover, should you wish to impress your pals with a three-course degustation of your own, head to Carrefour stores across the UAE to buy Salmontini’s salmon, vacuum packed, straight off the shelves.
• A meal for two at Salmontini costs Dh685 excluding beverages. Salmontini – La Maison du Saumon, Le Resto is located at The West End, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai. For reservations call 04 341 0222 or go to www.salmontini.com. All reviews are conducted incognito and paid for by The National
rduane@thenational.ae
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
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- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
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The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
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