The Pondicherry Café in the Sofitel is hosting Chef Amr Anwar from their Dubai property. He is here specially to curate a special Arabic menu for the Mumbaites.
The Middle-East ambiance is created right since the entrance of the café with help of surais, and camel cutouts. Further down on the right is a thela serving Qawaha and Turkish coffee made in a traditional way. The display also has colourful tea sets and brass surais with glasses. The coffee is made in traditional pot – adding coffee, cardamom powder, and sugar in pre-measured proportions. The pot is then half buried in the sand that’s burning hot. It’s brewed for 10 minutes before serving in one of the pretty cups.
The Arabic menu is, unfortunately or fortunately, not on a-la-carte. It’s a buffet placed along with their regular buffet.
Chef Amr Anwar | Pic: Ashwini Pai
Kettle and cups as a part of the decor | Pic: Shruti Pandit
While there are the usuals like Shawarma, Tabouleh, Hummus, Moutable, Falafel, Fattoush… there are lesser-known varieties like Slow Cooked Duck with Arabic Spices on rice, Manakish, Lamb Ouzi, Dawood Basha and more.
The buffet menu changes every day. But the Shawarma and cold mezze remains common all days.
Start with Shawarma. The meat so succulent that it almost melts in the mouth. The spices used are so subtle that nothing over powers any of the senses or flavours. After eating this Shawarma, I don’t think any other Shawarma can satisfy me now.
Shawarma | Pic: Shruti Pandit
Muhammara | Pic: Ashwini Pai
In the cold mezze, Tabouleh, Fattoush and Muhammara are delicious. The Muhammara takes the prize with its perfect texture, colour and taste. Fattoush’s zaatar dressing is well balanced making the crunch of veggies and the spice taste delectable. Moutable leaves a lot to be desired.
Next is the Cheese Goulash. That’s an explosion of flavours in the mouth. It is not the Goulash you know – a soup like thing with pastas thrown in, typically European. It is an elegant construction of thin layers of filo and cheese, with olives as a surprise element. The success of Chef Amr is that the three cheeses used – Haloumi, Emmental, and Mozzarella – kind of take turns to delight your palate followed by the olives. Crispness of the filo, softness of cheese, perfectly intermingled creates magic.
Dawood Basha | Pic: Shruti Pandit
Chicken Mousaka | Pic: Shruti Pandit
We were quite intrigued by the Dawood Basha. Heard the name for the first time. Therefore, trying it was compulsory. Lamb meat balls cooked in a “special, secret spices” along with tomatoes, onions is Dawood Basha. The meat balls, again, are subtly spiced, as is the gravy. The meat is ‘melt in the mouth’ consistency despite the coarse grind. “The trick is slow cooking and marinating the meat for long hours,” Chef Amr informs.
As the evening progresses, we realise that ‘slow cooking and secret spices’ are the key ingredients of Chef Amr’s cooking and conversation.
The Slow Cooked Duck with Arabic Spices, is a declaration of this trait. This duck is marinated overnight and then cooked on slow fire for around five to six hours before placing it on the rice with same flavouring and almonds. The meat is so tender, that you can eat the preparation by hand easily – recommended to savour the true taste.
Chicken Mousaka’s delicate flavouring too is underlined by the subtility of ‘secret spices’ and marination overnight. “The more you marinate, the more tender the meat becomes,” Chef Amr explains.
Seafood Machboos is the only seafood item in the menu largely dominated by meats. Lightly flavoured by Arabic spices, this dish is one of the innovative presentation of a traditional Turkish dish.
Baklava | Pic: Shruti Pandit
Traditional breakfast of the middle-east is Manakish. The vegetarians can take delight in the Zatar Manakish and Cheese Manakish. The Lamb Manakish is a treat for the non-veg eaters. For the uninitiated, it is a variation of pizza with Arabic bread as a base. Crisp and tasty, despite being a breakie food, it serves as a good starter for this dinner.
Another starter option is Lamb Kofta. A kebab kind of a preparation has a definite cumin flavour. “Cumin is one of the prominent spices I have marinated the meat with, along with my other spices,” tells Chef Amr.
Arabic desserts find a place on the usual dessert table of the Pondicherry Café. While the Kunafa and Umali can be avoided, the Malabia is highly recommended. Slow cooked rice pudding with saffron and rose water gives your palate the much deserved finish. I suggest that have the Baklava first, which is equally delicious, and follow it up with Malabia as the last treat to your taste buds.
