Malabar Promotion at Armani/Amal

As expected of a Keralite feast, what really stood out at the chic Armani/Amal's ongoing Malabar promotion was the use of coconut. We're lifelong fans of the stuff (put it down to our South Indian roots), and were quite impressed with its signature stamped boldly across dishes. But let's begin at the beginning. Fusion fans will appreciate the mini uttapam served with crab meat – it packs quite a punch between the texture of the dough and the meat. Among the starters, the fried prawns are a standout, starting off crisp and fiery, then ending with soft flesh and subtler spices. For a milder but more filling affair, try the banana fritter tikki.

You can't go wrong with curd rice (dotted with pomegranate seeds) for your mains, accompanied with some delish meen curry (hammour being the meen i.e. fish of choice), some robust mutton coconut fry, fried baby corn, kori ghassi (a thick chicken curry made with coconut milk, a specialty of Karnataka's Bunt community, but adapted in part here) and the layered Malabar paratha.

Dessert was a super satisfying affair, as it would be with coconut kulfi. Like we said, we love what they did with the ingredient.

INFO:
Malabar promotion runs through June
Price: Dhs350 per person
Times: 7pm to 11pm
Address: Armani/Amal, Third Floor, Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Tel: 04 888 3888
Web: http://dubai.armanihotels.com.