I did not ask if this new Kababi restaurant in Jumeirah 1 is part of the same Kababi franchise which has branches in Al Barsha and Al Warqa but if it is it will represent a shift to the more mainstream Middle Eastern cuisine from the pure Iranian that the others are famous for. And that may not be a bad thing. I know though that at least one of the chefs at this new outlet is Iranian. This I asked.
The interior of the restaurant will not win any design awards but it’s new and therefore clean both hygienically and in an unused sort of way. There’s a valet parking sign outside which doesn’t apply to this restaurant although one of the friendly staff took my car and parked it for me when I drove up (pay attention) to the side entrance where there is ample parking space.
Meat Salona Stew
My local friend and I tried both Emirati and Iranian dishes to see how each would stack up. We started with porridge-like Harees Soup which is made with cracked, or coarsely-ground wheat, mixed with meat. Both of us found it quite bland in comparison with homemade. Abdul-Latif ordered a beautiful Emirati stew called Salona which I have always had with chicken. This one was made with cotton-tender, slow-cooked lamb and was absolutely delicious although still not nearly as good as what I’ve had at his house. We also ordered a mixed grill of Iranian kababs which comes with a skewer of Koobideh, Chicken Masti and Meat Masti, and is very, very good; the hand of the Iranian chef evident.
Dates, Tahini and Cheese 
Meat
Service was friendly, accommodating and prompt. By covering a more mainstream culinary base, Kababi is bound to appeal to the local Jumeirah crowd; a case in point was that the restaurant was 80% full on the weekday we visited for lunch, which says a lot for a newly opened restaurant in one of the most competitive parts of town. The fact that everyone (except me) was local shows they’ve hit the spot. Newly opened Al Jawareh certainly has the edge over Kababi where interior design is concerned but these boys hold their own with variety and of course, their Iranian kababs. Well worth a visit.
Hey! Now read this –
Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from,
each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his
companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts
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