Eva Kana is a Levantine restaurant owned by inspirational Jordanian celebrity TV chef Eva Halasa Rihani. There are two branches in Dubai, one in Mirdif and this one at The Ribbon, Motor City. It rubs shoulders with a shisha café of the same name (next door) but we won’t get into that. Extensive use of wood and exposed red brick gives the interior a warm, cosy and inviting ambiance irrespective of its high ceiling. It’s a believable environment and easy to get comfortable in (without being too feminine like Shakespeare). I was there with my sister, Pari, visiting from Vienna.
Interior 
Interior
We ordered a mixed mezza plate and a mixed grill with a Fattoush salad on the side – how unadventurous. Raine, our cheerful Filipina waitress, first brought us their signature jar of pickled olives closely followed by puffy fresh flatbread – straight from the oven – heaven. Although Pari and I are both in low carb diets, I couldn’t resist breaking off a piece to dunk into the jar of fragrant, flavoured olive oil of the pickled olives.
Delicious pickled olives 
Fresh bread 
Signature pickled olives in a jar 
Bread baked fresh
The rustic looking mezza plate was served with a swirl each of Mutabbal, Hummus and Baba Ghanoush, the latter using aubergine so beautifully smoked it could only have been done on charcoal. Completing the mezza plate were half a dozen oval balls of Falafel, fried deep brown and crispy on the outside and a fluffy garlicy green on the inside – bah bah.
Tabooleh 
Mezza Plate
Our mixed grill arrived next, veiled in lavash like a blushing bride – a skewer of minced Kafta, Shish Tawook and beef Shish – all juicy and succulent. Personally, I did not think much of the kafta, finding it a little too salty but the other two were right on the money. Halfway through all this, Raine comes along with this delicious looking plate of Maqluba Chicken, a traditional Jordanian dish – their dish of the day. I confess having tried to order it without the rice (low carb diet, remember) but Raine did a Amy Winehouse Rehab No, No, No on me – damn diet. The truth is, if there’s one dish on the menu I will actually damn my diet for, it’s the Mansaf – my favourite Jordanian dish.
Mixed grill 
Raine showing off their Maqluba Chicken
Raine impressed Pari and me with her friendly nature and attentiveness. The rest of the staff were equally pleasant, each returning a look with a smile. I’m not a big fan of the Ribbon but I really liked this little place. There are a lot of Levantine options in the general area and this is definitely among the best. Ignore some of the rather dismal ratings on Zomato. My Ravenous Rating of 4.0/5.0 is biased but far more accurate. In closing allow me to leave you with a clip of Eva on She Connects which’ll give you an idea of the persona behind the brand: https://youtu.be/Cxcj1NNJU4E.
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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 no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.