Seekh Kabab is a very localised Southern Iranian restaurant in Al Khawaneej 2. Located beside the Al Imam Al Shafie Mosque on Al Amardi Street, its interior is a corridor of red curtained dining cubicles each good for up to six diners – very Khodmooni and local at the same time. Who else could have found a place so obscure than our very own Sheikh Mansoor, the King of Kong. The minute he told me he’d found a Khodmooni kabab house beside a mosque in the middle of nowhere, I jumped. It had all the hallmarks of another hidden gem. Remember, I found Al Fareej the same way.
A view from the street 
A cubicle 
Curtained corridor
This is obviously a place which caters more to take away and home deliveries than it does dine in; there were half a dozen souped up Nissan Patrols with darkened windows waiting outside for their orders whereas only two cubicles inside were occupied. Although the Seekh Kabab menu is extensive and includes Khoresh (stew) and specialities such as Gardan (braised neck), it’s the kababs people come here for, specifically their Tikka Masti, Bahraini and the most famous – Malaki (ملکی) or Royal Kabab. Before anyone writes in to correct my translation of Malaki, I know it can be translated differently but, in this context, it means regal, royal, divine even.
The Malaki in all its glory 
That’s pepper on the kabab
I could literally hear a drum roll in my head as they served us the malaki kabab, snuggly folded in lavash bread. It turned out to be a simple lamb kabab which (typical of the region) had a heavy pinch of black pepper. It wasn’t nearly as good as the Chenjeh we had at Jelfar Café the week before. In fact, I wasn’t at all impressed with the quality of the meat, finding many pieces chewy. The tikka masti here is less sour than Ostadi’s – these boys obviously use hung yoghurt as opposed to the soured whey Ostadi uses as a marinate. The Bahraini too was good but no cigar. We excitedly ordered the special of the day, Khorak-e Gardan (lamb’s neck stew) but whatever exuberance we had quicky evaporated after our first taste of the watery, bland, best forgotten dish they put before us. The Khoresh Bamieh, however, was really good – the best of what we had.
Doogh 
Hummus 
Mixed Grill 
Lamb’s neck stew best forgotten 
Bamiya was best of all 
Koobideh
Service was friendly, fast and furious as it has to be for a restaurant catering to a hoard of waiting cars. All in all though, I was not impressed with this new find. Their rock star kabab, the malaki did not wow as advertised. Nor did the oh-hum others. That said, if you are in the area and fancy some decent Southern Iranian kababs, by all means give this place a try but don’t, like us, drive the full length of Dubai for a meal here. Not unless you have very mediocre standards and/or wish to be disappointed. This is not an Al Fareej or a hidden gem.
#1 Food Blogger on Zomato Dubai – 2018, 2019 and 2020
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 his culinary journey on Instagram: @ravenousxerxes or reach out to him via email on xerxes@dellara.com.