Retro style Lebanese joint
Journey:
We were invited for a tasting and decided to go for a lunch.
Ambiance:
Ayam Elezz is located on the top floor in The Mall, Opposite Jumeirah Beach Hotel. The Mall is one of the quieter malls in Dubai which is an advantage to diners seeking a disturbance free lunch or dinner. What makes this place so special is its retro themed home style decor. The interiors take you back to a time in the 60s where you feel like you’re actually dining at someone’s home. The homely experience is complete with props like a television, family portraits, an old school telephone and a gramophone to name a few. We truly loved the decor and the homely ambience of the place that resembles a traditional lebanese dining back in the 60s. This place is suitable for family and friends and a must visit for the experience.
Rating: 7.5 Golden Nuggets
Brownie Points
Wifi
Parking
Kid Friendly
Outdoor Seating
Shisha
Bite Board
DRINKS
1. Lemon Mint [AED 25]: The balance between both the ingredients was not there with the lemon being overpowering and making it too sour to drink.
2. Lemonade Batrouniye [AED 26]: A nice lovely palate cleanser. This drink wasn’t too sour like its counterpart the lemon mint. The sweetness was well balanced and complemented our meal throughout. It was refreshing and would definitely be your go-to drink at this place.
3. Watermelon [AED 24]: The juice was sweet and refreshing in the beginning. After some time, it felt like the fruit had gone bad and there was a very bitter aftertaste.
4. Laban Aryan [AED 20]: A sure winner in all drinks we got. This was a perfect mix of yogurt which wasn’t too thin or too thick, just how we liked it. The only downside to this drink was that we felt it was a bit saltier than what we expected.
COLD MEZZE
1. Tabbouleh [AED 24]: A mish mash of beautiful green mint leaves, tomatoes with sour Arabic dressing. Our only issue with this dish was it was way too sour for us to have it entirely and hence had less of this dish.
2. Hummus Bel Tahini [AED 23]: The regular hummus found in all Lebanese outlets. We found that the olive oil used was a bit too much other than that tasted fine.
3. Muttabal [AED 23]: A delicious dip that was creamy in texture and freshly made. The char of the aubergine brought out the smoky flavour which is why the muttabal along with the lovely hot flatbreads right out the oven was a delight to eat. Another one of our recommendations for this place.
4. Fattoush [AED 24]: A dish where all you can see is green and very much healthy in a bowl. This dish we felt it similar to the Tabbouleh, with the exception that it wasn’t too sour and quite fresh and tasted yum. A mix of fresh green leaves with tomato, this was our palate cleanser before we began our meat fest.
HOT MEZZE
1. Fried Kibbeh [AED 24]: Four pieces of crisp meat balls with stuffing of ground lamb, bulgur, onions and middle eastern spices. It must be eaten when served hot otherwise gets hard and is no fun having it.
2. Batata Harra [AED 24]: Fried potatoes sprinkled with salt, spices, and herbs were so soft as a sponge, this was our side dish along with the Fattoush and tasted heavenly that we wished we could have had way more of it. Having a slightly higher tinge of garlic, this went well with all our dishes.
3. Cheese Rolls [AED 23 – 4 pieces]: Spring rolls with cheese stuffing! This was perfectly made with the cheese oozing out when broken into halves. This is one of our favorite starters after trying it in few places. We definitely do recommend having them, because once you start you cannot give up on it! It’s called the cheese addiction.
MAINS
1. Mix Grill Platter [AED 73]: A tray with four kinds of meat that includes baby veal, shish taouk, lamb kababs, and lamb with cheese kebabs with a serving of fries. The meat was well cooked and juicy. Only thing it was our first time trying veal and we realized that it does not suit our taste buds which is why we did not like it. For the others who are a fan could opt for it.
2. Arayes Kafta [AED 49]: Toasted bread filled with minced lamb, onions and parsley. It was served along with a side of fries that were crisp and went well with the dish.
DESSERTS
1. Knefe [AED 33]: This was our first time trying to separate layers of the pastry and the cheese separately! It would have been better if the cheese was part of the pastry instead.
2. Rice Pudding [AED 24]: Our favourite among the desserts ordered here. It’s a lovely pudding thats creamy in texture not too watery nor was it too thick. The sweetness wasn’t too overpowering and was in the right quotient. Its very light and after a bite its quite difficult to stop.
3. Raha Bel Ashta [AED 28]: This is a combination of jelly and marshmallow filled with sweet cream and garnished with pistachio shavings. Our first time giving it a try and we were not fans due to the texture and overpowering sugar taste.
4. Signature Ice-cream with Oreo: This one comes with 3 scoops of ice cream namely vanilla, strawberry and mistika topped with sprinkles and a drizzle of chocolate sauce with an Oreo stucked in at the side. Bluntly put we weren’t big fans of this one. The ice cream wasn’t in the right texture and a bit powdery to taste. We could taste bits of ice in them too. Definitely not a favourite in our books.
Service:
We found the service to be quite slow. The focus was more on taking orders and handling reservations rather than attending the dine-in customers.
Cash Outflow:
The money shelled out is worth for the view because we found the food to be a hit and miss.
Location:
For more details about the menu, visit !
Circling Back:
We might return to try out the manakish and have another go for the cheese rolls.