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Haute Living
Feb 8 2014
Haute Eat: Mayrig Dubai
February 8, 2014
Written by Rebecca Anne Proctor
Delicately prepared and full of fresh flavors, I was immediately
enlightened by Armenian cuisine from the first time I ate at Mayrig's
charming Beirut restaurant. While similar in many ways to Lebanese
fare, what was so memorable about Mayrig's dishes were their distinct
flavors - tastes like I'd never experienced before. That first
experience stayed clearly in my mind for many years, until I recently
was able to try the restaurant's new Dubai restaurant.
Dubai is Mayrig's second venue after its launch in 2003 in Beirut.
Owned by cousins Aline Kamakian and Serge Maacaron, the restaurant was
founded out of their shared passion for cooking and preserving the
tradition of Armenian cuisine. Mayrig, which means "little mother", a
common Armenian term to refer to grandmother, celebrates the cousins'
mutual grandmother Manouchag through a menu rife of her special
recipes passed down across generations as well as portraits that are
found aligning the walls of the restaurant's two floors.
While opening a restaurant satisfied Aline's childhood dream, her
journey to withhold the standards of Armenian cuisine didn't stop
there. In 2011, she published her first book Armenian Cuisine, a
stunning tome replete with wonderful photographs and recipes of some
of the culture's greatest dishes.
The warm ambiance decorated with traditional Armenian patterns boasts
an inviting and comfortable ambiance - similar to someone's home. The
menu, which is decorated in traditional Armenian patchwork, is full of
countless tasty dishes. Without much background knowledge as per the
preparation and philosophy behind Armenian cuisine, except for my one
meal at the Mayrig in Beirut, from among the range of dishes I didn't
know what to select. Energetic and bubbly, Aline came over to explain
the various options.
Starters came in a great assortment of dishes with the colorful
ingredients Armenian food is renowned for. We were served a mix of
cold appetizers including Itch, Armenian tabouleh; Sempougav Salad,
made with eggplant; Zeitoun Salad with olives; Vospis Salad featuring
a delicious mix of lentils and several hommos dishes such as Hommos
Soujouk topped with Armenian sausage. Everything was incredibly fresh
and fragrant boasting the vibrant tastes that I had loved when I first
ate at Mayrig's in Beirut. We were also served several salads
including one with wild oregano, which Aline advised was a specialty
because of the season. Among my favorites were the Sempougui Keufteh,
stuffed kebbe with marinated eggplant, the Potato Kebbe and the
Mouhammara, a delicious and highly addictive hot red pepper and walnut
sauce that went perfectly with the variety of Armenian breads we were
served. These included Lavash, a traditional thin flatbread that
unlike other breads, doesn't contain any yeast.
A selection of hot starters were also provided among which were the
Sou Beureg, layered pastry with three cheeses and the Gdzou Patates,
spicy fried potatoes. Presented with such delicacy and attention to
detail, it is clear that much time and labor had gone into the
preparation of each dish - countless hours in the kitchen to recreate
these much loved specialties.
While the appetizers alone can easily constitute a meal, we openly
welcomed a few main dishes. The Spanakhou Mante, a dish resembling the
intricacy of Italian Ravioli, presented spinach dumplings with tomato
sauce and yogurt. Armenian cuisine is big on meat so we also opted for
the Mante of minced meat dumplings also accompanied by tomato sauce
and yogurt.
The desserts couldn't have impressed us more by their authenticity and
special flavors. We were served an interesting sweet eggplant filled
with sugar and walnuts inside. There was also a selection of Armenian
biscuits that we could dip in rosewater jam. To top it off and aid our
digestion, we were offered Armenian tea prepared with cinnamon and
black tea anise.
Armenian cuisine is a journey in itself - one which requires much
investigation to the history and nature of this ancient school of
cooking. Mayrig does it superbly well. Such an Armenian venue was
needed in Dubai to balance out the majority of Arabic and Lebanese
venues with something of the same region, but offering different
tastes and a fascinating history. While Aline mentioned the challenges
to procure the freshest produce as possible in the UAE, the food
itself was no less in taste and presentation than the brand's first
venue in Beirut. This is a place that merits many returns.
Mayrig is located in Downtown Dubai on Tel: +971 56 3649794 www.mayrigdubai.com
http://hauteliving.com/2014/02/haute-eat-mayrig-dubai/441631/
From: Baghdasarian
Feb 8 2014
Haute Eat: Mayrig Dubai
February 8, 2014
Written by Rebecca Anne Proctor
Delicately prepared and full of fresh flavors, I was immediately
enlightened by Armenian cuisine from the first time I ate at Mayrig's
charming Beirut restaurant. While similar in many ways to Lebanese
fare, what was so memorable about Mayrig's dishes were their distinct
flavors - tastes like I'd never experienced before. That first
experience stayed clearly in my mind for many years, until I recently
was able to try the restaurant's new Dubai restaurant.
Dubai is Mayrig's second venue after its launch in 2003 in Beirut.
Owned by cousins Aline Kamakian and Serge Maacaron, the restaurant was
founded out of their shared passion for cooking and preserving the
tradition of Armenian cuisine. Mayrig, which means "little mother", a
common Armenian term to refer to grandmother, celebrates the cousins'
mutual grandmother Manouchag through a menu rife of her special
recipes passed down across generations as well as portraits that are
found aligning the walls of the restaurant's two floors.
While opening a restaurant satisfied Aline's childhood dream, her
journey to withhold the standards of Armenian cuisine didn't stop
there. In 2011, she published her first book Armenian Cuisine, a
stunning tome replete with wonderful photographs and recipes of some
of the culture's greatest dishes.
The warm ambiance decorated with traditional Armenian patterns boasts
an inviting and comfortable ambiance - similar to someone's home. The
menu, which is decorated in traditional Armenian patchwork, is full of
countless tasty dishes. Without much background knowledge as per the
preparation and philosophy behind Armenian cuisine, except for my one
meal at the Mayrig in Beirut, from among the range of dishes I didn't
know what to select. Energetic and bubbly, Aline came over to explain
the various options.
Starters came in a great assortment of dishes with the colorful
ingredients Armenian food is renowned for. We were served a mix of
cold appetizers including Itch, Armenian tabouleh; Sempougav Salad,
made with eggplant; Zeitoun Salad with olives; Vospis Salad featuring
a delicious mix of lentils and several hommos dishes such as Hommos
Soujouk topped with Armenian sausage. Everything was incredibly fresh
and fragrant boasting the vibrant tastes that I had loved when I first
ate at Mayrig's in Beirut. We were also served several salads
including one with wild oregano, which Aline advised was a specialty
because of the season. Among my favorites were the Sempougui Keufteh,
stuffed kebbe with marinated eggplant, the Potato Kebbe and the
Mouhammara, a delicious and highly addictive hot red pepper and walnut
sauce that went perfectly with the variety of Armenian breads we were
served. These included Lavash, a traditional thin flatbread that
unlike other breads, doesn't contain any yeast.
A selection of hot starters were also provided among which were the
Sou Beureg, layered pastry with three cheeses and the Gdzou Patates,
spicy fried potatoes. Presented with such delicacy and attention to
detail, it is clear that much time and labor had gone into the
preparation of each dish - countless hours in the kitchen to recreate
these much loved specialties.
While the appetizers alone can easily constitute a meal, we openly
welcomed a few main dishes. The Spanakhou Mante, a dish resembling the
intricacy of Italian Ravioli, presented spinach dumplings with tomato
sauce and yogurt. Armenian cuisine is big on meat so we also opted for
the Mante of minced meat dumplings also accompanied by tomato sauce
and yogurt.
The desserts couldn't have impressed us more by their authenticity and
special flavors. We were served an interesting sweet eggplant filled
with sugar and walnuts inside. There was also a selection of Armenian
biscuits that we could dip in rosewater jam. To top it off and aid our
digestion, we were offered Armenian tea prepared with cinnamon and
black tea anise.
Armenian cuisine is a journey in itself - one which requires much
investigation to the history and nature of this ancient school of
cooking. Mayrig does it superbly well. Such an Armenian venue was
needed in Dubai to balance out the majority of Arabic and Lebanese
venues with something of the same region, but offering different
tastes and a fascinating history. While Aline mentioned the challenges
to procure the freshest produce as possible in the UAE, the food
itself was no less in taste and presentation than the brand's first
venue in Beirut. This is a place that merits many returns.
Mayrig is located in Downtown Dubai on Tel: +971 56 3649794 www.mayrigdubai.com
http://hauteliving.com/2014/02/haute-eat-mayrig-dubai/441631/
From: Baghdasarian