Gastronomic Innovation Tells a Story at Enigma

  • Category: Food
  • July 2, 2017

Enigma is more than fine dining in one of the most luxurious hotels in world; The Palazzo Versace in Dubai. It’s a place where storytelling unravels in parallel to a very carefully curated menu set amidst an opulent venue.

The third chapter of Enigma’s journey, ‘The Inside Story’ gives life to modern Turkish cuisine in an innovative way, to whet the your emotions and appetite.  When Enigma changes a story, it means business. Uniforms, setting, cutlery, and crockery change along with the chef and the entire menu. The first was the Spanish story; the second was the Nordic story, and this time around is the modern Turkish cuisine story. Chef Yunus is native to Turkey and unravels an innovative modern Turkish menu in a way only Enigma could.

20170404_195330_resized We ordered the tasters menu which was a pre-set dinner comprising of the most favored signature dishes. The starter was a bread basket with homemade breads accompanied by a spicy tomato spread.

Our soup was smoked eggplant with fresh thyme and goat’s cheese–a delicately flavored soup with a subtle smoky flavor. Next, the mushroom cappuccino, with mushrooms native to Turkey, had mellowed out flavors of caramelized chestnuts at the bottom, with green peas and asparagus.

EnigmaOur next course was Mandarin Aegean Shrimps and our very helpful server Bobby explained that in Turkey, it was quite common to marinate shrimp in mandarin as an exotic combination.  The amalgamation of the shrimp and mandarin actually created an understated, but delicious flavor.

Next was a beautifully plated Sorbet Ashrafi which was a visual treat of lemon cream, green apple sorbet, edible flowers, and basil seed chips. This explosion of various flavors and textures were a medley of cold, crunchy, tart, creamy, and soft.

20170404_204609The next dish that I was unsure of initially was the Slow Cooked Octopus, not one of my favorites from the sea. But this was different, as Bobby explained, as it was cooked using the ‘Suvi’ or steam for long duration method for eight hours. The octopus tentacle was served in citrus sauce with avocado cream and orange powder with ginger and lime. I have to admit this was unlike any of the chewy stuff I had eaten before and instead, was super moist and tender and actually flavorful.

Next and probably one of my favorites of the evening, was the Barley and Beef with chick peas and lemon juice with baby carrots. This was superlative comfort food served in fine dining style and hit all the right notes, especially as we were sitting outdoors facing the new Marina.

The pre-main course was Seabass Shashlik with three slices of fish in-between carrots and zucchini with avocado cream, fennel, and was decorated with fennel. This was creamy, tender, and very well-cooked.

20170404_213153_resizedThe main course was lamb neck cooked in the Suvi technique again, using seven spices to get the right flavors. It was served with fondant potatoes cooked on one side, alongside cherry tomatoes and delicious fig chutney. It was garnished with homemade potato chips. This dish was the softest and richest tasting lamb I have ever eaten with muted flavors enhanced by the fig chutney.

unnamedAfter a palette cleanser, we were served two desserts: the Sour Cherry Biscuit, a warm crispy biscuit sitting atop a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The other was a Green Apple Mousse whereby the peel had been delicately removed in one long piece and rewound back onto the mousse in the shape of an apple and served with almond ice cream, almond powder and homemade almond chips. Both of these concluded a long journey into modern Turkey with chef Yunus.Verdict: Beyond wow—this is the most elegant dinner in town set under the stars in a beautiful setting. 

Visit: Enigma; The Palazzo Versace Hotel; 04– 455 1645