AWANI LEVANT | MIRDIF CITY CENTRE

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Awani is a middle eastern restaurant serving authentic but mordern arabic food. From starters to desserts, they have multiple varieties of the same dish presented in a brilliant manner. Visited this place twice already. Despite their versatility, they have very few options for vegetarians. Being a vegetarian with limited options I had to stick to the cold mezzeh. Here is what I ordered….. 1.Hummus Bekmez - Although its a very basic recipe of mixing regular hummus with some spices, its something that i have never eaten before at a restaurant. 2.Hummus Pesto - Again regular hummus mixed with pesto sauce. Pretty basic but tasty and refreshing as far is taste is concerned. 3.Muttabal - Mashed grilled eggplant. No that special, wouldn't recommend it. 4.Eggplant Yalanji - So this was something I had never heard off. Eggplant with stuffed rice topped with pomegranate molasses. I really don’t know how this dish actually tastes but I personally did not like it. Felt like it was under-cooked. 5.Pita bread - Served complimentary with every order. The best thing they have out here is their pita bread. Warm and soft, freshly baked, topped with sesame seeds. The food doesn’t really taste so great, you could eat tastier versions of the above dishes at some local joints or even make them at home. Quantity wise also i was disheartened. The price was too high for the quantity of food served. Also I noticed that other people (mainly the locals) were being served more quantity of the hummus and muttabal than the expats, which I feel is highly unfair. Their service is also a bit upsetting. Despite calling the servers so many times, it would take ages for them to attend you, half of them were unsure of the menu and kept asking their colleagues and creating confusion. Also I had to wait for nearly 20 minutes before the waitress got me the fresh pita bread after my hummus was served. Also for some reason the staff was always in a hurry to pick up our plates and dishes as if they wanted us to leave the restaurant as soon as possible. The ambience and decor of the restaurant is really good. Comfortable seating and child friendly place. Everybody has enough space for themselves to eat and unwind. Ample of parking available in the mall premises. Price - 3/5 Presentation 2/5 Taste - 3/5 Service - 2/5 Value for money - 2/5 Ambience - 4/5 OVERALL - 2.5/5 Subscribe to our YouTube channel - RipplezzGallore Follow us on Instagram - @thegreatmb16 & @carolmathias17 Like us on Facebook - @RipplezzGallore