I’ve been checking out quite a few new eateries in Dubai in the past couple of weeks. Since I adore change and get bored pretty easily, I find it always good fun to try fresh dining concepts and catch up with friends over a nice meal. My most recent review was of Mo’s – a new casual American dining spot in Jumeirah’s pristine cozy Citywalk Mall. You can read that short review here.
Today’s review is about another intimate space in my side of JLT!
Since my area doesn’t have that many eating outlets, I was so excited when I read a review from a food blogger – The REAL Geordie Armani – on a place that’s located just across the lake from where I live 🙂
Once I saw the review, I made an instant decision to have lunch at Marta’s Workshop the next day. Yes, that’s how desperate I am for a simple solution for my daily lunch dilemma :p
Now for the sake of keeping this review short, since it’s past 1 am (I made a commitment with myself to blog daily this week), I will get straight to the point and tell you what I had for lunch.
I was offered a complimentary shot of gazpacho upon arrival….I opted for the fresh juice and meal option. Which costs AED 60.
My watermelon juice was so refreshing and sitting out on a terrace in December in Dubai only made the experience better.
There were three options for the main course to choose from. I went with Renier’s (Marta’s head chef) suggestion for a tapas selection plate. The dish had crab cocktail bites, a bowl of sweet and sour shrimp and two “beef surprises”.
What was special about those shrimps – as the chef explained to me – was the fact that they were cooked in a sousvied machine in water for 25 minutes only. As opposed to being sauteed or wok-fried in a pan.
My beef surprises were healthily baked in the oven for 10 minutes, after being stuffed with some leek, carrots and beef tenderloin.
My Personal Opinion:
Marta’s Kitchen started out as a food catering concept and has just recently opened its doors for the people working and living in the surrounding area…It was my first time to try Marta’s creations, although I’m sure that I’ve heard of her many times before.
Honestly speaking, the tapas tasted a lot like home-made food – a rare commodity in the city. So that element scored great points for me. The space has a very homely feel to it, the ambiance is so relaxed and the setting is so warm and welcoming.
On the other hand, the portions served in my “meal” were too small for someone who is looking to have lunch and not just a light snack on the go.
Now I’m sure that Marta has a good explanation for the size of portions in that tapas plate, or maybe it was only the tapas that was served in bite-size nibbles. I mean, luckily on that day, I wasn’t feeling too hungry. Because if I were, then that meal wouldn’t have been sufficient. I’m also not sure what kind of clients Marta is aiming to target with her newly opened eatery, as the portion size may not be an issue for certain expats. I can only speak for myself – a Saudi lifestyle blogger with a hearty appetite! I think I can also speak for the wider GCC community as I stated in my Top 10 List Post about the Gulf Region how we tend to eat big meals for lunch AND dinner….If you missed that post, you can read all about it here.
I’m sure that Marta can also justify the prices that she set for each meal option.
I might check out Marta’s Workshop on another day to try out a different meal option and measure the portion size in relevance to my ever-expanding appetite 🙂
Fore more information, check out the web site here.
