Review: Manāo is not a culinary tide and that's the best thing about it
A personal affair…
We come to Manāo on a weeknight, a curious mind laced with the hunger of anticipation in tow. A lot has been said about the new concept, names of weight and worth whispered in quiet concentration, punctuated by desires expressed, calendars blocked and dinners planned in the distant future, and for all the megaphonic-microscopic noise, it is quite the opposite of that. Let me explain.
Manāo is big and small, grand and simple, a monument and a murmur, all at the same time, and that shouldn’t really have surprised us. The heart and soul of this venture are Abhiraj Katwani of Yellow Monkey fame, and Mohamed Orfali of Orfali Bros, one of the most recognisable figures in Dubai’s culinary community.
Manāo’s compact space, minimal, bare-Earth interiors and the absence of foam, fizz, smoke, leaf of various precious metals, caviar, demonstrations, installations, dust from the moon, water from Mars and fire from the sun means there is only one thing in focus – the food. This is a flavour-driven, chef-driven restaurant, a loud and long echo of the legacy of both the captains. If you’ve ever been to Orafli Bros, you’ll know.
The ambiance
The primary colour palette of the space is brown – shades of brown all around, from the wooden furniture to the chalk cushions, and the ceramic elephants to the abstract pottery. It looks and feels very homely, which we attribute to the sandy curtains, floor to ceiling and drawn tightly, and the many shelves with stacks of plates out in the open. Greenery sits in corners tucked away. Biggie’s face peers out from behind a record player. A sense of intimacy prevails. One sweep and you’ve looked at everything there is to see; it’s astoundingly simple.
The food
Like the look of the space, the food is also free from distractions. They call it Thai-inspired cuisine, and that’s all it is, but when you take the first bite you understand what all the local chefs and gastronomy enthusiasts paying visits by the droves are talking about. Everyone we know and their mother has been to Manāo and the raving praise doesn’t seem so superficially performative anymore.
We are presented with a special tasting menu, a collection of 11 courses and five beverage pairings (all non-alcoholic, fermented options) – a mammoth to conquer, but we’re full of spirit. Every single course is delicious, packed with flavour, texture, heat, salt and sweet, but of course, there are some highlights.
The gillardeau oyster is a cold citrus bomb, bright and tart, served with orange chilli nam jim and an expected twist of texture with fried shallots. You eat it all in one go, and it slaps you in the face with flavour, in the best way possible.
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The sticky rice roti is a Thai taco of sorts with coconut smoked short ribs, kaffir lime relish and a little chewy flatbread made of rice. The beef is sweet, salty and rich, and the fat is cut perfectly by the acidity of the lime. In similar territory, the duck mochi evokes adjacent feelings, but in a different packaging. The star of this course is the hot and sour broth, another tribute to the power of texture. You take a bite, you take a sip, and you repeat.
The khanom jeen is a welcome break from the mostly sweet and spicy palate so far – fermented rice noodles with cashew nut sauce and Alaskan king crab. The sauce provides a bodied bite to the otherwise light noodles, and everything is very rich and earthy, as nut sauces are. The sour curry of beef reminds me of things we eat back home, steeped in tamarind, chilli and pepper, and served on a bed of short-grain rice.
Out of the two dessert courses, I prefer the thai banoffee – a sort of profiterole filled with banana ice cream, topped with caramel and a piece of candied banana – a burst of subtle banana flavours. By the end of the meal, we’re about to kiss the chef’s hands, and also request him to reduce the size of the menu; 11 courses is a tad bit much to digest in one sitting.
What’s On Verdict: We get it.
Manāo, Wasl Vita, Jumeirah, daily, 7pm to 11pm, closed on Mon, Tel: (0) 4 272 2389, @manao_dubai
Images: Supplied
