Review: Énas, The Palm Jumeirah

In Greek, the word énas means ‘one’. Simply put, it’s the numerical value for a singular thing. And that’s a fitting name for Énas on Palm Jumeirah, where a first glimpse into the quaint space evokes a feeling of harmony. Maybe it’s the earthy décor, washed in adjacent shades of white, beige and brown, from the walls to the oddly shaped vases nestled in mini arches and the sit-and-you-will-sink-in sofas. It’s all quite simple, really.

Located on the ground floor of Balqis Residence, Énas drips self-assured simplicity. It has a fluent feminine feel – uber chic, sleek and emanating yacht club all-white- everything class. The food, Greek-Mediterranean by heart, soul and everything in between, dances to the same beat.

Énas belongs to a new generation of restaurants, the babies of the local culinary scene that are taking early steps towards a, fingers crossed, fixed and successful status. It opened its doors in January of this year and has been serving up sharing-format Aegean flavours ever since.

There is a warmth in how easy the fare is – like Sunday mornings. The ‘choriatiki’ Greek salad (Dhs69) and the Énas maze platter (Dhs90) inaugurate our dinner, and we eagerly inhale bites of pita and koulouri bread slathered with delightfully sharp feta cheese and a selection of classic dips. Amongst them are the evergreen tzatziki; a Barbie-pink taramasalata; and the melinzanosalata, a traditional aubergine dip. It’s the latter that puts what I usually see as my gastronomic nemesis in a far prettier dress. We were at last, able to make friends.

The moussaka arancini (Dhs69) is a success. It weaves a tight-knit curtain of flavour, the Greek interior and the Italian façade fused seamlessly. It stands marginally apart from the rest of the more traditional, homes-style plates, like the wild seabream (Dhs150) and the imam bayildi (Dhs35).