Anar, is one of the latest Middle Eastern restaurants to open direct from Dubai and promising a traditional Arabic and Middle Eastern experience, I was seriously excited. Anar, before day break.
Middle Eastern touches.
Enter into Arabia - from the Persian carpets to the various Arabian details around the restaurant.
The private dining area that caught the eye for its high ceiling and humongous chandelier.
Just say wow.
"Even the tiles that are used within the Arabic Persian Arches at the centre of the restaurant are hand-made and imported from Iran, detailing the perimeter of semi-circular arches which are Moroccan in origin." - Anarsingapore.
I do appreciate the restaurant's efforts to create such an experience even before the food starts, though some part of me did feel I was dining in a mosque.
Menus.
Anar Guru ($20)
Fresh Anar Juice shaken with Vodka and topped with Moet and Chandon Brut Champagne
I was game to try their signatures and the rule of thumbs was - whatever began with "Anar". Anar juice is actually pomegranate. Served in a glass like that did make drinking a tad difficult. This was a fizzier version of the Anar Cooler.
Anar Cooler ($15)
White rum, Triple sec ,mint, pineapple ,lemon juice, Grenadine syrup
A sweet pink-coloured cocktail, perfect for ladies.
Instead of French butter, we were served perfumed chilli flakes and olive oil to dip.
Piping hot naan, yums!
Served with a platter of pickles and cheese. Not too huge a fan of the pickles which were too heavy on the marinate.
Harira ($10)
A thousand years of Marrakech cooking… this hearty soup is infused with premium ground beef and a base of spiced vermicelli bread, completed with freshly ground Arabian spices
The spices are acquired, with the dash of lemon...somehow the soup was more acidic than desired.
Pretty dressed up plate of basmati rice! Loved the colours especially. The sweet pomegranate seeds gave the fluffy and light rice grains a much needed splash of colour. Loved it, made eating rice so easy.
Joojeh Kebab ($36)
An authentic char-grilled Iranian favourite of chicken marinated in saffron, onions and fresh limejuice
Smelt amazing and tasted pretty good - succulent tender bites in center of the skewer but the sides were a tad over cooked. Particularly loved to hear the sizzle of the pan when lemon juice was drizzled over.
Marakeshian Scallops ($28)
Moorish sautéed sea scallops perfectly prepared and served with tomato puree, a real North African masterpiece from the seas.
Yet another beautifully presented dish. A great pity these scallops were too salty but otherwise, the less flavourful tomato puree hummus was delish!
Shrimp Kozberieh ($32)
From the seaside of North Lebanon. Marinated shrimps in coriander, chili olive oil and lemon juice baked in our oven together with a kozberieh (a mix of bell peppers, onions, grated carrots flavoured with coriander and garlic), served with a local styled garlic hummus.
This was one of the better dishes, particularly loved the garlic hummus that had a really thick consistency but reminded me of pate.
Baklawa ($12)
The Ottomans made it famous and brought the recipes as far as South-West Asia. Layers of paper-thin phyllo pastry are filled with roasted nuts and honey syrup. To die for.
Recommended by the waitress, I've read and seen baklawa but yet to try before. Baklawa or Baklava is a characteristic Middle Eastern pastry. In fact, there are so many variations of it.
Chopped pistachio filling.
Shredded filo with pistachios.
I think these are stuffed with cashews.
Stuffed with raisins.
Generally the stuffings were mainly nut based with a crumbly pastry coating it. With their bite-sized portions, these could pass off as petit fours.
It could be me and Middle Eastern cuisine that has not found common ground. While the experience at Anar was enjoyable, I did not totally enjoy the food per se. Service was friendly and attentive.
Anar by night, pretty sight!
Anar
Sentosa
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