UAE: Zaatar w Zeit
'Z Knefeh' - "a tasteful explosion to say the least!"
Zaatar w Zeit is a successful urban eatery franchise that was founded in Lebanon in 1999. The stylised name refers to za'atar (Middle Eastern mixed herbs and spices) and zeit that means 'olive oil' in this context. There are more than 70 outlets throughout the Middle East.
At the point of writing, there are 18 outlets in the UAE alone.
Zaatar w Zeit is a successful urban eatery franchise that was founded in Lebanon in 1999. The stylised name refers to za'atar (Middle Eastern mixed herbs and spices) and zeit that means 'olive oil' in this context. There are more than 70 outlets throughout the Middle East.
At the point of writing, there are 18 outlets in the UAE alone.
Levantine Lentil Soup AED 14.00 (~S$5.15)
Taste: 7/10
The piping hot soup made of blended yellow lentils, carrots and some other vegetables not specified on the menu was good, but not special. Served with oven-baked croutons, it could be thicker in terms of texture. I believe a dash of lemon juice was added, which gave it a nice zing.
Halloumi Sticks AED 22.00 (~S$8.10)
Taste: 7/10
Looking for something crunchy to munch on, I ordered some breaded cheese sticks served with Thousand Island dipping sauce. While they did satisfy my craving, I was expecting the semi-hard cheese made of a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk to be more springy.
Mighty Kafta Wrap AED 32.00 (~S$11.80)
Taste: 8/10
I was torn among a few choices of specialty wraps at first, but eventually decided on the spicy ground beef variant. It was tasty with a generous amount of cheese, diced onions and tomatoes. There's an option of adding fries as a side dish for AED 5.00 (~S$1.85), but I didn't go for it.
Z Knefeh AED 22.00 (~S$8.10)
Taste: 8.5/10
Such a cool name for a dessert item, no? The restaurant tries to be innovative by coming up with a twist to knefeh, a Levantine dessert made of semolina dough.
Smacked in between thin and crispy flatbread was a generous filling of knefeh crumbs, sesame seeds, melted cheese, sesame seeds and sugar syrup. The sweet and salty interplay was delightful, not to mention the heady fragrance it exuded. Pika's advice: For a sizzling goodness, you may want to opt for the Knefeh in the Pan that costs AED 24.00 (~S$8.85).
Melon's Rating
Taste: 7.5/10
Ambience: 7/10
Service: 6.5/10
Overall: 7/10
Dishes for kids are available, but not shown on the main menu.
Zaatar w Zeit
Marina Mall Ring Road
1/F Marina Mall
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
(Daily: 9.00am - 12 midnight)
*Prices quoted are nett prices.
Have a nice meal,
Cliff(y)
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