Epitome | Aloft Deira City Centre

Last week after one of the days at work, I visited the much talked about restaurant Epitome, located within Aloft Deira City Centre. A fusion of Roman and Greek, their interiors bring together bright colors and bold textures along with statement pieces, like their statues and murals that go hand-in-hand with eclectic metal accents. They’ve also got spectacular terrace seating with hand-painted murals and views of the Dubai skyline. The patterns and use of colors in their furniture are quite wow-worthy, and also features the cafe-style statement chairs which are such a big trend these days.

For drinks, we went in for trio tropical which was a mix of mango pineapple and coconut water along with their signature Epitome cooler which brought together basil mint and pineapple.

Our first starter was Ras Malai ki chaat which featured sweet milk sponges topped with golden saffron curd and cherries, served alongside leafy greens, carrots and beetroot threads. A little on the sweet side, this starter would pair well if you’re alternating it with a savory dish. Next in our starters were Hoison chilli wontons, that were crispy fried and tossed in a honey chilli sauce. Bringing a really good balance of spicy, sweet and savory flavors, paired with that slight crunch, these were the perfect young to the Ras Malai’s yang.

For mains, we went with the elephant garlic and basil sticky rice which was wok-fried with finely chopped assorted veggies and topped with burnt garlic and basil leaves. At first, it came across as a mushy version of Manchurian dumplings, but as the flavors began to pop out we were welcomed by the garlicky goodness. Of course, we couldn’t resist ordering an Indian main and for that, we went with Dilli styled nikka choley bhature that came topped with amchoori potatoes and paired with chilli carrot pickle and onions on the side. My favorite from the evening, the choley with potatoes in it was a combination that took this dish to the next level. Considering the portion of the choley, I do think they should give 4 bhatures instead of 2 as a part of this dish.

Next, it was time for desserts and we started with Gulab e Godiva. A Godiva chocolate brownie stuffed with a Gulab Jamun in the centre and topped with vanilla ice cream, this dish was quite a fusion laden item. The vanilla ice cream was a little too sweet for my liking and paired with the Gulab Jamun it made the dish overpowering sweet, but all in all, it was a good concept. The next dessert, not very different from the previous one, was the bomb chocolate soufflé which featured a classic molten chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream and cherry compote. The chocolate soufflé with all that melted gooey chocolate goodness inside was simply perfect. Again the ice cream was a little sweet but it went well with the dense cake. Like all molten chocolate cakes, this dessert takes a little while to prepare and arrive which means it is made fresh.

Did you know? Epitome is the first of its kind vegan and vegetarian licensed cocktail bar and restaurant in Dubai. They have a ladies night too and the place is buzzing with people over the weekend. Make sure you dress to impress and remember this venue is only for ages 21 and over.

Epitome

Location: Aloft Dubai Creek Hotel, Baniyas Road, Deira City Centre Area, Dubai
Contact: 04 5260851

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