Sikka | Khaleeji Cuisine in La Mer
Flaunting interiors that mixes the modernities of the present with traditional vibes from the days gone by, when fishermen and pearl divers were plenty and maritime industry was in boom, Sikka Cafe, located in Central La Mer offers a cross between Khaleeji and Indian cuisines. You will always find this La Mer spot packed with locals for its fusion quotient, sheesha, outdoor seating, desserts and creative mocktails + karak.
We wanted to get the best of it all so we chose to go with the Sikka Experience that offers a delightful 3 course meal comprising of mezza, mains and desserts. All these dishes are fixed, which sort of posed an issue for me since I couldn’t eat one of the items from the mains, but I was asked to photograph it anyway.
Mezza Platter
Among the cold mezza platter, my favorite was the Watermelon Salad. The feta cheese dotted with zaatar went really well with cold watermelon and cucumber. The yogurt dip Mast-o-Sabzi was quite refreshing too. Cool and creamy, it made a good snack with the crudites. A classic, the no meat version of Hummus Beiruti was just the right dip to the fresh Pita Bread.
From the hot mezza, the French Fries Harra were my ultimate favorite. The one thing I can never say no to, these fries flavored with garlic, coriander and spices were perfect, but could’ve been a tad bit more crispy. One of the better versions I’ve had, the Falafel with Tahina were fab. Especially with that creamy dip, these were the perfect starter. Try making these into a wrap with the pita on the side. I’ve never been a fan of Chicken Liver, so I just stayed clear of it. The richness of the liver pieces and pungent spices is more of an acquired taste, one that my palette hasn’t adapted to yet.
Mains
Honestly, I had two concerns with the mains. For one, they were brought in way too soon. We weren’t even halfway through with the mezza, and had clearly specified we would let them know once we were ready for mains, but well. And two, there was no extra pita bread offered to go with the butter chicken.
The Lamb Machboos was the one I didn’t have. The fragrance was great though, and since I was supposed to include this in my pic, regardless of whether I ate it or not, I was offered a Veg Biryani instead. The Butter Chicken was too too sweet for my liking. Yes, butter chicken is perceived as a sweeter gravy compared to other Indian curries, but this felt sugary. Wouldn’t recommend unless you prefer it sweet. The Chicken Tikka pieces from the tikka platter were great, however I found the Beef Tikka pieces slightly chewy. Ask for them to be well done.
Desserts
The dessert, quite contrary to the mains, took too long to arrive. But the Baked Labneh Cheesecake with Date Jam was worth the wait. Using a mix of subtle and strong flavors, it starts with the crunch of kunafeh, then a hint of creamy labneh, followed by the biscuity lotus base and a rich date jam. And of course, why would we ever say no to Legaimat? Dipped in sugary syrup and dotted with sesame seeds, pistachios and dried rose petals, these fried mini dough balls almost melt in your mouth.
SIKKA Café
- Food
- Drinks
- Ambience
- Pricing
- Service
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Although we chose the Sikka Experience menu to get a good idea of their offerings, I was left wanting for more. There are a lot of exciting things on their menu that I would like to try out when I go back, but I was not too pleased by the service and staff attitude, so I will probably try one of their other branches. I loved the harra fries, falafel and watermelon salad the most.
Location: La Mer, Jumeirah 1, Dubai
Contact: 04 3856775
