Chocolate hummus? It’s worth a try in Abu Dhabi

As an enthusiast of Lebanese culture, I’ve got an especially soft spot for authentic Lebanese food, so I was pleasantly surprised to see one of Beirut’s most popular restaurants open up in Abu Dhabi.

Karamna Beirut Restaurant, which recently opened at Ramada Hotel, was developed by restaurateur Tony Karam whose family owns and runs the Karam restaurant brand.

The head chef at Karamna is Mohammad Molla, a native of the Lebanese town of Baalbek, who has over 30 years of experience with hotels such as Marriott and Hilton and experience serving royal families in the UAE.

Speaking to tabloid!, Molla said the restaurant aims to pay homage to authentic Lebanese cuisine, and does so by importing its ingredients on a regular basis from Lebanon.

Even the simplest dishes such as tabouleh and fatoush employ fresh vegetables from Lebanon. (Freshly-grown Lebanese fruits and vegetables are arguably some of the juiciest you can find around the world.)

“Before opening Karamna, we went around Abu Dhabi sampling dishes at many Lebanese restaurants, but we couldn’t find any that stayed true to the cuisine or used Lebanese ingredients, so we think we can fill that niche,” the chef said.

Innovative dishes

Discussing the menu, Molla said it combines classic Lebanese favourites with innovative dishes such as chocolate hummus (a surprisingly savoury dish that mixes 70 per cent dark chocolate powder with hummus), beetroot hummus, tabouleh with quinoa, and arayes toshka (a baked dish of bread topped with halloumi cheese), among others.

Original article by Sarah Diaa

Continue reading at Gulf News:

Chocolate hummous? It’s worth a try in Abu Dhabi