Imagine sat at a table on a decked terrace in an open air restaurant, with a a sandy beach just in front of you, Greek music playing and the only interruption is the sound of waves crashing against the shoreline. You could be forgiven for thinking you were on any one of the Greek islands were it not for the iconic Burj Al Arab on the one side and the lit up skyline of Palm Jumeirah on the other. Some restaurants have this magical ability to transport you to another continent, and Shimmers at Jumeirah Mina A’Salam does just that.
Shimmers was always known as a popular Mediterranean beach restaurant with great snacks and an awesome place to watch the sun set. The setting is still the same, but Shimmers is now a full on Greek restaurant. The menu is traditionally Greek, with a selection of starters you would expect, and mains that remind you of any holiday you would have had in Mykonos or Crete.
With nine starters to choose from, we opted to do what Greeks do and order a selection to create our own mini meze, after all Greek food is all about sharing. The choices of saganaki, seared prawns, octopus and soutzoukakia were a meal in themselves. All four were perfectly prepared and the stand out were the saganaki with it’s tasty cheese filling accompanied by the sweetness of the fig marmalade, and the meaty soutzoukaki with an amazing creamy tomato and yoghurt sauce.
For mains we opted for something from the grill and something from the casserole. The paidakia (lamb chops) were tender and came out exactly as ordered and the taste of the accompanying potatoes where perfectly enhanced with the crumbled feta. The bekri meze (drunken meat stew) contained a generous portion of tender beef cubes in a slightly spicy stew.
After a Greek meal of generous portions it is close to impossible to add desserts, but you cannot leave without at least sharing a portion of loukoumades. A signature dish of Shimmers, the dough balls were crispy on the outside with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of walnuts, and helped maintain the feeling of being somewhere on the Aegean. For a 3 course meal, without drinks, expect to pay somewhere around Dhs 300 per person. For reservations call 04-4323232.