Malls are not just places to shop, they are leisure destinations that offer attractions, activities and places to eat. Most have fast food places in food courts or sit down casual dining restaurants, but if you want to see mall dining taken to the next level, then visit the Fashion Avenue extension in The Dubai Mall.
On our recent mall trip we visited Opso, the new Greek restaurant from London, featuring a menu by top Greek chef Nikos Roussos.
Opso is the ancient Greek word meaning a morsel of food, and that is reflected in the menu which as well as some traditional main Greek dishes, is based on a sharing concept, creating a good selection of morsels to try.
To start we opted for a selection of appetisers, including a dakos salad, hummus, tzatziki, feta kataifi and metsovone croquette. The hummus was served with a sprinkling of zaatar, which just added that extra bit of flavour and created a little more of a local twist. The feta kataifi, fried feta cheese wrapped in shredded phyllo pastry and drizzled with honey and sesame seeds, had that great hint of sweetness that could easily have been a dessert, but was not too sweet that it made a great starter. If you are a fan of kunafa and also like feta, then this dish is a must. Another well balanced sweet and cheese dish was the metsovone croquette, fried smoked cheese served with a rhubarb jam, which proved a great combination.
For mains we opted to share a lamb shank giouvetsi, slow cooked lamb shank served on a bed of orzo cooked with lemongrass and tomato. Even really hungry meat lovers would struggle to finish this dish alone, but the tenderness of the lamb that fell off the bone, and the flavours coming from giouvetsi, would be enough to make sure they had a good try.
The menu offers a selection of desserts and a great choice of coffees, from classic and traditional, to speciality including the gold latte with thyme honey - a coffee served in a gold coloured cup and saucer with a gold spoon and sprinkling of 24 carat gold on top.
Opso has a wide outdoor terrace over looking the Dubai Fountains. With views like this and food inspired by a chef who’s restaurant in Athens has won two Michelin stars, dining at Opso is a great experience and proves that malls can be great nights out.
Expect to pay around Dhs 200 per person for starters, a main and dessert to share and coffee to finish .
Call 054-4244999.